No other way to put it other than GREAT USA made amp. Sure there are other options at this point since this amp is so old now, but thatsis what makes it such a great amp. For you to get anything close to the quality of this amp at the used or new price range is impossible. I went from a standard Yamaha receiver to power my KEF speakers (started with budget Klipsch reference speakers (which are a great choice especially since they are so efficient you dont need a very powerful amp to get the best out of them)) but after I got a good deal a used pair of KEF speakers I jumped on it and found my amp lacking. By this time I had sold/bartered/bought my way into a 100wpc marantz sr7000 that I was using as just a 2 channel amp for the KEF's and found that they just needed more clean power. Many home theater amp, even good ones, are built for 5 or more channels and are not built as 2 channel music to be their strength. I then went with a vintage 30wpc 2 channel Technics which was amazing and MUCH more powerful then the 100wpc Marantz. Dont know how, im sure there's some physicist that will know. Then one day I found this beast at a crazy low price and couldnt pass up on trying a component system. Let me tell you there is NO better investment then a GOOD quality amp for sound upgrade. (well and speakers duh). I have this hooked up (no joke) straight to a aux to rca from a chromecast audio that I can control from my phone or computer (no other pre amp or dac) and let me tell you I have not heard anything better in my life. Decent DAC's these days are so easy to make that almost any budget DAC will get you great sound. Could you get better sound? Maybe but then you would need the rest that goes with it like Tidal or FLAC files then maybe its worth getting a schiit or the like. If you think the Chromecast DAC is no good then read this http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2016/02/measurements-google-chromecast-audio.html You would have to spend real money to get a noticeable upgrade. I use this as a 2 channel music setup with just the amp and a chrome cast audio which make this beast a little more convenient to place and still get great music selection with spotify premium and listen to my FLAC files over PLEX using the chromecast. Get the Highest quality speakers and dedicated amp you can afford and you will have a solid foundation for life. I can definable see myself passing this as a heirloom quality piece. This Amp is just amazing. it ha

At the used price point today NON.

Unlimited power in a domestic setting.
Immaculate implementation taking you into the high end - as evidenced by the ability to easily resolve differences in speaker cables and interconnects.
Highest quality sound.
Does not need much burning in. Sounds great from a cold start. Sounds better after an hour or two operation.
Balanced sound at low volumes.
Sane entry into the world of high-end audio.

None I can think of. It does what it should do admirably.

This is one powerful amplifier belting out 225W R.M.S. per channel into 8 ohms or 375W R.M.S. into 4 ohms. It is difficult to imagine what effect it will have on your system while at the dealer. However once you take it home and hook it up, you will notice the not unsubtle differences. Like the previous reviewer, I have noticed that hooking up this amp causes a better stereo effect, with some depth added in the second dimension. My wife also noticed the difference.

It is worth experimenting with signal and cables. I have a Marantz DV6500 SACD/CD/DVD/DVD-Audio player connected with AudioQuest Copperhead cables into a B&K Reference 5 S2 Preamp/Tuner, in turn driving the B&K Reference 200.2. S2 power amplifier. I have used Straightwire Rhapsody S balanced cables with XLR connectors to connect the pre-amplifier to the power amplifier. I have Kimber Kable 4TC speaker cables with banana terminations going to the Energy eXL26 speakers. First I tried them with Monster Z-Series speaker cable which I used with a Denon AVR1601 receiver which this amp replaced. The sound was big and awesome with rich bass, but the treble and mid were a bit unclear. Replacing the Monster Cable with Kimber Kable reduced the abundance of bass and made it more balanced. It has also increased the amount of clarity in the sound significantly. The stereo image is very good. For example, on Doc and Merle Watson CD "Sitting Here Picking the Blues", you can hear Doc on the left, Merle on the right and the audience surrounding them three dimensionally. My Denon used to do this when it was new, but six years later, it does not do this any more.

Customer Service

Shelley's Audio Video, LA, provided great advice while buying this product, and answered all my questions patiently. I would highly recommend them for this, and gladly pay the small premium for getting the background information required to take the buying decision.

Sound quality, build quality, elegant sophisticated look, operates cool after extended use, classy protective dust shrouds on binding posts.

If I were forced to come up with something, the rubber footers look cheap, and the power cord does not fit into back of amp as tightly as it could IMO. By the way, neither does the boasted PS Audio

This review is actually for the B & K Reference 200.2 version/series I power amp. This site is a fantastic resource for researching potential audio equipment purchases. So I am disappointed with the lack of reviews for modern B & K components such as the 200.2 amp or Reference 50 pre/pro. I post this in hopes that this write up proves helpful to the next interested individual. I purchased this unit preowned from a reputable dealer, hence, the $850 pricetag. I have owned the product for approx. two years, and in that time I have not had any problems with the unit. I love this amplifier!!! The B & K Reference 200.2 is my first experience with separates. I had always owned and used mid-fi stereo receivers for some twenty years and was satisfied. When home-theatre became extremely popular, I acquired my first multi-channel audio/video receiver - the Denon AVR 2802 - in 2002. Shortly thereafter, I upgraded my seriously outdated BSR loudspeakers circa 1982, and slowly began adding the center and surround speakers to complete my first home theatre system. After about a year, I began craving more volume for two-channel cd playback. I was aware that my Denon had preouts to run a separate amp. A local dealer in the Binghamton, NY area allowed me to test drive the Rotel RB 1070 130wpc amp. WOW!!! I noticed an IMMEDIATE difference in the warmth and richness of the sound. In addition, I became aware of an imaging I had never experienced before. Sad to admit for someone who has been into music and stereos for a very long time. The singer's voice seemed to be floating directly between my two main speakers as if he or she were sitting right there. I never achieved that effect with any receiver, ever. I was hooked. I loved the sound quality and power of the Rotel, however,I wanted a power amp of at least 200wpc. Never hearing of B&K before, I really just stumbled onto this amplifier. Well..., the Reference 200.2 was every bit as rich and warm sounding as the Rotel; I cannot further compare the two units as I only had the RB 1070 for less than a week. I definitely prefer the more polished and refined aesthetic design of the B&K, however. It is just a gorgeous showpiece. The amp has plenty of power, and very pleasingly, runs only lukewarm after being pushed with two-channel material or a high-action movie soundtrack. I initially intended to only purchase an amp to supply more power to my mains for stereo listening. However, I became more and more of a home-theatre enthusiast. My main amp sounded soooo beautiful, I wanted to duplicate this in the rest of my system. I felt that ambient surround sound effects should not require 200 watts to perform, and that buying the Reference 200.5 to match would be overkill. Therefore, I purchased the B&K AV125.5 (see review this site). This runs my center, left/right surrounds, and eventual surround rears when true 7.1 dvd's become available. I did not notice the immediate improvement in sound quality like I did with my main amp. Perhaps the 90 wpc Denon has sufficient quality power to operate the surrounds and closely competes with the AV125.5 to the point of undetectability. Perhaps over twenty years of rock concerts, garage bands, and car stereo systems have muted my ability to pick out subtleties in critical listening. Nevertheless, I am happy that I made the upgrade as I know that the quality is there in the B&K, and now my Denon can operate more efficiently as a preamp without the added strain of powering multi-channels. Plus, I now have a second showpiece in my system. For anyone confused whether to go with a quality receiver vs. separates, much like I was. Let me tell you that this is a no-brainer for me now. A separate component system will open up and sing for you, revealing nuances and a smooth richness in your music like you have never experienced. I am only hearing the half of it as I am sure that using my mid-fi Denon receiver as a preamp/processor does not equal the sound quality of a dedicated high-end pre/pro! I only wish that I discovered this years ago. My components: Denon AVR 2802 (used as pre/pro) B&K Reference 200.2 (powering mains) B&K AV125.5 (powering center, L&R surrounds) (2) PS Audio xStream Power Plasma power cords for amps Monster Power Reference 3500mkII conditioner Paradigm Monitor 9's v.1 Paradigm CC 350 center Paradigm ADP 370 surrounds Paradigm Mini Monitors for eventual back surrounds when discrete 7.1 is here. Velodyne CT110 sub outdated 27" Sony Trinitron cheap Samsung DVD player M101 JVC HR VP656u Hi-fi VCR Various interconnects and speaker cables from Monster, Tributaries, and Apature

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RB 1070, AV 125.5