Reviews

LA4 - Absolute Sound Product of the Year

"Suffice it to say that, as with every Benchmark product I’ve used or reviewed, everything works smoothly, precisely, flawlessly."

"I must single out for special mention the volume control. While the whole unit is completely relay controlled, with a total of forty “precision relays switching high-precision metal-film resistors,” each channel has its own gain control with 256 steps in 0.5dB increments."

"By far, without question this is the best volume control I have ever encountered."

"The LA4 has been widely tested with results that tell the same story as those from the AHB2 power amplifier, i.e., the measurements merely confirm the manufacturer’s claims except in those instances where the limits of the test gear are reached before this or that specification can be precisely verified, almost every tester reporting that the unit beats, often handily, any other ever tested in its product category, regardless of price."

- Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound

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

HPA4 - "There is No Going Back"

After an extensive listening test, mastering engineer Sander van der Heide selected the Benchmark HPA4 as the master volume control in his mastering chain.

"As a headphone amplifier, the HPA4 was already a clear winner in a comparison test. More transparent, tighter, faster, quieter or less present than the HPA4 is in my opinion not possible."

"When I added a volume control and preamplifier in my mastering setup I almost forgot about it. But after I still noticed distortion on every other device, listening to the HPA4 was just a relief."

"There was no going back. The HPA4 is the only option for my mastering setup ."

- Sander van der Heide, Mastering Engineer

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

DAC3 HGC - "A+ Recommended Digital Processor"

The DAC3 HGC received Stereophile's top "A+" rating.

Jim Austin wrote, "The DAC3 was all about depths, in several respects . . . I heard deeper into the music."

The concise conclusion to John Atkinson's Measurements sidebar: "All I can say is 'Wow!'"

In a Follow-Up, Jim Austin wrote of using the Benchmark processor with the same company's AHB2 power amp—a combination of high source output voltage and modest amplifier gain that he describes as "optimal for minimizing noise and distortion"—and reported hearing "richer and more interesting" reproduction of very subtle details.

- Stereophile Magazine

"Class A+" is Stereophile's highest award for Digital Processors

LA4 - "Class A - Recommended Preamplifier"

The LA4 received Stereophile's top "Class A" rating in the preamplifier category.

"Benchmark's LA4 is the widest-bandwidth, widest-dynamic-range, lowest-noise, lowest-distortion preamplifier I have encountered."

- John Atkinson, Stereophile

"The LA4 is probably the most transparent and revealing audio component I've ever used. It does not seem to leave any fingerprints on the sound."

- Kalman Rubinson, Stereophile

"Class A" is Stereophile's highest award for preamplifiers.

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.

LA4 - TAS Golden Ear Award

"I am so floored by its performance that a Golden Ear is a forgone conclusion."

"The LA4 comes closer to measured and measurable perfection than any audio product in any category I've ever reviewed."

"It has lower distortion and noise than any electronic component known to me, and its transparency is without equal in my experience, with no sonic signature that I can identify."

"Its dynamic range is likewise at the highest state of the art. An amazing 256-step volume control maintains 0.5 dB/step resolution and flawless channel-tracking at any setting throughout its range."

"This is my new reference standard for a linestage."

- Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound

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

DAC3 B - 10 DACS, 10 Judges, 1 Winner

Alpha-Audio.net tested 10 DACs side-by-side. Only one received the "Alpha-Audio Approved" award. That DAC was the Benchmark DAC3.

DAC3 B - "Alpha-Audio Approved!"

"Are you looking for the best DAC (d/a converter) in the price range from 1500 euro to 2500 euro? That’s great! Because we’ve put ten beauties side by side. And we tested it live on camera for you."

"It was incredibly instructive to put so many converters side by side. We clearly hear differences - and the viewers could as well."

"One of the models we all agreed on is the benchmark DAC3. This is a delicious musical product. Virtually no coloring, nice stereo image and plenty of inputs."

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

LA4 - "Put a Big Smile on My Face"

"As soon as everything powered up, there was a big smile on my face."

"With the LA4 in control of the system, everything sounded right, and subtle differences among recordings, amplifiers, and speakers were clear."

"Compared to the other preamps on hand, the LA4 was consistently quieter, more open, and more revealing of detail."

"The LA4 is probably the most transparent and revealing audio component I've ever used."

"It does not seem to leave any fingerprints on the sound. It has a useful array of inputs, outputs, and functions, and the use of sealed relays for volume and input selection assures a long and noise-free life."

- Kal Rubinson, Stereophile

"Our final round of the best products from the finest brands of the last 20 years, covering products made from early 1999 to 2019."

"Benchmark is perhaps best known for its range of DACs, but the new HPA4 shows just what the brand can do with a take-no-prisoners headphone amplifier design."

"A real game-changer!"

Reviewed by Tom Martin

LA4 - "EAN Top Product of 2019" - All Categories

"Thanks to the special, discrete analog circuit/relay attenuator, this may be the most transparent line-stage preamplifier in the audiophile world."

"If you got a great-sounding source, the LA4 presents the audio in its original state — with gain or attenuation to the amplifier."

"I have never heard such low-level detail from a pre."

"The better the DAC, the better you hear it through a quality amp and speakers. It is quiet as a top-notch DAC, with S/N exceeding -135 dB and, feature-wise, it comes with unbalanced/balanced I/O and a really slick user interface."

"I use the four-input LA4 for audiophile A/B testing of DACs, monitoring my Hi-Res home recording/editing/mastering projects, as well as just listening how good my vast collection of 24 bit and DSD music sounds through an accurate amp and speakers."

"A steal!"

- John Gatski, Everything Audio Network

HPA4 - "Rediscovered so Many of My Favorite Works"

"Since the HPA4 arrived, I have rediscovered so many of my favorite works all over again with improved detail retrieval dynamics and transparency that it’s hard to pull myself away!"

"It drove my power hungry Abyss Phi TC headphones with complete authority, but it was still dead silent and nimble enough to amplify my easy to drive Focal Utopia headphones."

"Rarely have I come across such a wonderfully revealing amplifier that can drive many different types of headphones so darn well! The solid build construction and various controls make the price tag seem a bit low based on the other headphone amplifiers in this market space."