"When I’ve received the mighty Hifiman Susvara, I felt overwhelmed by…disappointment. I said to myself: “This is really it? This is how the world’s best headphones are sounding?”"
"Months later, I’ve received a special adapter cable so I could power them with all sorts of integrated and power amplifiers (speaker amplifiers) and that’s when I felt connected to the all known universe, turning them into a gemstone of a headphone."
"Holy mother of Thor, this is dynamics, speed, transient response, resolution and transparency incarnate into a single metal box. There isn’t a clearer, a more resolving or a more transparent sounding amplifier out there, this is a wire with gain amplifier that doesn’t add anything into the mix."
"You can’t get a more impactful, a faster or cleaner sounding amplifier.
Resolution/Details: 10
Transient Response: 9.5
Dynamics: 9.5
Tonality: 7.5
Power/Control: 9
Stage Size: 8
Overall Score: 8.92
"380 Watts in 8 Ohms or around ~55 Watts in 60 Ohms…this is the pure definition of overkill."
"Be prepared hearing the most impactful Susvara, can it ever be too much bass slam and impact? It can! Electronica could become tiresome in the long run, it’s way too impactful sounding, but oh boy… I’ve never heard such dynamics anywhere else."
"This is next level, but if you already have an AHB2, I wouldn’t get a second one only for your Susvara. I’ve got the second one for my loudspeaker setup."
Resolution/Details: 10
Transient Response: 10
Dynamics: 10
Tonality: 7.5
Power/Control: 10
Stage Size: 8
Overall Score: 9.25
- Sandu Vitalie, SoundNews.net
"I love, I love, I love my Benchmark AHB2 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.
Find out why Theo loves his AHB2 power amplifiers:
"The Benchmark Hi-Fi Stack ..."
"Find a Better Hi-Fi Stack! Double-Dog-Dare you!"
- Ron, NewRecordDay.com
Jay discusses the sonic tradeoffs between transparency and the sound of tube-induced distortion. He describes how his tube amps may make poor recordings sound enjoyable while the AHB2 reveals all.