Topping B200 Amplifier Review [Video]

[BeeKay]

I totally disagree. Hermes bags, which cost 30,000 euros, are assembled (material and labor all included) for 35 - 40 euros!!! Absurdity!

But that's another topic.

I mean did you really read that?
Would say it’s spot on for many extreme luxury products. The manufacturer shortens the supply, controls the public reception and sets crazy price points.
It’s in no way related to the costs needed to make the product. They sell you a 30.000 EUR price tag. And that’s exactly what these customers want. To show they are economically able to waste money and don’t have to care.

 

[Ismapics]

Here is the video review of Topping B200 monoblock audio amplifier:

Had a target of getting it done in 5 minutes but instead, it took 13 minutes. Play it at 2X the rate and it will come close to my target.

Please subscribe to the channel. It is not monetized but like to make sure our voices are heard in the crowd of other videos.

Thanks for bringing back videos. I missed them.

 

[misterdog]

Im using the high gain setting as the low gain requires me to tuen the volume up on the Pre90 to well over -20db to get reasonable volume in my room.

The higher you push the Pre 90 the lower the THD+N.

 

[misterdog]

Great video @amirm , seems to confirm my early adopter choice and I haven't been dissapointed.

Out of interest do you still have the Pre 90? I wonder how many people might be interested in testing a suite of products, which have been measured singularly, to see what a chain measurement results in.

If you have say a DAC>PRE>Poweramp all with say 110dB SINAD what would be the output SINAD from all three devices
connected 110, 330 or some other?

 

[The_Fall]

The higher you push the Pre 90 the lower the THD+N.

Amazing -- thank you! This is really helpful.

 

[The_Fall]

Do you have particular brands in mind when you think of Hypex or Purifi amps?

VTV Amplifier – Pure Sound For the Ears

 

[Sokel]

Great video @amirm , seems to confirm my early adopter choice and I haven't been dissapointed.

Out of interest do you still have the Pre 90? I wonder how many people might be interested in testing a suite of products, which have been measured singularly, to see what a chain measurement results in.

If you have say a DAC>PRE>Poweramp all with say 110dB SINAD what would be the output SINAD from all three devices
connected 110, 330 or some other?

At normal listening levels?
With the best gain structure (not easy to achieve) and at good conditions ballpark 90dB?

I/O impedance has it's role too if not optimal. Best is to measure the chain, any chain.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

HIGH INCOME + FOMO = d’agastino

Also I think learning audio backwards has a lot to do with it. We ( engineers aside) drool before we even know much. And we follow the shiny lights and polished steel. I think someone above said it well …they call it marketing.

 

[WillBrink]

I understand that many people have to prove that they have money to throw away, but now with these amplifiers (B100 - B200) what is the point of amplifiers like Dan D'Agostino and similar brands?

Same point as owning a Rolex over a Timex, etc, cuz you can, bragging rights, looks, provenance, history, resale values, etc. Two, many (most?) audiophiles types will tell you they sound better and no amount of objective measurements will convince them otherwise. These are people who are convinced "upgrading" a power cord makes an audible difference, so obviously a mega $ amp will sound better than a cheap amp to them. ASR members are in the minority as to generally being most interested in objective measurements and cost to performance ratios vs inch thick face plates and cool LEDs or VU meters as a way to decide how things sound. Fact is, we no longer need to spend big $ to get great audio, which is why the high end audio industry is dying. At least some of the big $ amps measure well, but funny enough, some are really terrible.

 

[DearSX]

Should I be able to tell the difference between this amp and a top of the line Hypex or Puriti amp at 150 watts or less?

 

[The_Fall]

I think my little Topping stacks look great.

 

[The_Fall]

Should I be able to tell the difference between this amp and a top of the line Hypex or Puriti amp at 150 watts or less?

I have the B200 and a Purifi 1ET400A. I can certainly tell the difference in operation. Subjectively i like the B200s a bit better

 

[Mayan]

There's only one minor qualm I personally have of the layout and design, vertical binding posts instead of horizontal for those who prefer spades as a connection. Again, an extremely minor issue and only a opinion considering I've used locking banana plugs in the past in lieu of the preferred spades.

 

[Grenadine]

I have the B200 and a Purifi 1ET400A. I can certainly tell the difference in operation. Subjectively i like the B200s a bit better

Can you please describe the difference in operation between the 2?

 

[amirm]

Should I be able to tell the difference between this amp and a top of the line Hypex or Puriti amp at 150 watts or less?

If you have a sensitive speaker/tweeter, then you may hear a hiss with Hypex/Purifi and not with Topping.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Can you please describe the difference in operation between the 2?

If you have speakers with a nominal impedance of 4 ohms or in other ways present challenging loads and require substantial current, the Topping B200 may struggle to drive them effectively.

In contrast, Hypex and Purifi amplifiers handle complex speaker loads more effectively than Topping and offer greater flexibility with different speaker loads.

 

[BeeKay]

If you have speakers with a nominal impedance of 4 ohms

The B200 may(!) struggle at impedances of less than 2 Ohms. And even this is speculation as we haven’t seen any firsthand accounts yet. Nevertheless, this develops into an urban legend driven by people that have never seen the amp in person.
If someone can show an example of a nominal 4 Ohm speaker in trouble, please show this evidence or, conversely, stop speculating.

This gets the taste of some irrational negative Topping confirmation bias. If you have trouble with the brand say it loud.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

The B200 may(!) struggle at impedances of less than 2 Ohms. And even this is speculation as we haven’t seen any firsthand accounts yet. Nevertheless, this develops into an urban legend driven by people that have never seen the amp in person.
If someone can show an example of a nominal 4 Ohm speaker in trouble, please show this evidence or, conversely, stop speculating.

This gets the taste of some irrational negative Topping confirmation bias. If you have trouble with the brand say it loud.

The measurements clearly confirm what I mentioned earlier -this is not a high-current amplifier, and it begins to struggle when driving complex loads below 4 ohms. This isn’t a matter of speculation or personal bias; it’s an objective and measurable reality that is evident in the test results.

If you choose to dispute this fact, you are essentially questioning the reliability of the measurements themselves. Objective data doesn’t change based on opinion, and the numbers speak for themselves.

 

[amirm]

The measurements clearly confirm what I mentioned earlier -this is not a high-current amplifier, and it begins to struggle when driving complex loads below 4 ohms.

It is not "below 4 ohm." I only tested it at 8, 4 and 2 ohm. It had trouble at 2 ohm but that doesn't mean it has problems with 3 to 4 ohm. Let's not play with words.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

It is not "below 4 ohm." I only tested it at 8, 4 and 2 ohm. It had trouble at 2 ohm but that doesn't mean it has problems with 3 to 4 ohm. Let's not play with words.

Sure. But we know that somewhere between 4 ohms and 2 ohms, it will be limited, as shown in the 4-ohm 60° results that is lower than the 8-ohm 60° results.
That’s why I specifically mentioned a complex load below 4 ohms -not as a wordplay, but as an important distinction.
What the B200 does, it does very well in a nice package. -But as advice goes, we need to state the obvious: this is not a high-current amplifier. If high current is required, other alternatives may perform better. I can't see the controversy in that.