LA4 Review - Erich Wetzel, SoundStage! Hi-Fi
LA4 - "Totally Neutral Musical Performance"
"The LA4’s relay-managed volume control has 256 steps of adjustment of 0.5dB each, and is fully balanced -- each channel has its own dedicated attenuator. Each increment of volume adjustment produces a satisfying click from the 40 relays inside. Other circuit features include precision-timed relay closures, gold contact points in the relays, and metal-film resistors."
"The LA4 has an expansive specified frequency response of 0.1Hz-500kHz, -3dB. Other impressive specs include a signal/noise ratio of >137dB (A-weighted) and total harmonic distortion (THD) of <-125dB (<0.00006%). Benchmark has also tested the LA4 for “immunity to radiated and conducted radio frequency interference.”"
"Benchmark Media Systems’ LA4 preamplifier presented an utterly realistic reproduction of what was contained on each recording I played through it -- and weak recordings stood out more than usual. The LA4’s clean, analytical abilities are unmatched by any similarly priced preamplifier I know of. The LA4’s touchscreen brings it up to date with current user interfaces, and permits functions, such as balance control and muting at the device."
"Operation of the user interface is intuitive -- I found the LA4’s many features easy to find and adjust."
AHB2 - "Lowest Noise and Distortion of Any Power Amp We've Measured"
"The LA4 was designed from the ground up as an ultra-low-noise, ultra-low-distortion mate for the AHB2 power amplifier, which my brother Hans reviewed on SoundStage! Access in June 2015. Our measurements of the AHB2 confirmed that it had the lowest noise and distortion of any power amp we’ve ever measured. Benchmark claims that the LA4 (and HPA4) “may be the only preamplifiers or line amplifiers that [exceed] the signal-to-noise ratio of the ultra-quiet AHB2.” If so, the LA4 may be closer to the elusive ideal of a “straight wire with gain” than almost any other preamplifier on the market at any price."
"If you want a preamp that editorializes, look elsewhere."
"If, like me, you value a high-resolution, totally neutral musical performance, add a Benchmark LA4 to your system, particularly if you already own a Benchmark DAC."
- Erich Wetzel, SoundStage! Hi-Fi
Read the entire review at SoundStage! HiFi →
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