Reviews

DAC3 B, HPA4, AHB2 - "Purchased Them for My Reference System - Nuff Said!"

"The Benchmark 'stack' ... saw use with a wide variety of loudspeakers and other electronic equipment."

"Having the Benchmark stack here for an extended period also made me re-evaluate a few things about how and what I use to review equipment."

"I dare say that they produced as clean and noise-free a stereo playback chain as I have ever come across."

"Benchmark Media Systems is a well-regarded brand that is known for its high-quality DACs and ADCs that also find their way into professional studios."

AHB2 Power Amplifier

"In 2014 they introduced the AHB2 power amplifier, using patented THX AAA amplifier technology, that brought previously unheard of low levels of distortion, and high SNR capability."

LA4 and HPA4

"Last year Benchmark released the LA4 preamplifier and the HPA4 headphone amplifier. Both components use an ultra-precision relay-based volume control and feature vanishingly low levels of distortion."

DAC3 B

"The DAC3 B is an alternate version of the DAC3 DX that ... simply does away with the included volume control and headphone jacks which makes it ideal to use with the HPA4 or LA4."

"The Benchmark DAC3 B ... is a finely executed example of a modern ESS-based digital to analog converter."

The Benchmark 'Stack'

"The Benchmark Media Systems HPA4 preamplifier, AHB2 power amplifier, and DAC3 B are, individually, exceptionally transparent and well-designed audio devices."

"When used as a system the resulting synergy was even more revealing."

"I liked them so much that I purchased them for my reference system. Nuff said!"

- Carlo Lo Raso, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity

HPA4 - "Cleanest, Quietest, Most Neutral, Dynamic and Precise"

"Allow me to rave about the HPA4’s built-in headphone amp. Designed using similar technology as the AHB2 and licensed from THX (Benchmark calls it the THX-888 Amplifier), this is the cleanest, quietest, most neutral headphone amp I’ve ever heard."

"The HPA4 has no trouble playing music dynamically and precisely through any headphones I own."

"When the folks at Benchmark suggested a review of their HPA4 for Tape Op, my first reaction was, “Isn’t this aimed more at the audiophile market?” Benchmark’s Rory Rall replied that I should consider its use as a reference-grade monitor controller, with a world-class headphone amp built-in. He recommended I pair it with my Benchmark DAC3 B digital-analog converter and use it to drive my Benchmark AHB2 power amp."

AHB2 - "A Silent Transmitter of Musical Energy"

"When I previously reviewed the Benchmark AHB2, I described it as being as close to a straight wire with gain as I’ve ever heard – “a silent transmitter of musical energy.”

I stand by that description after four years of living and listening to it."

DAC3 B - "The HPA4 Allows the DAC to Run Wide Open"

"The HPA4 is built on the idea of avoiding any sort of bit-stripping volume control in the digital realm. So a full-output DAC sends it line-level audio."

"The volume knob is a 256-step precision encoder, driving relays that engage resistors, in 0.5 dB steps."

Conclusions

"I can’t think of anything else that will get you closer to the sound coming out of your sources."

"Combined with Benchmark’s DAC and power amp with excellent speakers and headphones plugged in, this is quite the monitoring chain."

"When playing music you love, it will fire all the pleasure synapses."

- Tom Fine, Tape Op

DAC3, LA4, AHB2 - "Matched My Idea of Reference Sound"

"Benchmark is an audio brand that started in Texas in 1983. The company then moved to the founder's hometown of Syracuse, New York, and all products are still designed, assembled, and tested at the Syracuse factory. This benchmark has officially arrived in Japan."

"I had the opportunity to listen to all the products of the American audio brand Benchmark Media Systems, and I was very impressed by how well they matched my idea of ​​reference sound."

"The biggest appeal that all the five models we tested have in common is their sound quality, which you can absolutely trust as a reference."

LA4/AHB2 System - "HiVi 2020 Grand Prize" - Amplifier Category

"A compact amplifier with outstanding high performance that is compatible with AV systems."

DAC3 B - "Neutral and Transparent"

"In the areas of tonal neutrality and transparency, the B sounds like every other Benchmark I’ve heard, which is to say neutral and transparent. But the DAC3 also has new conversion processing, which is said to make for a 3.5dB increase in headroom above 0dBFS, in turn preventing the DSP intersampling overloads."

"This increase in headroom ... is said to result in subtly improved sound."

LA4 - "Line Amplifier"

"Benchmark prefers to call the LA4 a line amplifier (which may be the more correct term because that is what preamplifiers in fact do: amplify the signal) and offers it in two versions: linestage only, and the identical linestage with an onboard headphone amplifier, called the HPA4."

AHB2 - "A Genuinely Innovative Design"

"Before properly introducing the preamp, however, it is worth the while to recall that the AHB2 amplifier is a genuinely innovative design, even, if you will, revelatory, and it set new standards in having by a wide margin the lowest noise and distortion and the widest bandwidth of any amplifier on the market then or now."

DAC3 B, LA4, AHB2 - "The Presentation is Uncanny in its Purity"

"There’s a complete absence of any sort of artifacts or noise; on very clean recordings, the presentation is uncanny in its purity."

- Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound

AHB2 - "Legendary Performance Award 2020"

"My first taste of this remarkable new amplifier came earlier this year in April at Chicago's AXPONA where I discovered it driving a newly redesigned Studio Electric Pasadena loudspeaker, also bearing the Benchmark trademark. Now called the SMS1, the Pasadena's crossover had been reworked by Benchmark, upgraded with very low tolerance components, and the new look, more in line with the look of the rest of the Benchmark product line up, had been adopted."

"The subsequent sound in this room was one of the most musically engaging I encountered at this year's event, a remarkable result considering its modest overall system price of just over $7000, sans source."

- Greg Weaver, EnjoythMusic.com

AHB2 - "A-Rated Power Amplifier"

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

"Much more apparent low-level detail in already-familiar recordings"

"Sounded more 'right' than any of [the other amps on hand]."

- Kalman Rubinson, Stereophile

"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.""

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

HPA4, AHB2 - "No Ifs or Buts"

"The benchmark combination offers a full range of equipment that can hardly be topped, leaves nothing to be desired in terms of sound, and meets professional requirements without any ifs or buts."

HPA4 - "Has the HiFiMan 100% Under Control"

"The HPA4 has the HIFIMan one hundred percent under control, eliciting neutral timbres, tons of spatial information and crisp dynamics."

AHB2 - "First Choice for Driving Difficult Boxes"

"I connected everything the household had to offer in terms of speakers - Spendor S3 / 5, Ayon Seagull / c, Quad ESL57. It goes without saying that the American coped with the dynamic boxes with ease. But even the quads, which have some meanness on the part of their impedance, did not pose a challenge for the amp."

"In short, it is the best tool and therefore the first choice for everyone who wants to drive difficult boxes to maximum performance without going into personal bankruptcy."

DAC3 B, HPA4, AHB2 - "Benchmark ... the Measure of Excellence!"

"There are many things that come into play when putting together a hi-fi system, one of which is synergy."

"After the arrival of the Benchmark Media Systems AHB2, I immediately thought of the matching HPA4 that colleagues Jaap and Yung were very pleased with."

"The key question, of course, was whether the HPA4 would really provide an audible improvement."

"Well you bet! The synergy between preamp and power amplifier is nothing short of magical, not to mention the DAC3 B that I got from importer Helios for the occasion."

"Not only a few curtains disappear, the whole window is gone."

"The slogan of Benchmark Media Systems actually sums it all up nicely: “Benchmark ... the measure of excellence!”"

- Geoffrey Vanhouwaert, Alpha-Audio

AHB2 - "I Purchased the Review Sample"

"The Benchmark AHB2 is a very fine sounding, easy to live with, zero-maintenance power amplifier that has enough power for most systems. If more power is needed, two amplifiers configured for mono can provide it."

"The decision to purchase the review sample and make the Benchmark AHB2 a new, long term reference took over a month of listening and comparisons."

"The outstanding musicality of the Benchmark AHB2 takes some time to convince the listener of its wholly musical presentation. This subtle excellence assures long term satisfaction."

- Jerry Seigel, 10 Audio

AHB2 - "Perfect 10" Award

LA4 - "Sonic Integrity"

"From top to bottom, the design of the LA4 was meant to do one thing; preserve the sonic integrity of the material that passes through it."

AHB2 - "Unrestricted Dynamics"

"Two words immediately came to mind — unrestricted dynamics."

LA4 and HPA4 - "Immediate Emotional Connection to the Music"

"Prior to reviewing these Benchmark components, I had heard the company’s products powering some of my favorite-sounding rooms at several audio shows. Based on what I’d heard at these shows, I was eager to hear how this equipment could perform in my own listening room."

"Listening to the Benchmark gear in my own room, I felt an immediate and gratifying emotional connection to the music I was hearing."

"The LA4 and AHB2 tear down so many of the usual walls that come between the listener and the music."

"If you value transparency and accuracy, the LA4 and AHB2 will perform beyond your highest expectations."

- Drew Gagliano, The Audio Beatnik

DAC3 B - "Wonderfully Transparent"

"With DAC, preamplifier and power amplifier, Benchmark knows how to build a bridge between the professional sector and home hi-fi. Very beautiful."

HPA4 - "A Whopping Six Watts into 16 Ohms"

"If you value transparent, precise sound, but at the same time want a certain level of comfort and at least a little elegance, you are in good hands with the Americans."

AHB2 - "A High Degree of Precision"

"The DAC3, HPA4 and AHB2 are all characterized by their wonderfully transparent sound and their high degree of precision. At the same time, sufficient amenities are offered to offer adequate comfort. A successful mix."

- HiFiTest.de

AHB2 - Driving Selah Cali4 Speakers - "Room of Distinction"

"I ended up visiting this room more than any other room at the show. I couldn’t help myself; I had to keep coming back for more!"

- Drew Gagliano, TheAudioBeatnik.com

HPA4 - "At the Top of Your Must-Audition List"

"If you are looking for a preamplifier/headphone amplifier that you can live with happily for a long time, you should consider the Benchmark HPA4 at the top of your must-audition list."

"The HPA4 combined with the Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier ranks as the quietest rig I've heard (or not heard)."

"Even with the gain up to full with no signal, there is no hiss, hum, or buzz, even when I placed my ears within a in inch of the drivers on 89 dB sensitive loudspeakers."

"As a headphone amplifier, the HPA4 was first rate. Whether it was my most power-hungry headphones, which currently are the new Abyss Diana Phi, or my most sensitive IERs, such as the Empire Ears Phantoms, there was no added noise or lack of adequate gain."

"The Benchmark HPA4 exhibits virtually no noise, whether employed as a stereo preamp or headphone amplifier, and his highly transparent, with no audible colorations."

- Steven Stone, HomeTheaterReview.com

AHB2 - "Breaks New Ground ... Gets My Strongest Recommendation"

"The AHB2 easily outperforms the DIY Hypex NC400 I had tested before which used to be the best amp I had tested."

THD+N:

"Looks far cleaner than anything I have tested before."

"Intermodulation distortion versus power level shows the same story of clean power."

Signal to Noise Ratio:

(unweighted, 22.5 kHz BW)

• Ch1: 130.286 dB
• Ch2: 130.180 dB

Frequency Response:

• -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."

Stereo Power into 4 Ohms:

"We have 185 watts of power at incredibly low distortion of 0.00016%, besting the company specifications."

Bridged Mono Power into 4 Ohms:

"500 watts into 4 ohm! Stunning 0.00026% distortion at 500 watts!!"

"It goes without saying that the Benchmark AHB2 breaks new ground ... gets my strongest recommendation."

- Amir Majidimehr, AudioScienceReview.com

AHB2 - "The Power Amps are Fantastic."

"I use them as mono blocks due to my power hungry speakers."

"I hear clarity, precision and an openness in the treble that I haven't heard in my speakers before."

HPA4 - "The HPA4 and AHB2 are Made for Each Other"

"The HPA4 line and headphone preamp and the power amps are made for each other..."

- Ulrike Schwarz, Anderson Audio NY

DAC3 B, LA4, AHB2 - Driving Martin Logan ESL 11A Electrostatic Speakers

197 Rooms - Benchmark Room Makes the Audio Beatnik "Top 3"

"The overall sonic signature of this room had a remarkable sense of ease and purity. Minute details such as a breathy initial saxophone note or a solo vocalist parting her lips and taking a breath before singing were easily discernable. At the same time, they presented all of the musical energy and rhythm contained within the source material. The effortless and free-flowing nature of the Martin Logans paired up nicely with the transparent AHB2 amplifiers."

"The tonality and realism of the instruments were spectacular. An alto saxophone sounded as if it was in the room with me, and the pitch and timbre of both male and female vocals were absolutely spot-on. It was clear that nothing in this system was getting in the way of the music."

"Their room had a remarkable degree of transparency that made every listener feel closer to the music."

- Drew Gagliano, TheAudioBeatnik.com

AHB2 - "Sounds the Most Like Live Music"

"Aleksandar Radisavljevic used this American amplifier as his reference during R&D of the Raal Requisite SR1a earfield monitors(tm)."

"He's tried ... Bryston, Pass, Krell, McIntosh, Classe and more ... to him and on his own recordings, the AHB2 still sounds the most like live music."

"With Product of the Year 2014-2017 awards from various high-profile publications, our Benchmark amplifier has been comprehensively covered many many moons ago - on standard loudspeakers. But nobody yet thought to review it on headphones."

- Srajan Ebaen, 6Moons.com

Stereophile's editors chose 10 products to receive their top award, the "2018 Product of the Year - Editor's Choice Award". Two Benchmark products made this exclusive list - the AHB2 power amplifier and the DAC3 HGC D/A converter.

AHB2 - 2018 Editors' Choice Award

"I was impressed by this revolutionary stereo amplifier but it became an obsession when I mated three as monoblocks to a trio of Benchmark's DAC3s."

"The AHB2 is deadly silent, musically revealing, surprisingly compact, and quite powerful."

- Kalman Rubinson

DAC3 HGC - 2018 Editors' Choice Award

"Benchmark has created a long line of DACs (several of which I've purchased) that present recordings with as little embellishment as is possible at their price points. The latest incarnation, the DAC3, is no exception, and excels at presenting the unvarnished truth, as the artist intended."

- Jon Iverson

AHB2 - Top 3 Finalist - "Amplification Component of the Year"

The competition in the amplification category was very tight. There was a two-way tie for first place between two amplifiers that cost $30,000 a pair and $13,500 a pair. 

The Benchmark AHB2 was just two points behind the leaders when the Stereophile reviewers cast their final votes. In all, there were 13 amplifiers that made Stereophile's select list of finalists. The Benchmark AHB2 was the least expensive amplifier on the list, yet it received top scores from the reviewers. The list included amplifiers with stratospheric prices. Six amplifiers were priced between $25,000 and $118,000 a pair!

At Benchmark we believe that a great audio system shouldn't set you back by the cost of a sports car.

"In my September 2018 column, I wrote of my discovery of miniDSP's U-DIO8, which converts multichannel data fed to its USB port to eight S/PDIF or AES-EBU outputs at resolutions of up to 24-bit/192kHz. Armed with a U-DIO8, you can use three or four of your choice of stereo DAC."

5.1 - Three DAC3 Converters and Three AHB2 Power Amplifiers

"I went commando with the DAC3s directly connected to the three AHB2s. All three DAC3s were set to Home Theater Bypass, and I used JRiver Media Center's volume control."

"For the first time I can recall, I heard no noise from my system, even with an ear flush against a tweeter."

"I know that we audiophiles can obsess about small changes and make them seem more important than they actually are, but that's what this hobby is about: Eliminating as many audible flaws as possible, however tiny. In this case, the effect was striking at first listen, and endured through everything I played, even tracks that had troubled me before."

- Kal Rubinson, Stereophile