Benchmark AHB2 Review (Updated Measurements)

[amirm]

The dishonesty of the people surrounding this company is as dirty as it gets. I need to shower to feel right. Hopefully with education this can change.

The only dishonest and unethical person here is you. Thread ban issued. Watch it....

 

[CleanSound]

What is the issue you have @DSPman ? If the value is not up to snuff for you, then don't buy it. If you are one of those every part must be made in USA and you want to go crazy to the point "made by US Citizens" then don't buy it. And you probably won't be able to buy anything and you should throw your phone away while you're at it.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Is there any threshold in it's DC offset detector?
How does this work?
It's one of the most important protections and I don't see any mention about it.

We know some other have similar but often fall short like the older hypex in the older thread who has an In protection but allows up to 12V (!) before it kicks in.
(don't know about the new NCxxxx though)

Great suggestion. 12 VDC -Actually not much DC protection then.

I'd like more testing of protection circuits on amps in general. -Of course there is risk involved so likely not gonna happen much.

 

[Axo1989]

The pictures are right on their facebook page and youtube. They've been building stuff for 40 years in the US.

Next thing you'll be saying is the moon landing was faked.

Next thing? We all know the landing was to be faked, that NASA commissioned Kubrick to direct the propaganda footage, and that he insisted on filming on location. The rest is history.

 

[Audio Science Pal]

The Benchmark AHB2 looks nice, measures really good and has a reputation for being reliable. It is on my wish list for the next time I need a new amplifier.

 

[Mtbf]

After years of wasting money on fancy stuff, I thought I’d finally reached Valhalla when I arrived at Benchmarks paired with the SMSL SU10 and Topping Pre 90..

Now both, Topping and SMSL have brought out DACS with dual ES9039 chips!

I can’t wait for the review of these two potentially new state of the art DACS. I hope Shenzhen have shipped them to Amir to review?

What’s the use? No use. At all.

 

[AdamG]

Notice: DSPman was deemed to be Returning (Previously Banned for his 5th or 6th reincarnation) Mike from Mivera audio. His account is closed and every single post that he made with this new Shadow Account has been deleted.

 

[poopy]

My only caution to people is that it may not have enough power. They don't for me in stereo. But if they don't need the power, that is that.

Not enough power even in bridge mode??

 

[amirm]

Not enough power even in bridge mode??

Bridge mode is fine. I specifically mentioned stereo.

 

[Haskil]

When I see a long term reliable one, I’ll buy one, I have a few friends that bought them with in the last 2 yrs. One bought one, raved about it, the other rushed to buy them. All of them have failed, none made it a year of normal use. One had smoke pouring out the case vents, one made a huge popping sound and then dead silence, the others failed to power up the next time. Before I bought my AHB2s, I looked at a NAD, Bel Canto and an Elac (all class Ds). I liked the fact the Benchmarks are built about 10-12 miles from my house, did not hurt, I know a couple of the people who work there, if I have an issue, they are local. The concept looks great, but before I buy one, I want to see some long term reliability

I have been using a Class D power amplifier that I assembled every day for almost 15 years now: a Gemincore CL 3 whose power supply is linear: toroidal transformer of 650 VA per channel. Almost every day it's on all day, because I'm a music critic and therefore listen to music for a living. This amp works like the first day without any cooling radiator, in a fully enclosed case... My speakers are Divatech MC 210 (former professional branch of Focal)...
The only problem is that the 12 volt relay which turns it on remains stuck in the open position... But it was me who chose it and mounted it in the box... And I'm too lazy to reopen the box to remove it and put an on/off switch supporting the two 650 v/a power supplies...
Here is a perfectly reliable class D... unfortunately the manufacturer-designer of this class D circuit no longer exists...

The fact remains that this Benchmark amp is a marvel and is one of the best amplifiers on the market if I judge by the results of Amirm's test which validate the first ones he carried out. Very good work from a brand known for its objective and serious approach to low frequency electronics. Of course, it is expensive, but the brand is serious and should inspire others who are sleeping on their laurels or sinking into a nap...

And its price of 3,500 euros could even be considered not high enough for some of the most exclusive audiophiles who buy, for example, Goldmund, FM Acoustic, Soulution, Dartzeel amps, etc.

 

[daniboun]

What do you think about this review ?

Power Amp Comparison | Cambridge Edge W, Benchmark AHB2, Bryston 4B Cubed

Finding a good power amp is hard. I should know. I’ve tried a half dozen or so over the past few years from manufacturers such as Classé, ATC, NAD, and Emotiva. All have been sold or returned. It’s not that all of them have been putrid. A few impressed me. But none made me feel like I needed to h...

audiophilestyle.com

Do you know guys where I can find reliable measurements about the Bryston 4B Cubed so I can compare ?

 

[Mtbf]

You're as rude as you are clueless.

And he doesn’t know how to stop his ranting. Seriously pathetic case.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Notice: DSPman was deemed to be Returning (Previously Banned for his 5th or 6th reincarnation) Mike from Mivera audio. His account is closed and every single post that he made with this new Shadow Account has been deleted.

Had to do some Googling to find out. He had a company selling Class D amps that went bust!? -Explains (kind of) the mean tongue towards the lovely Benchmark amp in question.

Mods; delete this if it's not fitting.
I didn't know "Mike from Mivera" so maybe others needed some context as well.

 

[kadajawi]

It depends on where you are in your hifi/audiophile “journey” as to whether you would put the AHB-2 on your list.

Many of the resident AHB owners here are of an age where they want an end game, 100% reliable, quality built amplifier of superlative performance that doesn’t cost telephone numbers and isn’t the size of a bar fridge which will likely ‘see them out’.

For tech adopters who still are under the false illusion that everything gets better, they can’t see past the sea of class ds vying for their attention. Thing is, they’ll be upgrading for a while, so overall longevity isn’t an issue (to them).

The price is cheap for what it is.

This. Very much this. I haven't received mine yet, but the reason I ordered one is because I want an amplifier that I will use the next decade or two or three (or should I decide to sell it, I won't lose much money on). Regardless of what speaker I throw at it. So even if I should upgrade to Focal Utopias, I hope the AHB2 will extract all that's possible out of them.

Also, versus a NAD C298 the AHB2 isn't that much more expensive (given that you can get discounts on the AHB2). Yeah, you could save some more with a DIY kit, but I hope it's obvious why that's hardly comparable.

Basically, I'm too cheap to get something other than the AHB2, where I might spend again soon enough and where I'd lose a lot of money when I try to sell what I bought in the first place. And I am fortunate enough to be able to buy it.

Oh, and, that C298? A friend has one that is noisy as ... I mean, you can hear it sitting maybe 2-3 meters away. The actual device, happily humming along. It was sent back to the dealer, and they were like... "So...?". Can't remember if it went to NAD as well, but in any case, he did not get it fixed or swapped.

Another thing that led me towards the AHB2 is the protection systems. I have managed to clip my Kantas with a Powernode and hope that there's no permanent damage. I don't want that to ever happen again. That alone is worth quite some money to me, because damaging the speakers would be even more expensive.

Finally (perhaps): In Germany the list price is 4500 €, which is a bit insane. However you might be able to get a better price when talking to a dealer... what you rarely see is a good price on the internet.

 

[fpitas]

And its price of 3,500 euros could even be considered not high enough for some of the most exclusive audiophiles who buy, for example, Goldmund, FM Acoustic, Soulution, Dartzeel amps, etc.

It's very reasonable, down in the bargain category like my A21. People just don't know what these things typically go for.

 

[Docmoggy]

What’s the use? No use. At all.

An independent review is always a good method to verify claims being made. The scientific community relies on this process seems to work pretty well.

 

[fpitas]

I didn't know "Mike from Mivera" so maybe others needed some context as well.

I just thought he was trolling. Sounds like he has some weird axe to grind.

 

[AdamG]

I just thought he was trolling. Sounds like he has some weird axe to grind.

We really don’t want to air dirty laundry when one party can not be here to defend oneself. The only reason we even mentioned it is because he created a shadow account to troll this thread. His departure (under this new “DSPman” username) and subsequent deletion of all his posts needed to be explained. What he did or didn’t do in the past is not relevant to this thread. Let’s leave it at that please.

 

[kadajawi]

I've used UCDs, but to my knowledge they're DIY stuff. You build your own amp.

I believe the Bluesound Powernode is UcD. Likewise I think the NAD C700 (which should be a Powernode with screen). And that vintage looking NAD C3050. NAD just loves using UcD...

 

[fpitas]

I believe the Bluesound Powernode is UcD. Likewise I think the NAD C700 (which should be a Powernode with screen). And that vintage looking NAD C3050. NAD just loves using UcD...

By comparison with the later amps like NCORE they seem old-fashioned, but they are a bargain and work well enough.