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Benchmark AHB2 / Class D Purifi Eigentakt / Mark Levinson 333 - Listening impression & Conclusion

Katji

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I would like to see a complete, stand-alone thread on this. One assumes that cognitive psychologists, if not the perfume industry, would have tested for it.
I would like to see input from cognitive psychologists here generally. Sometimes wondered, whether there are any, or maybe they just don't want to get into it.
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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hmm for the price easily you can pick 2 vtv purifi eval1
I have one, what a nice amplifier. I didnt know someone can run those BW 802 with my amp.... yo can run those big ass speakers at high volume without any problem? or you need 2 in mono?
 

Matias

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hmm for the price easily you can pick 2 vtv purifi eval1
I have one, what a nice amplifier. I didnt know someone can run those BW 802 with my amp.... yo can run those big ass speakers at high volume without any problem? or you need 2 in mono?
Or 2 EVAL-1 in bi-amp, that is, 1 amp per speaker, one channel for the mid-highs, one channel for the bass.
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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Or 2 EVAL-1 in bi-amp, that is, 1 amp per speaker, one channel for the mid-highs, one channel for the bass.
Sure, i think the op could get more '' dynamics '' if they run the eval1 in bi-amp, the ahb2 is x3 his price and the amp also run in monoblocks...
802 is not an easy speakers... also the vtv1 is only 1k xD, dual purifi are more properly for those big floorstanders..

Nominal impedance (min)
8Ω (minimum 3.0Ω)

Recommended amplifier power
50W - 500W into 8Ω on unclipped programme


Also since the FR from 802 is very uneven, i don't find any reason for care about the mid or highs they gonna sound uneven in all ways, you need to do EQ with any of these amplifier
also he hear the a mid range emphasis in the purifi, as i owner i never saw a guy talking about the mid range from the purifi o_O
 
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Katji

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Just to lighten the mood I also want to point out a that a 47 year old calling himself Phorize has just referred to another adult who goes by the name of Lord Victor. It that can’t cure us of pomposity there’s no hope:p
Well, :> there's no hope for me to know without resorting to google.

...The People's Peer? New concept for me. He seems to be quite a pleasant chap. So is this honourable member actually that honourable member? He seems to have something to do with music, and with psychiatry, which are both somewhat relevant to audiophile forums. :)

Phorize, google nice try but no cigar - aphorisms and Scrabble and psoriasis.
 

Spenav

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So if post #74 is correct, we are all fools and all the SINAD numbers and tests results on this site are fool’s gold. Mr. Clark has proven that for a couple of dollars, you can make a $300 amp sound the same as a $30,000 one. He has the double blind test to prove it. If you already have an amp, you are one cap or one resistor away from the sound you are looking for. That is frankly good news. Amplifiers are a solved problem!! Stop the fighting and the testing, instead, try to figure out which component you need to start enjoying the sound of your dream. That, my friends, sounds reasonable and there should be no arguing here....Unless audiophiles are really crazy people just having fun :)
 

rdenney

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So if post #74 is correct, we are all fools and all the SINAD numbers and tests results on this site are fool’s gold. Mr. Clark has proven that for a couple of dollars, you can make a $300 amp sound the same as a $30,000 one. He has the double blind test to prove it. If you already have an amp, you are one cap or one resistor away from the sound you are looking for. That is frankly good news. Amplifiers are a solved problem!! Stop the fighting and the testing, instead, try to figure out which component you need to start enjoying the sound of your dream. That, my friends, sounds reasonable and there should be no arguing here....Unless audiophiles are really crazy people just having fun :)
No, it means that you buy amps for their features, instead of buying them for their specs. One important feature is output power--all the tests that show no difference are (or should be) limited by the lowest-powered amp in the test. The highest-powered amp in the test will do things the smaller amp won't do.

Other features include cooling and reliability.

Another feature is current handling and the ability to remain stable with very low impedance speakers. Heat production, environmental impact, thermal efficiency, and acoustic noise may be important. Aesthetics, brand (and how we feel about the company), where it's made, etc., etc.

All these things can go into a buying decision even between amps that sound the same to us.

But distortion and noise within the linear operating envelope sure seem to be solved problems at this point, at least to the standards of audibility as measured using controlled testing.

Into unchallenging loads and driven by an active preamp, I'm not sure I could tell the difference between my vintage B&K amp and the Benchmark, despite that the latter has at least a 30 dB lower noise floor, except maybe for quiescent hiss. The Benchmark would need more from the preamp because it has lower gain, but that's about all I'd need to worry about.

Rick "who'd be interested in the Benchmark amp just because he likes Benchmark as a company, but it's too expensive" Denney
 

Katji

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Yes indeed...I don't like Marantz because of those blue portholes - it would have to be half the price and even then I'd feel :confused:
 

Matias

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Yes indeed...I don't like Marantz because of those blue portholes - it would have to be half the price and even then I'd feel :confused:
You can just turn it off, you know.
 

Phorize

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Well, :> there's no hope for me to know without resorting to google.

...The People's Peer? New concept for me. He seems to be quite a pleasant chap. So is this honourable member actually that honourable member? He seems to have something to do with music, and with psychiatry, which are both somewhat relevant to audiophile forums. :)

Phorize, google nice try but no cigar - aphorisms and Scrabble and psoriasis.
I’ve actually seen Baron Adebowale do a conference keynote, he’s an imminently sensible thought leader type person on health policy. The Lord Victor on ASR is this chap:


He also seems very nice but I’m sure he’d agreed that he’s more convinced that amplifiers have a sound than I am.
 

Katji

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Yes, my reaction to "people's peer" would probably be cynical but I could see in a few seconds that he fits the bill.
 

Spenav

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No, it means that you buy amps for their features, instead of buying them for their specs. One important feature is output power--all the tests that show no difference are (or should be) limited by the lowest-powered amp in the test. The highest-powered amp in the test will do things the smaller amp won't do.

Other features include cooling and reliability.

Another feature is current handling and the ability to remain stable with very low impedance speakers. Heat production, environmental impact, thermal efficiency, and acoustic noise may be important. Aesthetics, brand (and how we feel about the company), where it's made, etc., etc.

All these things can go into a buying decision even between amps that sound the same to us.

But distortion and noise within the linear operating envelope sure seem to be solved problems at this point, at least to the standards of audibility as measured using controlled testing.

Into unchallenging loads and driven by an active preamp, I'm not sure I could tell the difference between my vintage B&K amp and the Benchmark, despite that the latter has at least a 30 dB lower noise floor, except maybe for quiescent hiss. The Benchmark would need more from the preamp because it has lower gain, but that's about all I'd need to worry about.

Rick "who'd be interested in the Benchmark amp just because he likes Benchmark as a company, but it's too expensive" Denney

Got it!! Let’s just buy the biggest (watt wise), coolest, prettiest looking amp out there and cal it a day. Should not be too hard to manufacture and should certainly not cost an arm and a leg. Problem solved.
 

Matias

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Yeah but they put all useful display stuff behind a trap-door!
In my point of view, I never open that door as I do everything with the remote in screen GUI anyway. It is a minimalist design.
 

Kal Rubinson

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In my point of view, I never open that door as I do everything with the remote in screen GUI anyway. It is a minimalist design.
Sure. The screen GUI isn't available for me if my wife is watching something at the time and I don't usually use the iPad app except for special tasks. So, that front panel info is quite useful for me.
 

Blaspheme

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No, I wasn't trolling. Subjectivist audiophiles' SQ opinions are dismissed on the basis the they are confirmation bias. How is that objectivists, (apparently including mastering engineers), may be assumed to be without bias? Perhaps they hear no differences because hearing none confirms their biases.
I know this is going back a little way, but this thread just caught my eye as acquiring some Purifi-based amps has been on my option list for a while.

Logically, confirmation bias works both ways (excuse the oversimplification). It would be useful to line up ABX versus 4IAX and other protocols for blinded experiments to see whether type 2 errors (false negatives) are a factor when music (rather than speech) is the test material.
 

pogo

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I'm surprised that there are probably tools here and are not taken into account!?
For example:
Link
 

Blaspheme

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I'm surprised that there are probably tools here and are not taken into account!?
For example:
Link
Tools are one thing, curiosity and meta-cognitive abilities are another.
 
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