Topping B200 Monoblock Amplifier Review

[dlaloum]

The fins are 30mm deep, the fins on the AHB 2 are 38mm.

My B200 run barely warmer than room temp , though my speakers are not current hungry.

It is a niggling comment, but I would prefer that the fins ran vertically rather than horizontally, to aid passive convection cooling...

 

[dlaloum]

@amirm is an SMSL PA200 review in the pipeline?

That’s actually very cool that they made them exactly half rack width.

Sure but if you use them that way in a rack, their abutting heatsinks will have constrained/limited cooling... not great!
(not as much of an issue if the heatsinks were oriented vertically - but they aren't!)

 

[dlaloum]

No argument at all.
The first part of what I said is important:

'Part of the thermal design' implies you have done the power/thermal calculations explicitly! The statement wasn't a generalization at all.

I was commenting on an earlier post that expressed surprise and doubt that heat sink orientation is important in general. In fact, the penalty is quite large as can be seen in the link I included above, and many heat sink manufacturers publish dramatic horizontal vs. vertical performance differences for passive applications in their data sheets. For the B200, I doubt the fins are even needed based on your and other comments, but I am not in any position to do that calc.

Especially if you place them in a rack and abut two of them against each other!

 

[dlaloum]

Amps that are (claimed) stable down to 2 Ohms without catching fire are audiophile bragging rights gear. I admit I like the idea of an amp that has that juice on tap. I have no doubts I could happily live with the Topping amps with the speakers and size of the room I have.

Bit more than bragging rights if you have speakers like mine that drop down to 1.6ohm (Gallo Nucleus Ref. 3.2)

 

[mike70]

for $1200 you can buy yourself a Japanese AVR. There is plenty to choose from

The Chinese versión will have the same sound quality at around $600 - 700 ...

Is what happened with the stereo versions. I think that's the argument @dlaloum made.

 

[dlaloum]

Accuphase A-300 monoblocks. Rated:
125W @ 8Ω
250W @ 4Ω
500W @ 2Ω
1000W @ 1Ω

Like Aston Martin and Bentley used to say on their car specs .... "More than adequate power under ANY circumstances"

 

[Burns]

Why would an active sub have speakon input?
Why would you connect the output of a power amp to an Active speaker?
How should we know the color code

I'm not asking what it's for. I'm asking how to connect it correctly.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Like Aston Martin and Bentley used to say on their car specs .... "More than adequate power under ANY circumstances"

It depends. -As always.
This amplifier excels in delivering dynamic power into low-impedance loads. However, for speakers with relatively high impedance in the mid-bass and bass regions, it may not perform as well. On the other hand, it pairs well with speakers that have low impedance in these regions.
Additionally, its rated power below 8 ohms reflects its dynamic power.
Still, for a Class A amplifier, it’s impressive.

Spoiler: Accuphase A-300 power rating

 

[Burns]

So B200 is A-300 for poor people

 

[ohmywatt]

@amirm
The B200's manual shows input sensitivity as 12.5 Vmrs @G=L and 3.9 Vmrs @G=H.
The line output on the Matrix Mini-i Pro 4 music streamer is 4.4 Vrms @0dB
Will there be any issues with this combo?
Thanks!

 

[Old_School_Brad]

So B200 is A-300 for poor people

No, not at all. The B200 (though it's almost sacrilegious to compare the two) behaves quite the opposite. It doesn't like to deliver power into lower impedances and is not a high-current amplifier. In contrast, the A-300 is a high-current amplifier, that doesn't care how low you go.
The latter, paired with a nominal 4 ohm speaker that dips low in the bass, is a perfect match.

 

[Deleted member 72219]

Accuphase A-300 monoblocks. Rated:
125W @ 8Ω
250W @ 4Ω
500W @ 2Ω
1000W @ 1Ω

That is sexy.

-Ed

 

[BeeKay]

So B200 is A-300 for poor people

Either this or the more well off audiophiles could have just shy of 40 pairs B200 instead of one pair A-300. Choices …

 

[Thomas Savage]

That is sexy.

-Ed

This isn't helping my irrational yearning for some Class A monoblocks, back to therapy for me .

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Either this or the more well off audiophiles could have just shy of 40 pairs B200 instead of one pair A-300. Choices …

But they don’t perform the same function, so comparing them doesn’t make sense either way. They exist at opposite ends of two entirely different scales, making any direct equivalence meaningless.

Even if you used multiple B200s, their flaws wouldn’t be mitigated or compensated for.

This isn’t really about making a choice between options -it’s a matter of fundamental differences in performance and application.

 

[BeeKay]

Even if you used multiple B200s, their flaws wouldn’t be mitigated or compensated for.

Irony is not always easy. That the comparison was only meant to emphasize the not insignificant difference in price somehow got lost along the way? Is Accuphase forty times better? I don't think so. But if we're talking about faults, Class A remains a veritable disaster in terms of energy efficiency. Always was.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Irony is not always easy. That the comparison was only meant to emphasize the not insignificant difference in price somehow got lost along the way? Is Accuphase forty times better? I don't think so. But if we're talking about faults, Class A remains a veritable disaster in terms of energy efficiency. Always was.

You might not say it’s forty times better, but it does things the B200 simply can’t and serves a completely different segment and purpose.
Is an excavator forty times better than a shovel? That depends on what you need done.

Comparisons like this don’t make much sense. Class is another off-topic discussion but I don't disagree with you.

 

[amirm]

@amirm
The B200's manual shows input sensitivity as 12.5 Vmrs @G=L and 3.9 Vmrs @G=H.
The line output on the Matrix Mini-i Pro 4 music streamer is 4.4 Vrms @0dB
Will there be any issues with this combo?
Thanks!

No. Just use high gain.

 

[Burns]

No. Just use high gain.

I don't understand, and not the other way around with low gain because in high it will cut 3.9V-4.4V = -0.5V?

 

[amirm]

I don't understand, and not the other way around with low gain because in high it will cut 3.9V-4.4V = -0.5V?

Low gain requires 12+ volts. It can't be driven to max power. On high gain, you just don't crank it up all the way.