Topping B100 Amplifier Review

[Purité Audio]

More and more common to read on subjective forums posters desperately attempting to justify their expensive purchases.
Disparaging with the usual tropes, far eastern manufacture, you obviously haven’t heard a really good , lucky you can’t hear the difference etc … sad.
Keith

 

[Roland68]

They aren’t particularly expensive to begin with.
I understand how traditional audiophiles might feel threatened by these extremely fine measuring yet relatively inexpensive components.
Keith

I have a business idea.
Take a stylish and classy full-size HiFi case, install one or two B100s in a false bottom and put great-looking fake transformers and fake circuit boards on top of them. Don't forget 10-20 kilos of lead plate.
Invent a phenomenal story about the most transparent 100 watt output that puts all Class A amplifiers in the shade, get a few top influencers on board who can of course keep these phenomenal devices.
$10,000 mono and $20,000 stereo should be a reasonable purchase price for the first 300 devices before increasing to $14,900 and $29,900.
Or is that too cheap?

Even Scrooge McDuck would be jealous...

 

[Sokel]

I have a business idea.
Take a stylish and classy full-size HiFi case, install one or two B100s in a false bottom and put great-looking fake transformers and fake circuit boards on top of them. Don't forget 10-20 kilos of lead plate.
Invent a phenomenal story about the most transparent 100 watt output that puts all Class A amplifiers in the shade, get a few top influencers on board who can of course keep these phenomenal devices.
$10,000 mono and $20,000 stereo should be a reasonable purchase price for the first 300 devices before increasing to $14,900 and $29,900.
Or is that too cheap?

Even Scrooge McDuck would be jealous...

Just don't plug them to any ESL-57 or the shorts of it

 

[Waxx]

More and more common to read on subjective forums posters desperately attempting to justify their expensive purchases.
Disparaging with the usual tropes, far eastern manufacture, you obviously haven’t heard a really good , lucky you can’t hear the difference etc … sad.
Keith

I don't, I have na SMSL that serves is purpose (mobile hifi amp) with ease. But if you ask that kind of prices like this one cost, you expect more build quality. You may also ask more design and functionality than your 100€ chinese dac.

But on it's own i think it's great that this sound quality only cost a few hundreds, and that the time of "good gear cost a fortune" are definitly over. But that does not mean i can have remarks on products in that section. We should do that, and all who says we don't are doing the same as many snake oil media: seeing their opinion (not the science facts) as facts. The Topping and similar designs surely got a market, and they are up to the level of the best EU amps (Ncore, Purifi) on sound. But not always on other factors, and we should mention that.

But it seems that Topping works on that. I don't know if it's the importer or Topping themselves who gives the (at least) 2 years warranty that is mandatory in the EU, but the fact that that warranty is there, is a great evolution. I'm not against those brands, i just want them to do things right, and i love that the challenge the big brands with their products and marketing.

And at the end, you need to decide yourself if you want this or that product, we can only give the measured facts and our subjective view on it, the choice is yours.

 

[terryforsythe]

it seems like if you're doing room correction load dependency isn't an issue at all

Probably correct, assuming room correction is being implemented all the way up to the high frequencies (I do, but some people don't), and assuming that the frequency response of load dependent amplifiers is fairly consistent at different power levels.

 

[Sokel]

Probably correct, assuming room correction is being implemented all the way up to the high frequencies (I do, but some people don't), and assuming that the frequency response of load dependent amplifiers is fairly consistent at different power levels.

Also assuming that this RC is done to the anechoic response of the speakers up high AND that the speakers are EQable up there (not all are,smooth on and off axis response is required).

 

[terryforsythe]

At the specific case they won't as one of the most high regarded audiophile aspect apart from weight is current,they want stuff to go down to 1 Ohm doubling the power with each divide.
This one has the 4 Ohm limitation,so...

I have not seen amps rated for 4 ohms and 8 ohms struggle with speakers specified at 4 ohms, but drop a little lower. I'm not saying it never is an issue, but I just have not experienced it. I guess I'll find out if this is an issue with the B100 when I get a pair.

 

[EddNog]

I have not seen amps rated for 4 ohms and 8 ohms struggle with speakers specified at 4 ohms, but drop a little lower. I'm not saying it never is an issue, but I just have not experienced it. I guess I'll find out if this is an issue with the B100 when I get a pair.

KEF LS50 Metas do drop a little under 4ohms and so far I haven’t had a single problem.

-Ed

 

[Sokel]

I have not seen amps rated for 4 ohms and 8 ohms struggle with speakers specified at 4 ohms, but drop a little lower. I'm not saying it never is an issue, but I just have not experienced it. I guess I'll find out when I get a pair.

Unless you have some known suspect electrostatics or some other famous low-impedance/difficult speakers you should be ok I think.

 

[rdytro]

Are 2 x B100 a good match for Kef R7 Meta? Or would the speakers benefit from 2 x B200? I won't be listening loud as I'm in an apartment block.

Or not a great match?

Other options are Apollon / Nord one box dual mono amp with 2 x PSU; secondhand Benchmark AHB2 or Kinki EX-M1 (updated v2); new Teac AP701, Rotel Michi S3 (assuming it's announced tomorrow).

 

[Sokel]

KEF LS50 Metas do drop a little under 4ohms and so far I haven’t had a single problem.

-Ed

Those?



At 3.7 Ohm you are at the limit at the amp's specs but it should be ok.
I for once would follow Amir's advice (at the bottom of the pic) for those.

 

[EddNog]

Those?

View attachment 393315

At 3.7 Ohm you are at the limit at the amp's specs but it should be ok.
I for once would follow Amir's advice (at the bottom of the pic) for those.

Correct. Like I said, not a single issue so far.

-Ed

 

[EddNog]

Are 2 x B100 a good match for Kef R7 Meta? Or would the speakers benefit from 2 x B200? I won't be listening loud as I'm in an apartment block.

Or not a great match?

Other options are Apollon / Nord one box dual mono amp with 2 x PSU; secondhand Benchmark AHB2 or Kinki EX-M1 (updated v2); new Teac AP701, Rotel Michi S3 (assuming it's announced tomorrow).

Safer bet to go with B200 or Fosi V3 Mono.

-Ed

 

[Esprit]

I don't know if it's the importer or Topping themselves who gives the (at least) 2 years warranty that is mandatory in the EU

The seller takes care of the 24 month warranty, in case of problems covered by the warranty you need to contact the seller.

 

[NTK]

Are 2 x B100 a good match for Kef R7 Meta? Or would the speakers benefit from 2 x B200? I won't be listening loud as I'm in an apartment block.

Or not a great match?

Other options are Apollon / Nord one box dual mono amp with 2 x PSU; secondhand Benchmark AHB2 or Kinki EX-M1 (updated v2); new Teac AP701, Rotel Michi S3 (assuming it's announced tomorrow).

The problem with the B100 protection circuit kicking in happens only when you are playing loud (probably exceeding the output current limit, which my estimate* is ~4.6 A). In all likelihood the B100 should work in your case but I wouldn't say it is a great match. The R7 Meta can happily take more power (and play louder) than the B100 can provide.

For a little bit more money than one B100, you can get a Nord Value-Line MP NC252, which is stereo and has 3× the max per channel power output @ 4 Ω as the B100. The lower noise of the B100 won't matter as the KEF R7 Meta does not have super high sensitivity. Distortions from both are also far below audibility, and a "better" number has no practical value.


Note *:
Power = Current^2 × Load_resistance → Current = √( Power / Load_resistance )
Since the B100 cut out at 86 W into 4 Ω, the estimated current limit = √(86/4) = 4.63 A

 

[terryforsythe]

Also assuming that this RC is done to the anechoic response of the speakers up high AND that the speakers are EQable up there (not all are,smooth on and off axis response is required).

I have a different perspective. Dirac Live, for example, measures frequency response at multiple locations. The minimum number of locations is 9 for tightly focused imaging, with more locations measured for focused imaging and wide imaging. Assuming the amplifier being used for the Dirac Live measurements is being used for regular listening, which typically is the case, Dirac Live is compensating not only for the room response, but also the amplifier's frequency response (if not linear) and the speakers' frequency response.

 

[mhardy6647]

Then I guess time will tell. So far, after a week of listening, not a single issue (yet) for me with this pair of B100s.

A whole week!

My ca. 1960 EICO HF-81 just kind of chuckles.

 

[terryforsythe]

Are 2 x B100 a good match for Kef R7 Meta? Or would the speakers benefit from 2 x B200? I won't be listening loud as I'm in an apartment block.

Or not a great match?

Other options are Apollon / Nord one box dual mono amp with 2 x PSU; secondhand Benchmark AHB2 or Kinki EX-M1 (updated v2); new Teac AP701, Rotel Michi S3 (assuming it's announced tomorrow).

The efficiency of the R7 Meta is 88dB at 2.83V (2W) per KEF's specifications. The B100 should push the speaker to 103dB at 1m. With two speakers, that puts a pair at 106dB at 1m.

If you sit 2m (~6') from the speakers, the maximum SPL with both speakers will be just over 100dB. At 4m (~12') from the speakers, the maximum SPL with both speakers will be just over 94dB. I doubt you will listen to your music that loud in an apartment, unless you want to really piss off your neighbors.

With double the power, the B200 will give you an additional 3dB of speaker SPL. It might be nice to have the additional power for future use, but probably is overkill for use in an apartment with speakers that have 88dB efficiency.

 

[mhardy6647]

The efficiency of the R7 Meta is 88dB at 2.83V (2W) per KEF's specifications. The B100 should push the speaker to 103dB at 1m. With two speakers, that puts a pair at 106dB at 1m.

If you sit 2m (~6') from the speakers, the maximum SPL with both speakers will be just over 100dB. At 4m (~12') from the speakers, the maximum SPL with both speakers will be just over 94dB. I doubt you will listen to your music that loud in an apartment, unless you want to really piss off your neighbors.

With double the power, the B200 will give you an additional 3dB of speaker SPL. It might be nice to have the additional power for future use, but probably is overkill for use in an apartment with speakers that have 88dB efficiency.

Of course, the only problem with a paper assessment such as this is will one get 100 dB SPL across the full bandwidth of which the loudspeakers are capable, playing actual music, and -- if so -- for how long before thermal shut-down or other, similar sequelae?
I mean... maybe...

This being said, I fully (!) support the notion that 50 watts is a lot with loudspeakers of any reasonable level of sensitivity (and non-sadistic impedance and phase curves).
For loudspeakers of unreasonable (on the high side!) levels of sensitivity -- the exceptionally low noise and distortion of this amp at (very!) low output power levels could make these amps ideal for the tubes 'n' horns crowd (as a member of which crowd I include myself).
Ca. 104 dB per watt at 1 meter for my "real" loudspeakers (at 16 ohm nominal impedance), as a point of reference.
I.e., I'd be interested in hearing a pair of these little amps.

 

[Sokel]

I have a different perspective. Dirac Live, for example, measures frequency response at multiple locations. The minimum number of locations is 9 for tightly focused imaging, with more locations measured for focused imaging and wide imaging. Assuming the amplifier being used for the Dirac Live measurements is being used for regular listening, which typically is the case, Dirac Live is compensating not only for the room response, but also the amplifier's frequency response (if not linear) and the speakers' frequency response.

It's a big subject.
As what I'll ever know about the subject is probably a joke at the sight of the people who short of invented these stuff,I have this as my gospel:

What is your favorite house curve

OK. Next question for you folks. As far as I can tell there is no spinorama for the Focal Aria 926's, which happen to be my main speakers. However, Amir did do a spinorama for the Aria 906 standmount speakers. They use the same tweeter and mid driver as the 926, but lack the two woofers as they...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I DO try a gazillion of other stuff though for fun but that's my base.
Big,big subject with lots of parameters,so...