Benchmark AHB2 Review (Updated Measurements)

[amirm]

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 claimed to not know a single person that will buy a $3,500 amplifier. I told you that I know a ton of people who spend multiples of that. No, they are not even 1% of the population but the point is that what you claimed was incorrect. This is a hobby with much higher ceiling than $3,500 for an amplifier. For some that is infinite amount of money, for others, not much. Claiming that the latter group doesn't exist as you did your post is not correct. I shouldn't have to explain this to you.

 

[yanm]

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?

I was thinking the same but I guess that the added distortion is additive, so maybe 2 db each. I‘ve the speak on connectors but never bothered to install them. Maybe I should assemble them but it will be inaudible improvements anyway.

 

[BALKAN_RAKIA]

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.

You claimed to not know a single person that will buy a $3,500 amplifier. I told you that I know a ton of people who spend multiples of that. No, they are not even 1% of the population but the point is that what you claimed was incorrect. This is a hobby with much higher ceiling than $3,500 for an amplifier. For some that is infinite amount of money, for others, not much. Claiming that the latter group doesn't exist as you did your post is not correct. I shouldn't have to explain this to you.

Guys, I get your point, but the hobby to me is listening to music, for you it might be different with the gear and I get it (I don't). The reason I like objectivism is because you can pin point what exactly makes music sound better.

If DACs are a solved problem already can we set some standard for amplification as well?

I honestly don't care about brands, I am looking at it at from pure consumer perspective.

 

[amirm]

If DACs are a solved problem already can we set some standard for amplification as well?

I think we need to do that. Until then, you have my informal "panther" scoring.

 

[daniboun]

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 !

The Benchmark AHB2 has been available from Thomann for a long time. Thomann is the European leader in musical instruments and audio equipment) They ship worldwide

 

[DSJR]

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

Seven thousand quid/dollars? In Krell/ARC/Mac/Accuphase territory that's beer budget level!!!

Much as I love the Accuphase looks, the supposed competent performance and their own great servicing attitude over a fifty plus year production run, the Benchmark is more of an amplification tool that can be wired up and put away, rather than displayed as a conversation piece...

 

[Matias]

And yet some people pay tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, in renovation and decoration alone. What is a few dozens for a pair o fancy monos for them? Nothing. And they match a sophisticated decor price well.

So yeah, lots of different customer groups in audio.

 

[Geert]

So yeah, lots of different customer groups in audio.

And lots of difference in average wage around the globe. There are people who can buy a 3k amp with a day's earnings, and there are others who can't even afford it after half a year year of work. If @BALKAN_RAKIA is effectively from the Balkans, then chances are the AHB2 is crazy expensive for him.

 

[beagleman]

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.

Right!
I see it as something I could easily purchase dozens of, but my value formula, taps me on the shoulder and says..."it is TRULY worth that to play music"

I am more into the speakers mattering more than anything, type of audiophile, but with a lot of cheapness in my older age I guess as far as other products.

 

[beagleman]

And yet some people pay tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, in renovation and decoration alone. What is a few dozen for a pair o fancy monos for them? Nothing. And they match a sophisticated decor price well.

So yeah, lots of different customer groups in audio.

This is a very tough subject.
Some of the most well off people I know are extremely cheap.......very frugal, they drive older cars, live modestly and so on.

Some waste money on all types of silly things............

Income alone does not dictate how one's perceived value factors in.

 

[AndreaT]

Speakons are professional connectors. Not an esoteric audiophile thing. They are engineered to have consistent and reliable contact even with frequent connection/disconnection cycles. They lock by design, in the way male and female terminations are designed (unlike “locking” banana plugs which just apply pressure at the male jack (and not always in a way that makes for consistent or all that great contact. They are also inexpensive compared to many of the “high end” binding posts and jacks out there. Though they do take a bit more room than smaller binding posts.

In a more sane world speakons would be the standard connection, as would balanced xlr instead of RCA, or at least unbalanced with BNC or DIN terminations. But there you go.

Lastly as Amir noted, the speakon are directly pcb mounted on this case. while the posts require wiring, soldering etc that is more prone to variation, etc.

Not that it matters because whether one uses the jacks or speakons the difference is not audible and the amp is stunning.

Though I would hazard that there seem to be purifi and ncore amps that offer far better watts per dollar with measurements close enough to this one to be rather moot.

I tried to purchase some Speakons, only found those for low voltage/low amperage…where on the web can you purchase the Speakons designed for high current/power amps?

 

[Geert]

I tried to purchase some Speakons, only found those for low voltage/low amperage…where on the web can you purchase the Speakons designed for high current/power amps?

Neutrik NL2 FX

Loudspeaker-Speaker Twist Connector For cable assembly, 2-Pin, Cable diameter 6 - 10 mm, Max. rated current 40 A, Metal locking

www.thomannmusic.com

 

[CleanSound]

We are the 99%.

For those in this hobby, there are plenty who can afford it and willing to spend this kind of money.

I don't want to come across as an "elitist" jerk but only stating this as a matter of fact, I just ordered an Apollon dual mono NCx500, which is very close to this price.

If you go to any internet brand loyalty forums, you will see plenty of people dropping thousands, tens of thousands on hobbies. Go to a B&W, Focal speaker forum, you will see plenty of people buying speakers that's tens of thousands of dollars, and no, it's not always someone buying used.

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.

Talking about reality. The reality is $3,500 is a lot of money, but it's not a lot of money for mid (or some cases even early) career doctors, successful lawyers, successful business owners and STEM workers in a first world country. Heck, some very skilled trades people that I know wouldn't even flinch at this "paltry" $3,500. Even though not only did I flinched, I am now living in fear of my life for when my wife sees my credit bill.

 

[The Last Great Emperor]

Still one of the best amps ever made, in my eyes.

Is it absolutely bleeding edge? Sure, not really.

Does it realistically nail every single measurable metric with absolutely zero trade-offs (ex: la90 has low power, many class D have poor load dependency and linearity, etc etc etc ). Yes. Absolutely.

Also, when buying professional grade equipment (I.e people that make a living and earn their reputation using their products) from companies like benchmark you are essentially guaranteed to experience fantastic support and service. The same absolutely cannot be said for many other brands. This is reflected in the elevated price compared to their consumer competition.

Also, as a live sound professional, I’m grinning at the speak-on revelation in consumer gear.

They are fantastic connectors. Cheap, globally accessible, extremely durable and reliable, and orders of magnitude easier and faster to use than any consumer binding post arrangement (yes even banana plugs). They can also carry 2-8 conductors PER PLUG at 30-50amps of current and 250 volts PER CONDUCTOR. Do the math on how many watts one single connector can deliver. It’s shocking. And they have massive contact surfaces and spring pressure.

I hope to see them become a standard in home/consumer audio.

Agree with this. Their customer service is exemplary and their products are well-designed and well-made. Try calling VTL and getting a live voice that knows their products inside and out that's willing to listen and answer your questions with a happy willingness to assist. I assume Benchmark's customer service skIlls come from their history in the pro-audio space where that shit matters to their customers. It's not free and I'm able to pay the freight for it.

Good company, good products.

 

[Rottmannash]

Yep. It's fairly well known in pro circles that while Hypex amps sound great they are not particularly reliable. @restorer-john has photos around.

If one is referring to older Hypex boards, perhaps so but I don't believe the newer Hypex or Purifi boards have a tendency to "blow up".

 

[JustJones]

I tried to purchase some Speakons, only found those for low voltage/low amperage…where on the web can you purchase the Speakons designed for high current/power amps?

In the US.

Neutrik NL2FXX-W-S speakON Cable Connector

2-pole speakON Cable Connector with Slip-proof 2-component Housing plus Locking Bushing and Strain Relief for Cables 6-12mm in Diameter

www.sweetwater.com

 

[BALKAN_RAKIA]

And lots of difference in average wage around the globe. There are people who can buy a 3k amp with a day's earnings, and there are others who can't even afford it after half a year year of work. If @BALKAN_RAKIA is effectively from the Balkans, then chances are the AHB2 is crazy expensive for him.

I am indeed from the Balkans, although I no longer live there. Which means spending way above my means for something I don't really need is very much in my DNA.

My argument here is not about income inequality, but about putting things into perspective. Power amps do not make audible improvements on the sound after a certain point.

Would I hate on someone with 6 subwoofers in a room? No way - all power to you. I am not counting anyone's money, I am just looking for more consumer oriented no non-sense approach.

 

[Rottmannash]

By your reasoning, everything that’s not a Behringer A800 and a Topping D10 is a headless panther.

No one is claiming the benchmark is the last word in value. If you can afford and are willing to buy one though, you get a lot beyond excellent sound quality.

Plus, who is paying full price for a AHB2, really.

Everyone? I've rarely seen them on sale.

 

[Fidji]

And yet some people pay tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, in renovation and decoration alone. What is a few dozens for a pair o fancy monos for them? Nothing. And they match a sophisticated decor price well.

So yeah, lots of different customer groups in audio.

One of the biggest lessons from my father: "never worry about, how other people spend their money"
Big thing for mental health and well-being.

 

[The Last Great Emperor]

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!

My experience exactly. Too plain, too cheap, not at the shows...

People's money is people's money. Spend what you want.