Reviews

2024 Nominees

• Benchmark Media DAC3 B DAC, $1895
• Bricasti M3 DAC, $6000
• Bricasti M19 CD-SACD Player, $10,000
• T+A DAC 200, $7620
• Weiss Engineering Helios DAC, $21,995

"There was some debate about whether anybody can hear the differences above a good Chi-Fi DAC like the Topping D90. Unless you are missing most of your high-frequency hearing, you can hear where a high-end DAC makes a difference."

The Bricasti M3 is a great example of that performance in a $6,000 DAC."

"The Benchmark DAC3 B is an audiophile DAC, with pro audio roots, that punches way above its weight."

"Benchmark Media Systems made its reputation in both pro audio and audiophile circles by designing gear with extraordinarily low noise and distortion, and selling it at reasonable prices."

"What Makes the Benchmark LA4 Preamp So Special?"

"A high-quality volume control is much of what makes a superior preamp shine, and the Benchmark’s volume control is outstanding. The Benchmark LA4 uses a bank of precision resistors switched by gold-contact relays to set volume in 256 steps of 0.5 decibels each."

"If accurate reproduction is your wish, you won’t find a preamp with meaningfully better objective performance than the Benchmark LA4, especially one made in the United States at anything near the LA4’s price."

"Very few preamps at any price reach the LA4’s level of objective performance."

"On the subjective end of things, the Benchmark LA4 preamp puts the lie to the old audiophile myth that neutrality means clinical, cold, or sterile sound. Instead, here neutrality means musical, involving sound, with precise, stable imaging, a sense of space (if one is on the recording), and exceptionally truthful timbres."

- Mike Prager, FutureAudiophile.com

"For years, the audio world acknowledged one main contender (at least at sub-five-figure pricing) for the quietest, cleanest, most neutral power amplifier around. That was the Benchmark AHB2, whose specifications are still, for all practical purposes, unsurpassed, even by today’s excellent Class-D amps."

"10 years after its release, the Benchmark Media Systems AHB2 stereo power amp is still a standard-bearer in clean, neutral sound in the audiophile world."

"I greatly enjoyed having a pair of AHB2s in my system – their purity, neutrality, and seemingly unlimited power provided a clear window on the music and a lot of joy."

"I especially appreciated the AHB2’s smooth, well-integrated treble, free of splashiness or grain, and its natural reproduction of the human voice."

- Mike Prager, Future Audiophile

"The AHB2 bridgeable stereo amplifier ... was the topic of a recent discussion between American electrostatic panel speaker manufacturer Sound Lab’s president, Dr. Roger West, and me."

"In our discussion, he related his highly positive experience in driving even his largest, $55k Majestic 945 panels with the $7,000 pair of Benchmark Media AHB2 monoblocks, along with the $3,050 LA4 Preamplifier and factory XLR cables."

"Dr. West described the AHB2 as a class AB design using “feed-forward distortion reduction [thus removing] any possibility of pushing the margin of safety of a standard feedback loop, used in most amplifiers, into an unstable oscillatory mode.”"

"He further shared with me that “this is of most concern on powerful musical transients. The distortion of the amplifier in the balanced mode is astonishingly low even at just below the clipping level of 380 watts.”"

"The prospect of the AHB2’s specified distortion level of 0.00015% or lower when at full volume is comical at first glance, but upon actual audition the impact of the achievement is very audible from medium-high listening levels and upward."

"It was unlike any other sub-$20,000 amplifier I have auditioned."

"My audition of the Benchmark Media AHB2 amplifiers underscores the reason Dr. West is so taken by it, and confirms the design is best described as a watershed moment in the high-end audio industry."

- Constantine Soo, Dagogo

"Benchmark is a stalwart brand in pro audio, but has carved out a very respectable niche in the audiophile world with their diminutive but powerful components."

"The audiophile world sometimes looks to the professional audio world for enlightenment, especially on the digital side of things, and Benchmark Media is one of the companies that we put high on a pedestal."

"They are hardcore digital engineers freezing their asses off in upstate New York as they come up with some pretty innovative ways to get your varied digital sources sounding as much like the master tape as possible. Thank you for your service, gentlemen."

"If you really want to hear what your music sounds like in today’s streaming-driven world, this might just be the DAC that you need to test out."

- Jerry Del Colliano, Future Audiophile

"I began with the DAC3 HGC and AHB2 powering the glorious Morel Avyra 633 three-way floorstanders."

"This pairing created a full-bodied sound which brought the recording to life."

"Notable from the off was the bass from the DAC3 HGC and AHB2."

"Wow! It was deep, tight and conveyed a real feeling that the electronics were in charge of the transducers."

"Involuntary foot-tapping confirmed the timing ability and the overall presentation was spot-on, the Benchmark electronics created a fluent sound across a vivid soundstage; performers evident both tonally and spatially in an easy-to-believe presentation that brought the performance close."

"The Benchmark’s ability to retrieve deep-down detail and display it so well across the soundstage, with accurate positioning and convincing layering, made for a glorious re-creation of the recordings."

"To my mind the AHB2 is an amplifier with no obvious characteristics of its own: the level of transparency is sublime."

"Above all, the improved transient response performance stood out in a presentation that was not only lively but incredibly fast and revealing. The attack and decay displayed was awesome and not something I expect at this price point."

"The Benchmark DAC3 HGC and AHB2 are cracking products, sonically superior to a lot that’s available and well priced."

"They are superbly designed and built to an extremely high standard."

- Trevor Butler, the-ear.net

"The Sound of Silence"

"Benchmark Audio is an engineering focused company with a deep heritage in the recording studio world."

"The HPA4 is a Headphone Amplifier and Preamp that incorporates the THX-888(AAA) achromatic audio amplifier circuit that was first introduced to the world in the Benchmark AHB2 amplifier."

"To this day the AHB2 remains the lowest distortion and highest SNR amplifier on the market."

"The Direct Opposite of Typical Tube-Based Technology"

"From a listening stance it is the cleanest and most accurate delivery of sound you are likely to get with any Hi-Fi component."

"This is the direct opposite of the typical sound of tube-based technology that is awash in second harmonic distortion and noise."

Power

"The HPA4 …offers 6 watts into 16 ohm and a whopping 11.5 Vrms into 300 Ohm headphones."

"You will not be running out of power with this device."

Listening

I used the track "Slink" from the brand-new Artemis album on Blue Note."

"It is a very dynamic driving track and the Artemis ensemble makes the most of it. The HPA4 and revealed all the sonic details of this track."

"I give the HPA4 my highest recommendation."

- Chris, Forum Administrator - DC Hi-Fi Group

AHB2 - Receives Stereophile's Highest "A" Rating for Power Amplifiers

"Benchmark's AHB2 makes use of THX Corporation's Achromatic Audio Amplifier (AAA) technology, in which a low-power feed-forward amplifier drives a low-bias class-AB output section."

- Stereophile, 2023

"Much more apparent low-level detail in already-familiar recordings" - Kalman Rubinson

"A tonal balance that sounded more 'right' than any of [the other amps on hand]." - Kalman Rubinson

"An extraordinary amplifier." - John Atkinson

LA4 - Receives Stereophile's Highest "Class A" Rating for Preamplifiers

"Benchmark's usual approach to design is to out-spec the competition, and so it is here. Like other Benchmark equipment he has tested, the affordable LA4 challenged the resolution of John Atkinson's test instruments, with 'superb' channel separation, 'extremely low noise, and virtually no power-supply-related spuriae.'"

"Benchmark's LA4 is the widest-bandwidth, widest-dynamic-range, lowest-noise, lowest-distortion preamplifier I have encountered." - John Atkinson

"In his listening room, Kalman Rubinson compared the LA4 to a cable—and couldn't hear any difference. He concludes, 'the LA4 is probably the most transparent and revealing audio component I've ever used. It does not seem to leave any fingerprints on the sound.'"

- Stereophile, 2023

DAC3 HGC, DAC3 B - Receive Stereophile's Highest "Class A+" Rating

"The DAC3 B is a stripped- down, lower-priced version of the DAC3 HGC, which omits the headphone amplifier, balanced and unbalanced analog inputs, volume, mute, and polarity controls." - Stereophile

"The DAC3 was all about depths, in several respects...I heard deeper into the music."

"All I can say is Wow!"

- John Atkinson

"In a Follow-Up, JCA wrote of using the Benchmark processor with the same company's AHB2 power amp—a combination of high source output voltage and modest amplifier gain that he describes as 'optimal for minimizing noise and distortion' —and reported hearing 'richer and more interesting' reproduction of very subtle details."

- Stereophile

HPA4 - Receives Stereophile's "Class A" Rating for Headphone Amplifiers

"The HPA4 adds a THX888 amplification stage to Benchmark's LA4 line preamplifier  to allow it to drive even low-impedance headphones with aplomb."

"It keeps the LA4's balanced and single-ended preamplifier outputs and adds a headphone output on a 4-pin XLR jack and a single-ended headphone output on a 1/4" jack."

- Stereophile, 2023

"The HPA4 showed each instrument in dramatic bas-relief. It accomplished this by presenting cleaner, better-articulated bass and manufacturing a sharper midrange focus than I had experienced previously with either my solid state reference, the Pass Labs HPA-1, or the tubed Linear Tube Audio Z10e." - Herb Reichert

"The LA4 preamplifier was the widest-bandwidth, widest-dynamic-range, lowest-noise, lowest-distortion preamplifier I had encountered at that time. . . . To those virtues, the HPA4 adds equally superb balanced and single-ended headphone outputs." - John Atkinson

DAC3 HGC - "Does Not Color the Sound of Your Audio"

"The DAC3 HGC is a professional audio component used to make, monitor, and engineer the very recordings we love. All of what is prioritized in the DAC3 HGC has been developed with laser-like focus for this purpose."

"If the space is engineered into the recording, it’s there, if it is not engineered in, it is not there with the DAC3 HGC."

"The Benchmark DAC3 HGC is a pro audio DAC with audiophile appeal that allows a look into your music as a recording/mastering engineer would hear it."

"In the audiophile world, utilizing the DAC3 HGC properly can bring realistic texture, voice, and integrity to instruments that would normally take a DAC well over five-figures to do."

- Michael Zisserson, FutureAudiophile.com

Why Did You Buy Benchmark Gear?

"I'm asking because clearly Benchmark is a highly regarded company here, and plenty of ASR members own Benchmark amplification/DACs."

"We know they are top of the heap in terms of measured performance, outdoing plenty of the competition in terms of typical distortion measurements."

- @MattHooper, Forum Member

Some of the Replies:

"I bought the AHB2s because I liked the sound from the get-go and the excellent measured performance was a great confirmation. I also like the size/weight."

- @Kal Rubinson, Forum Member, Stereophile Reviewer

"Been using Benchmark since the DAC1 came out."

"So far the only thing to displace a Benchmark product has been newer upgraded Benchmark products."

- @SoundGuy, Forum Member, AudioScienceReview.com

"AHB2, LA4, DAC3 ... Would I do it all again? Absolutely."

- @KellenVancouver, Forum Member

Comments from Amir's AHB2 Test Report:

"The Benchmark AHB2 breaks new ground with respect to performance of power amplifiers."

"The Benchmark AHB2 gets my strongest recommendation."

- Amir Majidimehr (@amirm), Forum Founder/Admin

DAC3, AHB2 - Driving Note Line Array

"The afternoon before the start of the show I ran into John Siau of Benchmark Media Systems. He says to me quietly, “make sure you stop in our room, we have a surprise!” With curiosity suitably piqued, Co-Editor Jim Clements and I paid a visit ..."

"The results were pretty astonishing. A stable, enveloping stereo image that was devoid of any distortion whatsoever."

- Carlo Lo Raso, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity

DAC3 B and AHB2 - Driving Laufer Teknik Note Line Array

Two AHB2 bridged-mono amplifiers were driving the 4-Ohm line arrays (48 drivers per side).

"Sound was extremely well-integrated and controlled, and the bass memorable."

"The Note received signal through Benchmark Media's AHB2 power amps, DAC3 B D/A processor, and interconnects."

Two DAC3 B Converters - One for the Array, and One for the Subs

Two AHB2 Power Amplifiers - Bridged Mono Mode - One per Array

"The system sounded super on a 16/44.1 file of the famed rendition of Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, recorded by Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra for Reference Recordings."

- Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile Magazine

DAC3 B, AHB2, Note Line Array - "Most Immersive Listening Experience"

"The most immersive listening experience I had the entire show."

"There is no sweet spot because everywhere is the sweet spot. Even behind the speakers sounded incredible!"

"SVS Subs doing the low end work and Benchmark 380 watt class H monoblocked amps driving the arrays."

"I spent an extended amount of time in this room."

- LongLiveAnalog, r/audiophile on Reddit

DAC3 B - Receives Stereophile's Highest "Class A+" Rating

"I never auditioned the DAC3 HGC in my own system, so when I got an opportunity to borrow a sample of the DAC3 B, I eagerly agreed."

"I had been using MBL's network-connected N31 CD player/DAC ($18,680 with Roon Ready module) before installing the DAC3 B."

"The MBL offers an excellent sense of drive and low-frequency impact, but when I replaced it with the Benchmark, both these aspects of the music seemed enhanced."

"Whether it was an orchestral bass drum or a kickdrum, electric bass guitar or acoustic double bass, the MoFi speakers seemed to acquire more low-frequency weight without losing definition."

- John Atkinson

AHB2 - Stereo Times "Most Wanted" Award

"Merriam-Webster defines a benchmark as "something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged." This is what the AHB2s has become for me."

"A pair of AHB2s are now part of my dedicated summertime amplification for my Sound Lab 545PX loudspeakers."

- Don Shaulis, The Stereo Times

AHB2 - "Found a Home in My System"

"I was led to Benchmark Media Systems through recommendations from Roger West, the designer of Sound Lab speakers. Praise from a local Sound Lab dealer and a local Sound Lab owner effectively twisted my arm to the point where I yielded to temptation to try the amplifiers ..."

"The Class-H Benchmarks give me what I wanted from Class-D amplifiers, but with the musical engagement, I found lacking in Class-D. There is the added benefit of a company that has been in business for over 36 years and has a depth of products, and offers an extended warranty."

"The highest compliment I can pay a piece of audio equipment is that it has found a home in my system. A pair of AHB2s are now part of my dedicated summertime amplification for my Sound Lab 545PX loudspeakers."

"The Benchmark performance continues to engage me, and the company gives me confidence in long-term support."

- Don Shaulis, Stereo Times

AHB2 - "I love, I love, I love my Benchmark Power Amps!"

- Theo Nicolakis, Audioholics Online A/V Magazine

Theo uses a pair of AHB2 power amps in bridged mono (480 W into 6 Ohms) to drive a pair of Revel Ultima Salon2 loudspeakers ($20,000/pair). This is his reference amplifier-speaker combination.

Watch the video to find out why he loves his AHB2 amplifiers: