AHB2 Review - Jason Kennedy, Hi-Fi+

AHB2 - "An Immediacy that Makes for Uncanny Realism"

"Listening started with PCM fact.8 speakers and the Melco N1-A as a digital source straight into the USB input of the DAC2. This combination was very revealing and rhythmically secure... Orchestral dynamics were also well served, as the amp has considerable speed and an ability to deliver serious power with alacrity, and there's no sense of overhang in the bass."

"I moved on to a rather different option in the form of Bowers & Wilkins CM10 S2 floorstanders. This ported design has a warmer balance than the PCM and as I've discovered tends to prefer different amplifiers. This speaker allowed the Benchmark to reveal just how much power it can muster."

"Dr. Feelgood's 'Roxette' [Down By The Jetty, United Artists] raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The Benchmark has an immediacy that makes for uncanny realism, so a track like this is more intense and vital, more powerful in fact."

"The Benchmark SMS1 had been supplied with the amps with a view of doing a whole system eview, a state of affairs that came to pass with gusto when I discovered just how well the combination gelled."

"The Benchmark pairing proved analytical (in typical studio style) but not dry - just very revealing of recording style and balance."

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