AHB2 Review - Mike Prager, Future Audiophile
"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."
Is it still the amp to beat?
"The amp is compact, runs cool, and is supported by an established US manufacturer. Is it still the amp to beat?"
"A lot has changed since they were launched, but this is our task and it is going to be fun …"
"Years ago, I was among those who believed that further lowering the distortion and noise specs of top audio amplifiers was pointless. But when I heard amps with ultra-low noise and distortion, I instantly loved the sound. Less irritation coupled with more detail have become big factors in my audiophile enjoyment."
What Makes the Benchmark AHB2 Stereo Power Amplifier So Special?
"Two remarkable things about the AHB2 are its relatively high power output, especially in mono mode, and its vanishingly low noise and distortion. Once you have heard a high-powered, ultra-clean amplifier, it’s hard to go back."
"Clean and uncompressed peaks can take the roof off a performance and move it into a freer, more open space."
"When you use an amp with low noise and distortion, imaging and soundstaging are clearer, instrumental timbres truer, voices more natural, and previously fuzzy lyrics snap into focus. This is absolutely addictive."
"I used two Benchmark AHB2 amplifiers as monoblocks in my reference audiophile system, with its multiple subwoofers disconnected, so the AHB2s played the entire frequency range. As always, I listened to a wide variety of music, including pop, rock, jazz, blues, classical, and bluegrass. I also briefly tried the AHB2s in combination with Benchmark’s own DAC3B and LA4 preamplifier (review forthcoming). In comparison to my reference Apollon amplifiers with PuriFi 1ET400A Class D modules, the AHB2s were a bit more relaxed in the treble"
"On every track, I enjoyed the unforced detail and clarity of the Benchmark AHB2s."
Final Thoughts on the Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifier …
"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."
"Although there are less expensive power amps with ultra-low noise and distortion, the AHB2 will be a compelling buy for many picky audiophiles."
Besides its superlative sound with an apparent touch of warmth, the amp offers design by a storied, well-established firm, a five-year warranty, excellent customer service (if you ever need it)."
"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
Also in Reviews
Benchmark System Review - Ricky Dasler, Living Sound, New Zealand
"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.
Benchmark Converters at Abbey Road - Geoff Pesche
"What are the Latest Advancements in Mastering?"
"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
DAC3 Review - Alan Sircom, hi-fi+
"A Damn Good, No-Frills Digital Converter"
"Benchmark Media Systems’ no-nonsense approach to all things audio is rare today."
"Uniformly Good"
"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. "
"Leave No Trace"
"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+