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Buy one component and save 10% on up to 2 cables. Buy 2 components and get 4 free cables. Free shipping on USA orders over $700. Low-cost shipping to Canada.
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by Benchmark Media Systems May 30, 2019
"The AHB2 easily outperforms the DIY Hypex NC400 I had tested before which used to be the best amp I had tested."
"Looks far cleaner than anything I have tested before."
"Intermodulation distortion versus power level shows the same story of clean power."
"Usually when we test switching amplifiers we see all kind of "interesting" things in their outputs above hearing range. The AHB2 is a classic configuration albeit, with a switching power supply so all is well and clean here."
(22.5 kHz BW) at Max Power
"Down 0.3 dB at 20 kHz. -3 dB down at 200 kHz!!"
"Since this is not a switching amplifier, there is no filter there - allowing the bandwidth to go to 200 kHz and beyond."
"We have 185 watts of power at incredibly low distortion of 0.00016%, besting the company specifications."
"500 watts into 4 ohm! Stunning 0.00026% distortion at 500 watts!!"
"As usual, I start with my 5 watt output test using 4 ohm load... I hope your jaw is on the floor just like mine was when I saw this picture emerge!"
"113 dB THD+N [at 5 W] in a power amplifier? Are you kidding me?"
"Look at the harmonic distortion. The worst case spike is below -130 dB! This is insanely good."
"Of course this type of SINAD (signal and noise ratio) crowns the Benchmark AHB2 as the best I have ever tested."
"Separating the noise from THD, we see that it is noise that we are measuring as THD+N, rather than distortion. Noise dominates (more benign than distortion)."
"There are a set of LEDs that show the status of the amplifier. They are driven by an FPGA (field programmable digital logic) that monitors all aspects of the amplifier and shuts down the unit if stressed. It did so very quickly and efficiently in my testing. Usually this is done with purely analog or maybe a small microprocessor. As such, the coverage of scenarios that could damage the amplifier is much less complete than using the approach Benchmark is using in AHB2."
"Bridged mode using same 4 ohm load ... you get 500 watts of stunningly clean power. Protection circuits shut the unit down after that, so it is quite safe to try. With a THD essentially matching the non-bridged mode, there is no reason to be afraid of trying this."
"... the FPGA protection mode kicks in and essentially shuts the amplifier down past the limit. You get absolutely distortion-less and noiseless performance until there is no more."
"There is a switch for selecting stereo or mono bridged output. The latter quadruples the amount of power available."
"In use the AHB2 stays very cool for a power amplifier when it is idling, outputting little power which was a nice surprise."
"Being a proper company of course the AHB2 comes with full set of regulatory/safety/emissions certifications which is super important with power amplifiers given the high voltages and currents running around in them."
"It goes without saying that the Benchmark AHB2 breaks new ground with respect to performance of power amplifiers."
"Using it, you can be assured that any distortion that you hear is from other sources (speaker, source, content, etc.). This is what I look for in high-end audio: absolutely the best performance so no second guessing is involved. You buy once, and you are happy forever!"
"All of this comes from a company that is a model of transparency with proper and accurate measurements of their products on their site. And importantly, volunteering to have that data shown to be correct by independent sources such as us."
"Needless to say, the Benchmark AHB2 gets my strongest recommendation."
- Amir Majidimehr (@amirm), AudioScienceReview.com
by Benchmark Media Systems July 22, 2025
"With over 40 years as an audiophile and more than half those years as a hi-fi retailer, I feel I’ve finally put together a stereo that ticks all my sonic boxes. Those being in order of priority, dynamics, scale, tonal accuracy, fatigue free resolution and soundstage."
"For the last 25 years I’ve been fortunate to have a dedicated listening room. I use acoustic treatments from Real Traps, Vicoustic and Primeacoustic."
"My Benchmark components consist of the DAC3 B (connected to a Naim NDS streamer), LA4 line amplifier and two AHB2 power amplifiers run in bridged mono mode. All cables are Benchmark too."
"The Benchmark gear in my system has brought what I have wanted in my list of sonic priorities as listed above and then some. They have delivered way beyond what I thought could be possible in my system in my room."
"I’m delighted and stunned daily as my vast music collection comes to life on a whole new level."
- Ricky Dasler, Living Sound, Nelson New Zealand.
by Benchmark Media Systems June 02, 2025
"Geoff Pesche weighs in on how the mastering team at Abbey Road Studios achieve first-class results." - Mix with the Masters
"The biggest sonic improvement in mastering in the last 5 or 6 years is D/A and A/D converters and that's very very important - what you have at the front and the back of the chain."
"We use fairly new Benchmark converters front and back."
"Abbey Road like a uniformity between the rooms so all of the rooms have the same A/D and D/A conversion."
- Geoff Pesche, Mastering Engineer, Abbey Road Studios
by Benchmark Media Systems May 13, 2025
"Benchmark Media Systems’ no-nonsense approach to all things audio is rare today."
"This is a DAC that’s uniformly good at everything. It resolves well, has good imaging properties."
"It makes a balanced, honest sound that allows you to sit and listen to music for hours. That is what makes Benchmark’s products consistently popular with audio engineers. You don’t want ‘bright’ if you sit at a mixing desk 10 hours a day. "
"It also has the latest version of Benchmark’s jitter attenuation system (UltraLock3) and doubles down on the digital demon with its multi-mode asynchronous USB system."
"Benchmark also uses the distortion compensation facilities built into the ESS chip to reduce second and third order distortion."
"The net result is a DAC that delivers lower distortion, lower noise, less passband ripple, faster signal switching and locking onto signals and a more linear frequency response."
"The Benchmark Media Systems DAC3 B is very much in the ‘leave no trace’ school of good audio."
- Alan Sircom, hi-fi+