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Is the AHB2 suitable for my setup?

BossBunos

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HI all,

Im a long time reader and this is my first post :)
I have the focal sopra2 with the Hegel rost. I really love this combo.
Later I decided I wanted to give room correction a try and bought the miniDsp shd. Really pleased with the results!
Next step for me is to replace the integrated amp with a power amp. I had the opportunity to test a purifi et400 based amp in my setup for a couple of weeks.
What I noticed (subjectively) was that the bass with the Hegel was 'better'. It just sounds a little thin/less textured on the 1et400 (this was tested with dirac off btw).
I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Benchmark AHB2 but I'm just not sure.... Will the bass be disappointing?

I tought maybe it's the fact that the Hegel is more lineair in 2 ohm loads (keeps doubling power).
The 1ET400 has 227 in 8, 425 in 4, but only 450 in 2 ohms.
The sopra2 dips quite deep (2.6ohms) with a pretty nasty phase angle (45) in the bass (90hz).
Is it lack of (peak) power that I'm hearing or is that just bs?

Cheers
 
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abdo123

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ET400 offers 500W @ 2 Ohms while the Hegel offers 300W @ 2Ohms.

One thing to consider that Dirac does a max of 10 dB of boosting, so the Et400 offers the dynamic output of 50W in reality when Dirac is used and the Hegel offers 30W.

If you're looking for an 'end game' amplifier i would probably run two ET400 in bridged mode.

Are you using the SHD as your volume control btw? if you're using the Hegel as volume control then you're 100% running into clipping in the SHD.
 
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BossBunos

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I know the Hegel is lower rated: 75w in 8ohm. My point is that it delivers 150 in 4 and almost 300 in 2. So it's better at driving low impedance loads right? I tested with dirac off. I use the Hegel for volume control now, but the SHD is set on -10dB.

I think my question boils down to:
Can de ahb2 run for arguments sake 20w in 8, 40 in 4 and 80 in 2? Or will the ratios stay the same compared to the max output? (I will never run full power).
 

Kal Rubinson

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Can de ahb2 run for arguments sake 20w in 8, 40 in 4 and 80 in 2? Or will the ratios stay the same compared to the max output? (I will never run full power).
Then why are the ratios of any relevance to you?
 

abdo123

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I would still recommend to stick with the ET400 just because you have more power on tap. unless you're 1 meter away from the speakers you're very likely running close to the limits of your Hegel regularly with Dirac on.

With the price of the ABH2 you can buy two (well four) ET400. it's incredibly expensive for what it is.

But it seems like you're already set on your decision regardless of what me or anyone else says :p
 

amper42

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HI all,

Im a long time reader and this is my first post :)
I have the focal sopra2 with the Hegel rost. I really love this combo.
Later I decided I wanted to give room correction a try and bought the miniDsp shd. Really pleased with the results!
Next step for me is to replace the integrated amp with a power amp. I had the opportunity to test a purifi et400 based amp in my setup for a couple of weeks.
What I noticed (subjectively) was that the base with the Hegel was 'better'. It just sounds a little thin/less textured on the 1et400 (this was tested with dirac off btw).
I'm ready to pull the trigger on a Benchmark AHB2 but I'm just not sure.... Will the base be disappointing?

I tought maybe it's the fact that the Hegel is more lineair in 2 ohm loads (keeps doubling power).
The 1ET400 has 227 in 8, 425 in 4, but only 450 in 2 ohms.
The sopra2 dips quite deep (2.6ohms) with a pretty nasty phase angle (45) in the bass (90hz).
Is it lack of (peak) power that I'm hearing or is that just bs?

Cheers

The Benchmark AHB2 has a 30 day trial period. You may want to see what it would cost to return before purchase? My Hegel H90 sounds awesome with my BMR monitors, even better than my Purifi amp. The built-in Hegel USB DAC input offers the most bass kick with the BMR monitors.

On the other hand, I tried the Hegel H90 with my Revel F328Be towers and it sounded like weak sauce. Much more distortion and lack of power than the Purifi amp. My experience tells me you would need to try both amps with your speakers to know which sounds best. If the speakers need more power than the Hegel can offer the AHB2 may sound better to you.

The other option I would try is use the SHD EQ capabilities to setup a house curve with slightly elevated bass to match your taste when using the Purifi amp. You could use REW to measure the Hegel response and match the FR with SHD while using the Purifi amp.
 
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BossBunos

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I would still recommend to stick with the ET400 just because you have more power on tap. unless you're 1 meter away from the speakers you're very likely running close to the limits of your Hegel regularly with Dirac on.

With the price of the ABH2 you can buy two (well four) ET400. it's incredibly expensive for what it is.

But it seems like you're already set on your decision regardless of what me or anyone else says :p
Thanks for the reply. I certainly havn't made up my mind yet. The et400 is probably NOT gonna be it since it lacks the bass imo compared to the 75w hegel. So thats why i'm considering another great measuring amp, the benchmark. I'm just a little scared that it also might not bring the bass performance I'm looking for. Another option might be the Hegel H20 for example. I was hoping someone could explain to me if the doubling of power in half the load could have anything to do with the bass performance. Even if you are just listening on 10% of the power. That could give me an indirect answer to whether the benchmark will be suitable.
I live in europe and I dont think they have that 30day trial here?
 
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abdo123

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Thanks for the reply. I certainly havn't made up my mind yet. The et400 is probably NOT gonna be it since it lacks the base imo compared to the 75w hegel. So thats why i'm considering another great measuring amp, the benchmark. I'm just a little scared that it also might not bring the base performance I'm looking for. Another option might be the Hegel H20 for example. I was hoping someone could explain to me if the doubling of power in half the load could have anything to do with the base performance. Even if you are just listening on 10% of the power. That could give me an indirect answer to whether the benchmark will be suitable.
I live in europe and I dont think they have that 30day trial here?

on which gain setting is the Et400 on?
 

jae

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THD_vs._Power_Pct_-_DS_M3.png


If you want one of the best all-round amps and don't want to think about it again (when perhaps you are due to change your speakers), and don't want your wallet to hurt too much, just get Purifi ET400 based. It is simply one of the best enthusiast-class purchases in audio and power amplification that can be bought, period. You get almost double the power output of the Benchmark at almost a third of the price, at the cost of some marginally worse noise/distortion specs at low wattages (this is inaudible). If something goes wrong years down the line it is also easy to service yourself with replacement modules. I would say Hypex MP series is better "value for money" and you can get even more power, but Purifi is the latest and greatest iteration of Bruno Putzey's work.


My Hegel H90 sounds awesome with my BMR monitors, even better than my Purifi amp. The built-in Hegel USB DAC input offers the most bass kick with the BMR monitors.
????
 
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BossBunos

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THD_vs._Power_Pct_-_DS_M3.png


If you want one of the best all-round amps and don't want to think about it again (when perhaps you are due to change your speakers), and don't want your wallet to hurt too much, just get Purifi ET400 based. It is simply one of the best enthusiast-class purchases in audio and power amplification that can be bought, period. You get almost double the power output of the Benchmark at almost a third of the price, at the cost of some marginally worse noise/distortion specs at low wattages (this is inaudible). If something goes wrong years down the line it is also easy to service yourself with replacement modules. I would say Hypex MP series is better "value for money" and you can get even more power, but Purifi is the latest and greatest iteration of Bruno Putzey's work.



????
Thanks jae. So if I understand correctly from your graph the non linear power availability in 2 ohms (227->450->500) is only when you need to draw 500w in 2 ohms. When I would play at lower volumes and say only draw 30w in 8 ohm it will deliver 120w for a 2 ohm load?

If that's the case the 1et400 is back on the menu :)

I have been looking at the apollon 1et400a mini before. I like the trigger and gain switch.
 

Kal Rubinson

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Hi Kal. If it can't you will get a dip in the bass response right? Since it requires 2.6 ohms and the amp is unable to deliver it linearly?
The ratios may be better since these specs are based on output current capability and not related to gain or linearity.
The AHB2 is spec-ed at:
100wpc into 8ohms, both channels driven.
130wpc into 6ohms, both channels driven.
190wpc into 4ohms, both channels driven.
240wpc into 3ohms, both channels driven.
When I would play at lower volumes and say only draw 30w in 8 ohm it will deliver 120w for a 2 ohm load?
There's some confusion here.. The numbers above indicate only the power capability of the amp at a given impedance. What it outputs with a complex signal will depend on the magnitude of the input signal and the load impedance of the input signal at all the relevant frequencies. Capability remains the same.
 
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BossBunos

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The ratios may be better since these specs are based on output current capability and not related to gain or linearity.
The AHB2 is spec-ed at:
100wpc into 8ohms, both channels driven.
130wpc into 6ohms, both channels driven.
190wpc into 4ohms, both channels driven.
240wpc into 3ohms, both channels driven.

There's some confusion here.. The numbers above indicate only the power capability of the amp at a given impedance. What it outputs with a complex signal will depend on the magnitude of the input signal and the load impedance of the input signal at all the relevant frequencies. Capability remains the same.
Thanks for clearing that up! So the difference I'm hearing between the Hegel and the et400 is not caused by lack of power/current that is required by the sopras. It's probably cause the Hegel is voiced with thicker bass while the purifi is ruler flat.

Then I prefer the et400 over the Hegel just because it's more 'true' and I can just eq the bass.
 

voodooless

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First off, did you compare level matched? If not, all bets are basically off. Both Hegal and Purify amps have a flat frequency response, so there should not be any different. The damping factor for both amps is claimed to be around 2000 as well, so there cannot be a difference from there either.

I'd say: keep the Purify, enable Dirac, EQ bass to taste and have fun listening.
 
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BossBunos

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First off, did you compare level matched? If not, all bets are basically off. Both Hegal and Purify amps have a flat frequency response, so there should not be any different. The damping factor for both amps is claimed to be around 2000 as well, so there cannot be a difference from there either.

I'd say: keep the Purify, enable Dirac, EQ bass to taste and have fun listening.
Not voltage level matched. I used white noise and db level matched them using Rew and the umik1
 

restorer-john

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I just wish, for once, these armchair experts and part time reviewers would stop obsessing over the so-called "doubling down" abilities of power amplifiers.

It. Does. Not. Happen. Ever.

What you want is an amplifier capable of dealing with a wide range of loads, of varying phase angles and be stable, able to maintain its voltage swing in the face of huge variations in current draw and maintain a flat response and low distortion. That's it. No rocket science involved. There's thousands, yes, thousands of amplifiers out there, that do just that.

Stop focusing on stupid 2 Ohm and 1 Ohm "power" outputs. Normal, domestic speakers may dip to low impedances, but it's usually a narrow band and hardly an issue for any competently designed amplifer from the 1970s onwards. My main speakers drop to 2.6 ohms at 120Hz. It's not an issue for any amplifier, even a 10wpc Pioneer SA-5300 from 1974 or a 600wpc monoblock.
 

Koeitje

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Your comparison probably wasn't level matched. If it was then it sounds like the Hegal was running out of power and you perceived the increased distortion as being more bass heavy.
 

voodooless

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Then why is OP claiming that the Hegel is capable of doubling power with halving of impedance?
Make belief? @BossBunos, redo the test now you know you've been fed lies about the amplifier performance. I bet now the Purify will suddenly sound better. Like magic ;)
 
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