@orangejello thanks for the feedback. IMO listening impressions shouldn't be dismissed in this forum as heresy or blasphemy. As long as you don't drop the subjective adjective bombs like "musical" and "airy", you're safe here.
Were you looking at the AHB2 as an upgrade for the NAD? I ask because if you're at the M2 V2 level already, perhaps the AHB2 wont really give you a marked improvement. The AHB2 would only be "better" if you're coming from distinctly worse measuring gear like a tube amp or the Rotel integrated
that I'm currently running.
Still, I think your Benchmark deserves more time on your rack.
Yes. I am going to give it more time. The NAD M22 v2 has very good performance numbers, and in that respect it is not embarrassed by the Benchmark. I got the AHB2 to see whether it was the case that, as some people assert here, things that measure well should sound the same and the if something measure better it "might" sound better. It would be nice if that were the case because it makes putting together a system so much easier.
As for Bruckner and being careful about listening at too loud a volume, thanks for the words of caution. I think I was cranking it up too much. It is seems that I do this when listening to new equipment. My ear is happier today.
I had a get together with a few friends to listen to AHB2 in their system. They didn't immediately take to it. They both preferred the NAD. They agreed that the AHB2 serves classical music pretty well because of its ability to unravel complex signals - which makes following individual instruments in a large orchestral setting much easier. I also agree with that. The NAD is not shabby in this respect. It just seems that the Benchmark is a little better.
We were listening through some Dynaudio speakers. In addition, I use Swans M6 speakers in my system. The Swans measure quite well, and I have listened to lots of components through them. Neither speakers are particularly hard to drive. But what I hear is that the NAD controls the speakers better. Everything has more punch with the NAD. Bass, using the NAD, is the best I have gotten out of the M6s. It is tightly controlled, and tonally accurate. This is not to say that the Benchmark is not decent in this respect. It is just that the NAD seems to excel at this with my speakers.
So the question of whether the AHB2 is an upgrade is certainly not clear. My friends did not say that AHB2 was bad, just that it was dull to listen to.
I wouldn't take all of this too seriously though. I find that these kind of listening session only produce a first level take on equipment. I think that what we are talking about with respect to these amps is very nuanced, and it requires careful attention to actually discriminate what is going on. I find that sitting around late at night with my full attention focused on what I am hearing gives better insight. But it was definitely interesting that neither of my friends were immediately taken by the AHB2.
One friend had an RME ADI DAC available. So we drove the AHB2 directly with it. Despite its measurables, no one like this setup at all. It just sounded thin and anemic. We switched to a Hegel DAC and everyone felt that was a nicer listening experience. If measurements were all that mattered, the RME / AHB2 combo should have been a slam dunk.
Then there is this nagging image that I cannot shake when I listen to the AHB2 - that it sounds "grey". I have often had that experience with SS gear in the past. The NAD doesn't have this "grey" quality. (To the snide out there - no I am not drinking too much when I am listening - I am only drinking appropriately
.
I will keep experimenting with the AHB2 for a bit longer and see if I can warm to it. I know that sometimes I have to get calibrated to new components. I came to like the NAD pretty quickly, but it did take a while to get the full measure of the improvements that it made. Maybe that will happen with the AHB2 as I give it more time.
There is also the issue of recordings. It might be the AHB2 (and the RME for that matter) is delivering more of the truth. Perhaps what I am hearing is the miserable artifacts of the heavily processed nature of modern recording. I will have to pay attention to whether there are consistent sonic signatures when I listen to the AHB2, or whether it is chameleon like and changes with every recording.
Anyway it is a privilege to get to play with this lovely stuff.