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AHB2 - Driving Martin-Logan ESL 11A Electrostatic Speakers

AHB2 - Driving Martin-Logan ESL 11A Electrostatic Speakers

Benchmark Room at Capital Audiofest 2017

DAC3, AHB2, ESL 11A - "Something a Little Different, and Highly Enchanting"

"The folks from Benchmark and Martin-Logan teamed up to do something just a little different, and entirely enchanting, in the Jackson Room!"

"Multi-channel bliss with the Martin-Logan ESLs driven by an all Benchmark system."

Benchmark and Martin-Logan System at Capital Audiofest, 2017

  • 3 Benchmark DAC3 Converters
  • 5 Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifiers (Bridged Mono Mode)
  • 5 Martin-Logan ESL 11A Electrostatic Speakers
  • 2 Martin-Logan Balanced Force 210 Subs

"The resultant sound was extremely clean and fast, surprisingly dynamic, and the space, as you'd expect with good multi-channel, was get-up-and-walk-around through. Well done!"

Benchmark DAC3 HGC - Digital to Analog Converter

DAC3 HGC

Benchmark AHB2 Audio Power Amplifier

Enjoy the Music Best Gear of 2014 badgeEnjoy the Music Best of 2015 badgeEnjoy the Music Special 20/20 badge

AHB2 Power Amplifier

Martin Logan ESL 11A

Martin Logan ESL 11A

"I'm not clear what sources were used, but by using three DAC2 HGC DACs ($2,195 ea.), to feed five Benchmark AHB2 amps (which I reviewed  back in November of 2015), each configured as a monoblock ($2,995 ea.), they drove three Martin-Logan Impression ESL 11A's ($9,995/pr.) across the front, and a pair of ESL X's ($4,000/pr.) for rears. Supported by a pair of Martin-Logan Balanced Force 210 subs, ($2,995 ea.) everything was connected with Benchmark cables."

"The resultant sound was extremely clean and fast, surprisingly dynamic, and the space, as you'd expect with good multi-channel, was get-up-and-walk-around through. Well done!"

- Greg Weaver, enjoythemusic.com

Read the full AHB2 review at Enjoy the Music.com →

Benchmark at Capital Audiofest 2017

Legendary Performance Award - Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifier

 


Also in Reviews

Future Audiophile Logo

AHB2 Review - Mike Prager, Future Audiophile

by Benchmark Media Systems September 23, 2024

AHB2 Power Amplifier with Silver Faceplate

"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

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AHB2 Review - Constantine Soo, Dagogo

AHB2 Review - Constantine Soo, Dagogo

by Benchmark Media Systems April 02, 2024

 

Benchmark AHB2 - Black

 

"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

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DAC3 Review - Jerry Del  Colliano

DAC3 Review - Jerry Del Colliano

by Benchmark Media Systems April 02, 2024

Benchmark DAC3 B with Silver Faceplate

"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."

Benchmark DAC3 B Studio Version with Rackmount Faceplate

"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

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