AHB2 - "Class A Recommended Power Amplifier" - Stereophile 2020

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Benchmark AHB2 Audio Power Amplifier

AHB2 - "A-Rated Power Amplifier"

The AHB2 received Stereophile's top "A" rating for power amplifiers.

"In his listening tests KR discovered "much more apparent low-level detail in already-familiar recordings"—a characteristic he credited to the Benchmark's evident noiselessness—and a tonal balance that "sounded more 'right' than any of [the other amps on hand]."

"Named for the late Allen H. Burdick, the engineer whose work formed the basis for its design, 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."

"An extraordinary amplifier" - John Atkinson, Stereophile

"In measuring the AHB2 and attempting to confirm its specified (very) high signal/noise ratio, JA observed nonlinearities in his testing equipment that "haven't affected the measured performance of other amplifiers I've tested, but they were detectable with the AHB2's very low intrinsic distortion and noise." His conclusion: "an extraordinary amplifier.""

Read more from Kalman Rubinson's review of the AHB2 →

Read more from John Atkinson's test report on the AHB2 →

Stereophile Recommended Component - Class A - 2020

"Class A" is Stereophile's highest award for power amplifiers.

Updated on
5.00 from 350+ reviews

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Benchmark LA4, DAC3 B, and AHB2 on a rustic wooden rack.