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Topping B100 Amplifier Review

Rate this amplifier:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 12 3.2%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 18 4.9%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 73 19.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 267 72.2%

  • Total voters
    370
It depends a lot on the rest of your system. In home cinema it makes sense, at least if you're sticking to THX approved components throughout. If you've got very sensitive horns, like some who have posted to this thread, 29dB of gain will be WAY too much. Another argument would be that sensitivity should be standardised so that amps reach full output at 2V unbalanced or 4V balanced input, the de facto standard(ish) output for DACs. Pick an amp with more or less the power you need for your preferred maximum volume. But there will be counterarguments to that one too.
Not sure if thre is an easy way to standardize this unless it is a well defined system like a THX certified home cinema. For example audio interfaces tend to operate at +4dBu (1.2V) with 22dB headroom, and output up to 12Vrms. Then we have 105dB/m Klipschs and 85dB/m KEF speakers...
 
It’s only the power (8 Ohm) that differs:
LA90: 40 Watts
B100: 50 Watts
B200: 140 Watts
LA90 bridged: 270 Watts

Your 'LA90 bridged' figure is into a 4Ω and not 8Ω load. I suspect it'd be ~120 Watts into 8Ω, as Amir states power (at the knee and not at 1%).

Also, I think it's useful to differentiate between the original chip-based LA90 and the newer (still current) discrete LA90D, especially when talking about reliability. My understanding is that very few original LA90s failed, and that most of the failed LA90Ds were from earlier batches.

FWIW, in total, I have 3x LA90, 2x LA90D, and 2x PA7+ (the joys of going active!). My first LA90 I bought back in June 2022 to use as a single stereo amp to drive my K1000 headphones. All these amps I've used just a few hours per week at most. Apart from the 2x PA7+ (which drive subs), none are being stressed particularly hard, all being connected directly to a single speaker driver (no passive crossovers). But nevertheless, they've all performed perfectly in the time I've had them.

Mani.
 
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Your 'LA90 bridged' figure is into a 4Ω and not 8Ω load. I suspect it'd be ~120 Watts into 8Ω, as Amir states power (at the knee and not at 1%).

Also, I think it's useful to differentiate between the original chip-based LA90 and the newer (still current) discrete LA90D, especially when talking about reliability. My understanding is that very few original LA90s failed, and that most of the failed LA90Ds were from earlier batches.

FWIW, in total, I have 3x LA90, 2x LA90D, and 2x PA7+ (the joys of going active!). My first LA90 I bought back in June 2022 to use as a single stereo amp to drive my K1000 headphones. All these amps I've used just a few hours per week at most. Apart from the 2x PA7+ (which drive subs), none are being stressed particularly hard, all being connected directly to a single speaker driver (no passive crossovers). But nevertheless, they've all performed perfectly in the time I've had them.

Mani.
@manisandher: You are right:
I think the LA90 Discrete 8 Ohm "Knee" beginns at perhaps 140 - 150 Watt. That is exact the B200 Ballpark. Topping claims at 4 Ohms the same 180 Watts as at 8 Ohms.
What I really don´t understand is that the Topping guys wrote that for 4 Ohms (Mono) it is 180 Watts at 1 % Distortion. @amirm said it is 279 Watt at the beginning of the 4 Ohm knee with 0.0001 % distorsion. So Topping was waaaaay to conservative in the 4 Ohm case and (perhaps!) a bit to optimistic in the 8 Ohm case.

The same with the B200: Here their graphs shows at 8 Ohm a knee that beginns at about 150 Watts (and reaches the claimed 200 Watts only with 2% Distortion) and at 4 Ohm the graph ends at the right side at perhaps 210 Watts without any "knee". The claim of 200 Watts at 8 Ohms as at 4 Ohms seems to make not much sense.


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I think performance is absolutely identical for LA90 / B100 / B200. Not only little (academic) differences (because fully transparent), but no measurable differences at all.
First I assumed that the B200 is cleaner than the LA90 (about 3 dB), but then I saw: the topping guys are using a-weighted measurements, so it is 3dB or so better than @amirm ˋs measurements.
It’s only the power (8 Ohm) that differs:
LA90: 40 Watts
B100: 50 Watts
B200: 140 Watts
LA90 bridged: 270 Watts

What scares me most, is the LA 90 poll: exactly half of the users have had problems with their devices!
That is not much better than the PA 5.
If all three „Top of the Pops“ Topping amps are practically engineered in the same fashion,
I am afraid the issues will appear in the same fashion.

There is something very very nice with the Benchmark AHB-2: it sounds AND works. Day by day by day in many recording studios. VW Beetle-like.
B100 Class B - typo of @amirm (at least I think so)
B100 and B200 same layout.
PA5 - Class D but comparable in reliability! There was a LA90D Poll also!


(LA90D is also class AB, like the B100 and the B200)
So far, there is nothing to suggest that the B100 could be affected by failures like the other devices listed. The B100 does not have any modules encapsulated with potting compound, which was often the cause of the other devices failing. I already wrote something about this here #480.

The B200 has modules installed, but I hope that Topping simply encapsulated them and wasn't stupid enough to fill them with potting compound again.
 
So far, there is nothing to suggest that the B100 could be affected by failures like the other devices listed. The B100 does not have any modules encapsulated with potting compound, which was often the cause of the other devices failing. I already wrote something about this here #480.

The B200 has modules installed, but I hope that Topping simply encapsulated them and wasn't stupid enough to fill them with potting compound again.
Not the same kind of failure, but the high gain not working for @EddNog sounds like his amp is partly broken.
 
Not the same kind of failure, but the high gain not working for @EddNog sounds like his amp is partly broken.
It does the same thing on both channels, so unless they’re both broken, I’d say either it’s the nature of the design and likely has something to do, as I said, with the incoming signal being either too high a voltage or something else. I am using the 5V output mode of the E70 Velvet.

One thing I haven’t tested is using Low (unity) Gain on the B100s and then switching the L70 preamp to High Gain. I am thinking that since the B100s have the better noise/distortion rating, it made more sense to use Low Gain on the preamp and Medium Gain on the power amps than the other way around.

Or really they’re all so high-spec that the difference, once level-matched, should be inaudible anyway.

-Ed
 
likely has something to do, as I said, with the incoming signal being either too high a voltage or something else. I am using the 5V output mode of the E70 Velvet.
You had the distortion with volume turned down, though, I assumed. If it is clipping then of course that isn't the amp's fault.
 
It does the same thing on both channels, so unless they’re both broken, I’d say either it’s the nature of the design and likely has something to do, as I said, with the incoming signal being either too high a voltage or something else. I am using the 5V output mode of the E70 Velvet.

One thing I haven’t tested is using Low (unity) Gain on the B100s and then switching the L70 preamp to High Gain. I am thinking that since the B100s have the better noise/distortion rating, it made more sense to use Low Gain on the preamp and Medium Gain on the power amps than the other way around.

Or really they’re all so high-spec that the difference, once level-matched, should be inaudible anyway.

-Ed
Even at the 5V setting of your DAC and even if you use RCA input there's no chance to reach any clamp voltage listening to music unless you listen to sines at 0dB before the amp.
Input sensitivity is speced at 1.5Vrms for the above,there's no way to reach that at humane levels.

Something is broken in there.
 
You had the distortion with volume turned down, though, I assumed. If it is clipping then of course that isn't the amp's fault.
Correct, volume down. I do not know the reason for the behavior. With the preamp’s +6dB extra gain, I have no actual need for the High gain on my B100s.

-Ed
 
Correct, volume down. I do not know the reason for the behavior. With the preamp’s +6dB extra gain, I have no actual need for the High gain on my B100s.

-Ed
Yes I understand that it works at mid gain for you. But the high gain sounds broken, even if that doesn't bother you.
 
Even at the 5V setting of your DAC and even if you use RCA input there's no chance to reach any clamp voltage listening to music unless you listen to sines at 0dB before the amp.
Input sensitivity is speced at 1.5Vrms for the above,there's no way to reach that at humane levels.

Something is broken in there.
I’ve reported my findings—use that information as you will. Under my normal use, it never gives me issues and it sounds wonderful. I’m not going to put in the effort and possibly having no music for days or weeks to fix an issue that doesn’t actually affect me in my own usage because it may involve sending them something back before my replacement is received. It simply is too big a hassle with shipping to and from China.

It’s up to @TOPPING or @TOPPING-Service if they’re paying attention or care, and wish to be proactive given I am reporting my experiences and findings in a public venue.

-Ed
 
I’ve reported my findings—use that information as you will. Under my normal use, it never gives me issues and it sounds wonderful. I’m not going to put in the effort and possibly having no music for days or weeks to fix an issue that doesn’t actually affect me in my own usage because it may involve sending them something back before my replacement is received. It simply is too big a hassle with shipping to and from China.

-Ed
sorry I missed that you said both of your amps have the same high gain issue. I get it you don't want to send it back but for everyone's benefit it would be very nice of you to ask Topping what might be causing this.
 
sorry I missed that you said both of your amps have the same high gain issue. I get it you don't want to send it back but for everyone's benefit it would be very nice of you to ask Topping what might be causing this.
Certainly; I’ll send them a query and report back.

-Ed
 
sorry I missed that you said both of your amps have the same high gain issue. I get it you don't want to send it back but for everyone's benefit it would be very nice of you to ask Topping what might be causing this.
Well…now it’s like a joke. I just switched them to High again to see if I can reproduce it and record a video of it, and High is working fine for once. Will keep experimenting.

-Ed
 
So far mostly well. I have them set to Medium Gain. Not sure if it’s an impedance incompatibility or too high input voltage, but High Gain is not an option because it is audibly distorted if I try to use High Gain. If I use Low Gain, it is a little short on volume for quieter tracks (like All-Star Percussion Ensemble). Using the Topping L70 for preamp helps as it has +6dB Gain for balanced input on Low Gain. I need not bother with High Gain from my preamp.

I have had my right channel B100 safety kick in twice now, both times while playing Medium Gain with my preamp maxed out (volume -0.0dB). It had to have been cranked because I measured almost 90dB peak from my listening position 3 meters away before it cut out, and for me it was playing uncomfortably loud, but I wanted to push the limits to see where it would give up. Having pegged it enough for safety to cut in twice, I know how loud it needs to be pushed before safety kicks in and at least for me personally both times it was playing louder than I like, so at least for me, it provides more than enough power with the KEF LS50 Metas.

The safety is ultra-conservative. There was zero clipping or distortion both times safety kicked off.

-Ed
An input voltage that is too high cannot be the cause of the distortion at high gain.
The input voltage on the B100 can only be as high as it is required for the desired volume and is set on the device upstream.
- Do the distortions also occur on the B100 at high gain with the L70?
- Are you using an XLR or RCA connection on the B100?
 
An input voltage that is too high cannot be the cause of the distortion at high gain.
The input voltage on the B100 can only be as high as it is required for the desired volume and is set on the device upstream.
- Do the distortions also occur on the B100 at high gain with the L70?
- Are you using an XLR or RCA connection on the B100?
I am sorry, but can you explain this a bit more detailed for those of us who know nothing about anything? I am talking about the part where the input voltage vs what the source could/would/should provide? (I am genuinely interested in understanding this better)
 
An input voltage that is too high cannot be the cause of the distortion at high gain.
The input voltage on the B100 can only be as high as it is required for the desired volume and is set on the device upstream.
- Do the distortions also occur on the B100 at high gain with the L70?
- Are you using an XLR or RCA connection on the B100?
I am having a hard time reproducing the problem now; High Gain is working fine all of a sudden. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When the issue occurred, it was with both channels. I am leaning towards something coincidental upstream occurring when I first tried to use High Gain, which would point to either the streamer, the DAC, and/or the preamp. Being I can’t seem to reproduce it now, may have to just call it a fluke.

-Ed
 
I am having a hard time reproducing the problem now; High Gain is working fine all of a sudden. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When the issue occurred, it was with both channels. I am leaning towards something coincidental upstream occurring when I first tried to use High Gain, which would point to either the streamer, the DAC, and/or the preamp. Being I can’t seem to reproduce it now, may have to just call it a fluke.

-Ed
It is very unlikely that an error occurs simultaneously in both B100s and cannot be reproduced.
Since it occurred simultaneously in both B100s, it is much more likely that something else was the cause.

Did you change anything on the cables or settings on the other devices?
 
It is very unlikely that an error occurs simultaneously in both B100s and cannot be reproduced.
Since it occurred simultaneously in both B100s, it is much more likely that something else was the cause.

Did you change anything on the cables or settings on the other devices?
Completely changed preamp from Freya+ to L70 and I already passed the previous one to my dad in NY so I do not have access to the Freya+ anymore to re-test.

-Ed
 
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