Rob:
For years, Benchmark held the standard for just how clean an amp could be, but at $3500 (+/-), I can get a Topping, Hypex, or in my case, a Purifi amp that is, for all intents and purposes, just as good for a fraction of the price.
I’ll admit, three or four years ago, I had a small degree of lust in my heart when I read about Benchmarks. Though I can afford a Benchmark, I could not rationalize/ justify spending that much money on an amp. (To be honest, with aging ears, my hearing has become the limiting link in my audio chain!)
Nearly two years ago, I justified purchasing a Purifi-based Audiophonics HP-S400 amp, and I can honestly say that I no longer have any interest in owning a Benchmark or any other new amp, for that matter.
The Audiophonics is an endgame purchase for me.
In addition— and this may not be quantifiable by me— I feel more confident in the long-term reliability of my Purifi amp compared to the Benchmark. Looking at the main circuit board of the Benchmark, it appears to me that with all of the discrete components, there are far more points of potential failure than with my simpler, module based Purifi amp. With three main boards in my amp, swapping a faulty module seems far simpler than trying to troubleshoot all the components on your Benchmark (though I’ll admit, long-term availability of Purifi modules would be the limiting factor).
(As I type this response, I’m listening to the news over my Purifi amp via a Sangean HD receiver. The broadcast sounds darned good to my ears - despite terrible new stories!)
That said, kudos to you for buying a Benchmark. It’s a great product.
To me, the magic of seeing the latest test results of a new amp review is gone. I own my holy grail amp.
I’m comfortable to admit that I don’t own the coolest amp. But even so, I am 100% satisfied with my purchase and until it one day emits magic, blue smoke, I won’t be lusting over amps any longer.
Cheers