Benchmark AHB2 Review (Updated Measurements)

[Ron Texas]

If it was $500 it would lose the headless status.

Keep wishing.

 

[Ron Texas]

I don’t understand why some folks here care what someone else decides to pay for an amp??? There’s myriad reasons beyond ultimate performance that someone can choose a specific piece of gear. Unless someone is entering the discussion indicating they were duped or encountered false advertising, I don’t see why people feel like they need to “educate” others about their own perception that someone else “overpaid” for a piece of gear. If you choose to buy the cheaper piece, fine. If you choose the more expensive piece, fine. The zeal exhibited by some members for judging other people’s choices is one of the turn offs for me here at ASR.

One has to distinguish beween their personal value formula and what others do. Personally, I find the ABH2 to be too pricey for me. However, I don't care if someone else buys one or four of them.

 

[JP]

Aren't you by any chance talking about a tick-type sound coming from the amp itself - i.e. not the speakers ?

No.

 

[DSJR]

Compared to McIntosh, Accuphase, Naim & Linn (over here) and other amplifier high end confections, the Benchmark is in a different and higher plane I'd suggest as well as cheaper. It doesn't appear to drift off spec over a few years, or eat it's supply caps and there's no philosophy course sold with it.

Sure we're spoiled with cheaper Class D amps and I'm sure some of them are superbly put together, but The Benchmark is still a very valid product and consistent with it...

 

[restorer-john]

So you’re saying if you spend $7000, you still have worse performance and lower power output than an $1100 NCx500 amp? Where’s the data proving these amps last longer than Hypex or Purifi modules? Thicker aluminum on the front panel, doesn’t prove this. It will certainly be more expensive to fix when it eventually fails that’s for sure. No simple $150 module swap.

 

[jtwrace]

Exactly why I still have my Hypex.

 

[Platypus20]

Sad thing is that benchmark will be losing sales as the year passes by with the existence of reliable class D amp. If you cant beat them why not join them?

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

 

[Gringoaudio1]

what is going on today lol this thread is wild

Two people today competing for flake of the day.

 

[lewdish]

Granted that theres so many high end class D amps nowadays is there any reason to go w/ the Benchmark AHB2's THX amps anymore? Compared to headphone THX ampliflier chips the speaker chips never seemed to take off.

 

[muslhead]

I don’t understand why some folks here care what someone else decides to pay for an amp??? There’s myriad reasons beyond ultimate performance that someone can choose a specific piece of gear. Unless someone is entering the discussion indicating they were duped or encountered false advertising, I don’t see why people feel like they need to “educate” others about their own perception that someone else “overpaid” for a piece of gear. If you choose to buy the cheaper piece, fine. If you choose the more expensive piece, fine. The zeal exhibited by some members for judging other people’s choices is one of the turn offs for me here at ASR.

Clearly some of it has to be jealously due to their personal financial situation.

 

[Docmoggy]

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?

 

[restorer-john]

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.

 

[gene_stl]

Power Amplifiers don't have need to improve very much , any more. If you have a Benchmark or a Neurochrome you are pretty well set. There isn't much point to "improvement".

 

[formdissolve]

I wouldn't sweat over 2dB difference, but would it be pointless to get custom speaker cables with speakon for the amp side and locking bananas for the speakers?

 

[TurtlePaul]

Clearly some of it has to be jealously due to their personal financial situation.

Doesn’t even need to be jealousy as much as being unable to relate to anyone in a much higher income and wealth bracket.

 

[walt99]

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.

Yep, what he said. End game system for me as I’ve committed to getting off the upgrade roller coaster. I feel the ahb2’s are the industrial version of McIntosh, quality and reliability backed by a company committed to its customers and made in the USA! Call them up and you talk to a real person that actually picks up the phone, or send an email and likely get same day response from Rory. I just wish they made an 8 channel unit for my surrounds. I run 3 in bridged mode (LCR), the Salon’s are a bit power hungry, drives them to ref levels with no issues.

 

[Whoareyou]

So you’re saying if you spend $7000, you still have worse performance and lower power output than an $1100 NCx500 amp? Where’s the data proving these amps last longer than Hypex or Purifi modules? Thicker aluminum on the front panel, doesn’t prove this. It will certainly be more expensive to fix when it eventually fails that’s for sure. No simple $150 module swap.

No, I'm saying your claim that the AHB2 cannot drive low impedence is not factual, nor is your comment about the AHB2's lack of power factual. I also said the AHB2 drives my low impedance speakers better than my ATI 500, which obviously runs out of power with low impedance speakers.

Did I say anything remotely related to aluminum or longevity of amp? This is just silly.

But since YOU mentioned something about reliability...
Will my AHB2 eventually fail? Well if it fails within 5 years, repair is free under warranty (actually same thing with my ATI). Only time will tell, but if sometime within that time frame, and if I do have a failure, I feel very confident the AHB2 will be repairable but I'm not so sure about they Hypex. Will NC500 modules be available 10 years from now? Based on my experience with other newer electronics, I'm not so sure the boards will be available so good luck to all of us who may have to "plugin" a new 500 module down the road.

I like my AHB2. I like my NC500. To me they were both good values.
What's so hard to understand about all of this?

 

[BALKAN_RAKIA]

You must be hanging around very specific group of people. I know dozens of people who wouldn't buy this because they think it is too cheap to be any good!

What do you mean specific group of people? How disconnected from reality are you to say that people who can't afford to pay $3500 for speaker amplification are specific group of people. We are the 99%.

 

[Sokel]

What do you mean specific group of people? How disconnected from reality are you to say that people who can't afford to pay $3500 for speaker amplification are specific group of people. We are the 99%.

You know it's a hobby,right?
Now think of any other hobby and how many people have one and what they spend on it.
I know 17 yo kids who spend as much just for beatifying their motorcycles and they are no some spoiled ones,they have to earn it even if their parents are no poor.

Definitely not 99% then,and this amp is cheap for what it is.

 

[yanm]

Avis intéressant, mais en France je ne suis pas sûr que cette marque soit commercialisée. En ce qui concerne le rapport qualité-prix, vous devez tenir compte de la fiabilité à long terme, de l’apparence et du fait que la fabrication n’a pas été délocalisée dans un pays à faible coût. Vous devez payer pour cela !

Le AHB2 peut être commandé en ligne directement chez le fabricant, c’est ce que j’ai fait pour la Suisse. Sinon, Benchmark est un fabricant pro donc la contrôle qualité est plus élevé que pour les produits grands publique. L’ampli est made in USA, par contre je ne sais pas si les circuits imprimés y sont aussi fabriqués et assemblés.