BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER PRO

My old Arcam or my current Rotel would crush it. In other words it will suck with a Revel or B&W. So ranking an individual amplifier like my old OTO is tough because it's a 4 watt undistorted amplifier and so it needs a very narrow band of speakers to be able to drive properly. With high power SS amplifiers they tend to be able to drive far more speakers. In other words what is the overall system synergy? While the Bryston sounded better on PMC I preferred the overall setup with the SET and HE speakers. So depending what the system is will depend on how much one likes the Bryston. On any of my speakers, but it sounded quite fine on PMC and Axiom speakers. At the next show I ranked the the best 2.īryston amplifiers don't sound good on my speakers. At the first show I ranked them bottom 2. I have auditioned MBL and YG Acoustics at two shows. If you drive five $30,000 Sedans in Seattle and I drive the same five in Vancouver and assuming the roads are in good condition then we will probably come to agreement on the cars. Most outfits give amps to people favourable of the technology which is why Art Dudley tended to get the tube and SET amps and MF gets the 1000 watt per channel SS.Įverything gets a great review if you send the item to the right reviewers.Ĭlick to expand.Audio is one of those things where no one can recreate the exact same experience. I do not know which Hi-Fi Critic reviewer reviewed the Benchmark but if they gave it to one of the ones who happen to prefer Single Ended Tube amplifiers then pretty much all class A/B SS amps will not be 'it' for them. I am sure there are RE's out there that feel they have the best ears and yet none of the artists they have recorded are known outside of the street they live on.

BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER PRO

Steve Hoffman is a famous Mastering engineer - worked with pro gear all his life and he did not buy a SS amp but an Audio Note 211 tube amp and a higher version of my speakers - even though he worked with ATC and SS all his life. And then what do we do? Appeal the musician who plays a 'harder' instrument or is more world renown. You can't appeal to authority - I'm a musician so I am right - plenty of musicians and composers own tube amps and hate SS amps. Otherwise they'd all own the same system. Magazines hire reviewers and it's not like reviewers agree with each other. Hi-Fi Critic is run by Martin Colloms who has written books on Loudspeakers, was the technical editor for Stereophile, is a recording Engineer, formed Monitor Audio Loudspeakers, came up with the often coined term PRaT (Pace, Rhythm and Timing).īut it is not the magazine.

Benchmark ahb2 power amplifier