Topping B200 review – Just get them and thank me later

While Topping is more known for their DACs and headphone amplifiers, the brand also makes speaker amplifiers. Up until recently, they were focused mostly on class D designs but today we’re talking about their dual mono class AB amplifiers that surprised me to my core.

Build and Features

Topping B200 is a power amplifier which means there is no volume control on board. Instead, there’s a power button that doubles as the input selector. Power amps usually don’t possess several inputs either but B200 does. All three inputs are of a balanced variety and will happily accept either XLR or TRS connectors.

Speaker binding posts are of full size and appear sturdy. There is a gain switch that lets you choose between low gain at 11.6 dB and high gain at 22 dB. Finally, a 3-pin power inlet is connecting the unit to the external switching power supply. Each mono amplifier gets its power supply so count on two decently sized power bricks lying somewhere behind them. The main box is made of aluminum, feels very solid, and boasts big heatsinks on the side.

The heart of the B200 is Topping’s proprietary NFCA amplifier circuit with discrete components. As far as I can understand, this is a differential design that bridges two amplifiers, doubles their power, but makes them less tolerant of very low impedance loads. So don’t go trying to power speakers that dip into 2 Ohms with these, you probably won’t like the result. Those kinds of speakers are rare though and Topping claims 200 Watts of power into both 8 Ohm and 4 Ohm loads. As any experienced audiophile or engineer will tell you – not all watts are equally achieved and equally useful. So let’s find out what B200 can really do.

Testing

I did not go easy on B200. I tested it with several demanding speakers that included KEF LS50, CSS Criton 1TD-X, and MonAcoustic Platimon VC One. Some of these are 4 Ohm loads, some are just 85 dB sensitive, so they sure put B200 to its paces.

As far as matching preamplifiers go, I tried everything from using inbuilt DAC preamps to my reference Acoustic Invader Fulcrum preamp priced at €6300.

Sound

The first thing that hits me while listening to B200 is how neutral its sound is. Neutral and truly transparent. This means that if you’re using a cheap DAC with its internal digital volume control to feed these puppies, the resulting sound will be flat, lifeless, and boring. They don’t color, add fat, or do much of anything to hide the true nature of such cheap volume attenuation implementations. Move to a proper preamplifier like Ladder Bach or Schiit Freya for example and things start to change for the better immediately. B200 will pass through a big and spacious soundstage these preamps can develop without any narrowing. It will let you observe tone reverbs and follow tone decays without shorting them. Having great transparency means it doesn’t blur them either, letting tiny spatial cues create impressively precise soundstage indeed. This encouraged me to jump to my Acoustic Invader Fulcrum preamp which offers all of the qualities mentioned before, but with even richer tone timbre and greater bass authority. Topping B200 didn’t stifle any of it and I was hearing big, harmonically rich, spacious sounds coming from my speakers. I was impressed.

What surprised me even more is that unlike most affordable class D amps or chip-based amps (from Fosi Audio for example) – Topping B200 is a dynamically very capable amplifier too. If your preamp can output a healthy amount of bass, B200 will comply. If your preamp has vigor and slam, the B200 will be happy to follow any snappy rhythm thrown at it. It will also dig deep bass, and sustain it without losing composure and collapsing the soundstage. Now this is the stuff big boy amps are made of. Now I was truly impressed.

Comparisons

I have never tested the stereo variant of this topology called Topping LA90 Discrete so I can not make that comparison for you. I’ll offer a few others instead.

Topping PA7 plus is a class D stereo amplifier at half the price with equally good measured performance and a similar high power rating. Listening to these two back-to-back still reveals easily noticeable sonic differences. To put it briefly, PA7 Plus can’t match B200 in several areas. First of all, the B200 is more spacious, with better layering and more air-around tones. The second but not any less important difference is that B200 sounds more powerful with the weightier bassline, which has better slam. During big dynamic swings, B200 simply sounds like a bigger, punchier, and more powerful amp. PA7 Plus is still a great, clean, and spacious performer on its own but compared directly to B200 it can’t compete on the same level.

Acoustic Invader Amp is based around IcePower 1200 modules finished with high-quality chasy, connectors, and cabling. One of these goes for €1500 but here we’re going to use two of them in a dual mono setup, which lifts the price to €3000. Now this is a much more fair comparison than the previous one. IcePowers hold their ground when it comes to dynamics, bassline control, and soundstage size. But even though they’re class D, their sound signature is slightly midrange-centric. Topping B200 is much less powerful on paper but offers a bolder and slightly punchier bassline. A slightly better high-frequency extension creates more tone radiance with Topping too. In the midrange, Topping feels cleaner and more focused, while Acoustic Invader is slightly harmonically richer but softer and not as defined. Finally, while both create a very wide soundstage, Acoustic Invader sounds more forward while Topping creates a deeper soundstage with inkier black in the background.

To put it simply, I prefer Topping B200 to my 2.5 times pricier Acoustic Invader amplifers. A simply fantastic achievement for Topping.

NAD C298 is another pricier class D amplifier that costs $2400 and has received much praise for its neutral and transparent sound. It’s a great performer without a doubt, offering a slightly warmer and softer sound. B200 sounds a touch livelier and more focused and can offer a slightly darker and cleaner background. The difference is not big, but the B200 has the upper hand even though it’s half the price.

Conclusion

Topping B200 mono amplifier is a big and very positive surprise. It’s a fantastic performer that will not shy away from competing with any challenger, even if that challenger is two or three times the price. Since I first received it in July last year, Topping B200 has been playing in my system alongside much pricier components. It fits there perfectly. It is very highly recommended.