DAC2 & AHB2 Review - Dimitris Stamatakos, AVMENTOR.net
AHB2 - "What the Future of Power Amplifiers Can Be"
DAC2 & AHB2 - "The best preamplifier/power amplifier ... in this price range"
"For the listening test, DAC2 HGC and AHB2 replaced our regular reference preamplifier and power amplifier (Melos Plus Series Line and Parasound HCA3500) to drive the ATC SCM50PSL loudspeakers with the Teac P70/D70 CD transport/DAC as a source."
"Replacing the reference amplifiers with the Benchmark devices introduced some interesting and significant changes in the system."
The first impressions include a more clear, dimensionally stable and well-defined soundstage, a better performance on detail and a better feeling of macrodynamics of the listening material. The end result was effortless and uncompressed, with very good speed characteristics and a sense of balance."
"Low frequencies appeared comfortable, well extended and balanced while, in comparison, the reference amplifiers sounded somewhat exaggerated and larger-than-life in this part of the audio spectrum. In contrast, the Benchmark system seemed tighter and with a more strict character without depriving the listener of any details contained in the recording."
"Rhythm section parts reproduced effortlessly, with great speed, and a sense of fullness, without ever becoming excessive."
"Stereo imaging is clear, well defined in space, with very good resolution and a sense of transparency and good depth. Voices feature very good articulation and detail and the overall presence is very realistic, both in small orchestras and solo voices and in larger scale projects and choirs. It is obvious that the design of the amplifiers is done with some "good monitoring" values in mind, like tonal accuracy and a coherent soundstage."
"Towards the high-frequency part of the audio spectrum, the DAC2 HGC/AHB2 combination sounded quite pleasant -but without being intentionally soft or euphonic- and offered a very well balanced feeling of brightness and wide bandwidth. From the listener's point of view, the result is a restful character, without any trace of harshness."
"The overall impression is that the system is able to pass into the listening room both the harmonic richness and the tonal balance of the recording."
"The Benchmark pair offered near-flawless attack/release times and sounded full and impressively present even in small details, a behavior that reinforces the sense of precision and carries the listener a step closer to the live performance."
"Based on a very interesting set of ideas, with a long history but few examples of a practical application, the Benchmark AHB2 could serve as a convincing example of what the future of power amplifiers can be. Combine it with a renowned D/A Converter like the DAC2 HGC, and what you have is a top quality system from which only the loudspeakers are missing!"
"While the DAC2 HGC is a, pretty much, well-known device, the AHB2 proved to be a very pleasant surprise, indeed."
"Benchmark dared to engage their power amplifier project from a different angle, discarding the standard approach ... and certainly succeeded. The theoretical advantages of their choices are both evident in the laboratory and heard during the listening sessions, thus justifying the whole approach."
"Overall, the DAC2 HGC/AHB2 pair is the best preamplifier/power amplifier we had the opportunity to listen to in recent years in this price range."
- Dimitris Stamatakos, AVMENTOR.net
Also in Reviews
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."
"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
AHB2 Review - Constantine Soo, Dagogo
"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
DAC3 Review - Jerry Del Colliano
"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."
"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