Benchmark AHB2 Teardown

[peng]

I don't think there will be another amplifier like the AHB2.

The AHB2 has already reached a SINAD below the threshold of hearing even with just tones. And it is bridgeable if you need more than 100w, 380w into 8 ohms to be exact.

There just aren't any more technical achievements to pursue at this point.

And from another video, John said the AHB2 took thousands of man-hours between Benchmark and THX to engineer, and it's unlikely they will pursue another project with this much labor intensity again.

Agreed, though perhaps one area they could try improving on is slew rate (apparently measured a very respectable 16V/uS, for a 100 W 8 ohms rated power amp). That would be just for the sake of better specs/measurements, not for audible better sound quality. As it is now, it has top notch SINAD vs most other power amps, but the same cannot be said about its slew rate spec/measurement, vs some of its competitors.

 

[RichB]

So much talk on here about cost not equating to performance. I get it, there's a lot of overpriced gear that doesn't measure well at all. However, with an engineering focused company, you do get what you pay for.

Engineering is more than just performance. It's also about protection features, product longevity, etc... I'm totally fine paying a little extra for a product that is best in class engineering wise. Benchmark is thorough enough to select quality electrical components that are likely overrated (not some off brand Chinese capacitor that works fine today, but won't in 5 years because they lied about the temperature rating).

Of course, people are free to buy what they want. If you want pro-level audio gear that is designed to work as advertised for decades, it costs a little more.

To me features like this matter and reflect a well engineered product over all:

View attachment 545424

Two friends and I all-together bought 13 AHB2s in May 2019. Not one issue among us in over 7 years.

- Rich

 

[Music1969]

Hey is even showing measurements now.

You mean showing specifications? I don't see any AP curves/plots?

 

[benchmarkmannen]

Engineering is more than just performance. It's also about protection features, product longevity, etc... I'm totally fine paying a little extra for a product that is best in class engineering wise. Benchmark is thorough enough to select quality electrical components that are likely overrated (not some off brand Chinese capacitor that works fine today, but won't in 5 years because they lied about the temperature rating).

In my experience, Benchmark's products are built to last, and they truly do — unlike some products from competing manufacturers.
I have owned Benchmark products since 2010, and every one of them has performed flawlessly. I currently own two AHB2 power amplifiers and a DAC2 HGC.

 

[Redacted]

Surely we can now bury linear PSUs!

 

[Multicore]

There just aren't any more technical achievements to pursue at this point.

Cost, integration, efficiency improvements may be possible one day. Given the last century of development in electronic technology, I wouldn't wager that it's over.

 

[Mikett]

After the warranty is over say on the say Nilai 500. How serviceable is it compared to the AHB2? Does one become garbage and the other serviceable. I currently prefer a serviceable auto over a complicated unserviceable alternative as I've been down that road. It is true luxury when one has no worries over something.

 

[PristineSound]

You mean showing specifications? I don't see any AP curves/plots?

 

[PristineSound]

After the warranty is over say on the say Nilai 500. How serviceable is it compared to the AHB2? Does one become garbage and the other serviceable. I currently prefer a serviceable auto over a complicated unserviceable alternative as I've been down that road. It is true luxury when one has no worries over something.

Unless you go to Mend It Mark, you simply need to replace the module if it breaks.

 

[PristineSound]

So much talk on here about cost not equating to performance. I get it, there's a lot of overpriced gear that doesn't measure well at all. However, with an engineering focused company, you do get what you pay for.

Engineering is more than just performance. It's also about protection features, product longevity, etc... I'm totally fine paying a little extra for a product that is best in class engineering wise. Benchmark is thorough enough to select quality electrical components that are likely overrated (not some off brand Chinese capacitor that works fine today, but won't in 5 years because they lied about the temperature rating).

Of course, people are free to buy what they want. If you want pro-level audio gear that is designed to work as advertised for decades, it costs a little more.

To me features like this matter and reflect a well engineered product over all:

View attachment 545424

100%

This is what I call price : everything = value.

Everything such as technical performance, reliability, functional features (such as all the fault detection features you speak of), built quality, pre-sales and post-sales support, longevity, aesthetics, QC, QA, etc.

If you take all of that into consideration, this amp has incredible value. Now I will say, if some of these other things don't matter to you, such as the fault detection features, then of course why pay for something you don't need/want.

This is not to say the Hypex and Purifi by integrators aren't great or doesn't have good value.

For the record, I own both the AHB2 and an Apollon, I like both in different ways.

 

[Billy Budapest]

Topping = Very cost conscious and budget friendly. OK with not having, or having very limited, pre-sales and post-sales support. OK taking a chance with reliability. OK taking a chance with driving 2 ohm loads. Good industrial design. OK with external power supplies.

DYI world amps like Modulus = Enjoy the DIY world idea. Cost conscious. Willing to consider non-mainstream alternatives. OK with meh industrial design, often times utilitarians' playground. OK with limited functionality, like lack of trigger, sometimes even lack of front power button. Willing to take a chance on long term support as the businesses selling these amps are often much smaller shops, many times a singular local DIY enthusiast shop. Willing to take a chance on reliability as there just aren't a lot of data point on it.

Purifi and Hypex = A wide spectrum of categories by manufacturer. You got the no frills, utilitarian, rock bottom deal, like Buckeye. To high end like Apollon with brawns like a tank and finesse like a flower. Pre-sales and post-sales support is much better than Topping. Technical performance is excellent, but willing to accept that it is still a class D, so the performance is the worst amongst the SOTA amps. Willing to accept most of them have no bells and no whistles, except for the NAD and Marantz. which you are willing to pay for.

Benchmark = The name says it all, it's the Benchmark. Top of the line performance, not just at 5w 1kHz, but the entire spectrum. No corner cutting on built quality as witness in the video. More functional bells and whistles than a church and a hocky referee. Excellent pre-sales and post-sales support and known long term support. Known indestructible reliability. Overengineered and rigorously QA'ed. The cost ain't cheap, but the cost ain't the first thing to come to mind for the clientele.

Understood and I don’t disagree with anything you stated—and by “value,” I was speaking of dollar value. My point is that in terms of absolute performance, the Benchmark is showing its age, especially when the now-state-of-the-art amplifiers are much cheaper and in performance/dollar terms, the Benchmark just isn’t competitive.

 

[PristineSound]

in terms of absolute performance, the Benchmark is showing its age, especially when the now-state-of-the-art amplifiers are much cheaper and in performance/dollar terms, the Benchmark just isn’t competitive.

OK, but who are these now-state-of-the-art amps that has the Benchmark beat in terms of absolute technical perfomance? It's not Hypex nor Purifi, because their noise and distortion are frequency dependent.

The only amps that beats the Benchmark in terms of absolute technical performance are the Topping amps.

 

[etc6849]

Does Topping now offer the same full output as the AHB2 in bridged mode and still beat AHB2's distortion at that same output level? If not, seems like an unfair comparison tbh.

The only amps that beats the Benchmark in terms of absolute technical performance are the Topping amps.

 

[PristineSound]

Does Topping now offer the same full output as the AHB2 in bridged mode and still beat AHB2's distortion at that same output level? If not, seems like an unfair comparison tbh.

The B200 is their most powerful amp, it's a monoblock, 193w into 4 ohm and 153 into 8 ohms. It is short by a lot compared to the AHB2's 380 w into 8 Ohms and 518 W into 4 Ohms when bridged.

But in terms of pure SINAD, the topping wins. Which is why I maintain that taking all things into consideration, the Benchmark AHB2 is the king.

 

[etc6849]

Yep. A single 1 kHz SINAD result does not establish absolute technical superiority, but is definitely something to look at when screening what to research further when making a purchase.

I’d also want to compare THD+N versus frequency and output power, noise and distortion at 1 watt and below, output impedance and damping factor versus frequency and bandwidth. Also load dependence and continuous power and current into different impedances matter too... As well as the aforementioned protection circuitry, which matters to me as I don't have passive crossovers in 5 of my channels.

Of course, we both know who the winner actually is, but that's not saying the B200 doesn't have it's place and doesn't perform well.

The B200 is their most powerful amp, it's a monoblock, 193w into 4 ohm and 153 into 8 ohms. It is short by a lot compared to the AHB2's 380 w into 8 Ohms and 518 W into 4 Ohms when bridged.

But in terms of pure SINAD, the topping wins. Which is why I maintain that taking all things into consideration, the Benchmark AHB2 is the king.

 

[PristineSound]

Having been able to directly compare, I couldn’t hear any difference between Hypex/Purifi and the AHB2 which is as expected, the better Purifi implementations ( Fred’s ‘Boxem for example) have both auto sensing and three levels of gain and less than half the price.
Keith

Coincidently, you no longer represent Benchmark but do represent Boxem.

 

[etc6849]

I wasn't going to say it, but it's really funny how every Benchmark thread is littered with posts about other products. Maybe not on this site, but I know for a fact that kind of marketing does go on.

Coincidently, you no longer represent Benchmark but do represent Boxem.

 

[benchmarkmannen]

I wasn't going to say it, but it's really funny how every Benchmark thread is littered with posts about other products.

I agree. My guess is that many of those posters are haters. They may not even own — or have any genuine interest in — the other products they post about. Instead, they may just be trying to deflect attention.

 

[PristineSound]

Coincidently, you no longer represent Benchmark but do represent Boxem.

Hold on, I want to clarify that I am not making any accusations, I am pointing out something that raises my eyebrows. The dealer in question here was once a Benchmark dealer and is no longer an active Benchmark dealer, on the same token this dealer is an active Boxem dealer (at least this is the information on the dealer's website). The comments made by this dealer appears to diminish Benchmark as expensive without much gain, and that Boxem has great features at "less than half the price." Implying one should consider the Boxem over the Benchmark.

Now this all can be that the dealer truly feels this way and could of say any Hypex/Purifi integrator but decided to use the one that he carries.

Anyway, I think we all can agree that Hypex, Purifi and Benchmark are all top-notch amps and you can't go wrong with anyone of these options, with possible exceptions on the Hypex MP line as reported by actual owners, and that different users have different use cases and value different things.

 

[etc6849]

Lol, I will say I never see Trinnov dealers going into a Denon and Marantz thread to make comments about how their product is better or vice-versa. I don't mind saying that looks bad and is outside of the norm, but certainly I can't speak about anyone's intentions.

I also have no problem saying I bet the margins are better on Boxem. There's a reason Benchmark doesn't have many dealers... there really isn't the markup you see on other brands at the dealer level. A lot of that is probably due to the expense of having a product totally made in the US, in lower volume, with quality components, and with extensive engineering focused R&D (from not just Benchmark, but THX across and multiple countries).

Hold on, I want to clarify that I am not making any accusations, I am pointing out something that raises my eyebrows. The dealer in question here was once a Benchmark dealer and is no longer an active Benchmark dealer, on the same token this dealer is an active Boxem dealer (at least this is the information on the dealer's website). The comments made by this dealer appears to diminish Benchmark as expensive without much gain, and that Boxem has great features at "less than half the price." Implying one should consider the Boxem over the Benchmark.

Now this all can be that the dealer truly feels this way and could of say any Hypex/Purifi integrator but decided to use the one that he carries.

Anyway, I think we all can agree that Hypex, Purifi and Benchmark are all top-notch amps and you can't go wrong with anyone of these options, with possible exceptions on the Hypex MP line as reported by actual owners, and that different users have different use cases and value different things.