typericey
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- Joined
- May 28, 2018
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Folks, not sure if you read the TAS review but I think it’s worth 3 minutes of your existence. No, wait, hear me out: the review was refreshingly quite objective.
[Spoiler alert] Here’s the conclusion:
“Because accuracy allied to absolutely reliable performance is the goal of all the Benchmarks, they are not products that tend to attract cults or other sorts of starry-eyed enthusiasts, wholly lacking any of the quirks, foibles, idiosyncrasies, sonic flavorings, euphonic distortions, and so on that characterize the objects of most audio cults. Professionals buy Benchmark because they know the products work and are reliable and accurate—indeed, reference caliber. Music lovers buy them because they are neutral and accurate and thus reproduce the tonal character of voices and instruments correctly (and also, I presume, because they are reasonably priced, most musicians, like most other people, being typically not wealthy). But audiophiles? Well, the longer I’m in this racket, the less I sometimes think I understand what audiophiles really want except that a lot of dallying about with components, equipment swapping, and coloration matching seems to be what amuses them. I’m not sure I can in good conscience recommend this amplifier to them as I am not sure they are in search of what it offers: a precision instrument designed to perform the precisely defined task of reproducing music and sound accurately, which it does essentially to perfection. But to anyone else, the AHB2 gets as high, enthusiastic, and confident a thumbs up as my arm is capable of reaching.”
@orangejello here’s an excerpt that may explain your listening experience:
“That said, there is one aspect of the design that must be emphasized: The power supply is very strictly regulated, the 100 watts of continuous power generating only about 110 watts on instantaneous peaks. This is salutary because it keeps the amp within its noise and distortion specifications vis-à-vis its power output. But there are other amplifiers with less tightly regulated power supplies that allow for much greater power output on instantaneous peaks (this is a design feature on the NAD amps). The price there is increased distortion, but the argument goes that because the music is so loud, and the duration so brief, the extra distortion goes essentially unnoticed.”
[Spoiler alert] Here’s the conclusion:
“Because accuracy allied to absolutely reliable performance is the goal of all the Benchmarks, they are not products that tend to attract cults or other sorts of starry-eyed enthusiasts, wholly lacking any of the quirks, foibles, idiosyncrasies, sonic flavorings, euphonic distortions, and so on that characterize the objects of most audio cults. Professionals buy Benchmark because they know the products work and are reliable and accurate—indeed, reference caliber. Music lovers buy them because they are neutral and accurate and thus reproduce the tonal character of voices and instruments correctly (and also, I presume, because they are reasonably priced, most musicians, like most other people, being typically not wealthy). But audiophiles? Well, the longer I’m in this racket, the less I sometimes think I understand what audiophiles really want except that a lot of dallying about with components, equipment swapping, and coloration matching seems to be what amuses them. I’m not sure I can in good conscience recommend this amplifier to them as I am not sure they are in search of what it offers: a precision instrument designed to perform the precisely defined task of reproducing music and sound accurately, which it does essentially to perfection. But to anyone else, the AHB2 gets as high, enthusiastic, and confident a thumbs up as my arm is capable of reaching.”
@orangejello here’s an excerpt that may explain your listening experience:
“That said, there is one aspect of the design that must be emphasized: The power supply is very strictly regulated, the 100 watts of continuous power generating only about 110 watts on instantaneous peaks. This is salutary because it keeps the amp within its noise and distortion specifications vis-à-vis its power output. But there are other amplifiers with less tightly regulated power supplies that allow for much greater power output on instantaneous peaks (this is a design feature on the NAD amps). The price there is increased distortion, but the argument goes that because the music is so loud, and the duration so brief, the extra distortion goes essentially unnoticed.”
).
