My goal with this hobby is to enjoy that multi-faceted experience every time I listen.
This allows all of the musical information upstream to reach the speakers.Īs an audiophile, I strive to hear the soul, energy, and emotion contained within the music.
The LA4 and AHB2’s specifications meet or exceed the measurements of most DACs. Since the preamp and amp didn’t have a sonic signature of their own, it meant that I could hear more of the source. Without those walls, I was drawn fully and completely into what I was hearing. The LA4 and AHB2 tear down so many of the usual walls that come between the listener and the music. This unmistakable feeling was unique for me, and it was repeatable. Listening to the Benchmark gear in my own room, I felt an immediate and gratifying emotional connection to the music I was hearing. It was the same unmistakable feeling that I also got inside the rooms using Benchmark products at audio shows. Over the next several weeks that I spent listening with the LA4 and AHB2, I realized that in addition to the impeccable technical performance there was something else beneath the surface. I understood Benchmark’s design goals and house sound (or lack thereof) in my first ten minutes listening. It was a genuine “you don’t know what you’re missing until you hear it” moment for me. I had previously used the Comete EZ speakers with three other amplifiers, and I didn’t notice this explosive sensation. I was also stunned by how certain sounds seemed to leap instantaneously out of the speakers and truly startle me. I was shocked at the effortless dynamic swings that I heard from some of my favorite classical and jazz performances.
As much as I thought I was mentally prepared for what I would hear, in reality, I wasn’t. Two words immediately came to mind - unrestricted dynamics. With my expectations high and my excitement palpable, I put the LA4 and AHB2 into my system connected to the Triangle Comete EZ speakers (reviewed here) and an Aurender A100 Network Music Server (reviewed here) streaming the Tidal and Qobuz music services. Based on what I’d heard at these shows, I was eager to hear how this equipment could perform in my own listening room. Prior to reviewing these Benchmark components, I had heard the company’s products powering some of my favorite-sounding rooms at several audio shows. Rather than boring you with specifications that you can find in the user manuals, I’m going to focus on exactly what I experienced when I connected these two pieces of equipment together and took a close listen. You’ll be able to hear more from your favorite high-resolution recordings, and that’s a fact. When listening, this subterranean noise floor allows your music to emerge from pure nothingness. You can literally put your ear an inch away from the tweeter, and all you will hear is complete silence. When powered on, it exudes no noise whatsoever from its chassis, nor is there any hiss from the connected speakers.
The Benchmark AHB2 is more than a quiet amplifier – it’s a silent one. From top to bottom, the design of the LA4 was meant to do one thing preserve the sonic integrity of the material that passes through it. A relay stepped attenuator that uses gold precision-matched relays controls the volume level. The LA4 is a straightforward line-level preamp with four analog inputs, two analog outputs, and a summed mono output for a powered subwoofer. The synergy between the two products is obvious at first glance and it was confirmed during my first listen. One look at the LA4 preamp alongside the AHB2 power amp will tell you that they were made for each other. Benchmark aims to give you the same experience musicians and engineers have in their studios when they play a recording they have just mastered pure sonic perfection. This accurate reproduction enables recording engineers and producers to showcase their creative talents. In mission-critical environments where a flat frequency response is not just expected but required, it’s imperative that the equipment doesn’t impart any of its own sonic character on the source material.
BENCHMARK AHB2 AMPLIFIER REVIEW PROFESSIONAL
With roots in the broadcast and professional recording industries, Benchmark designs and engineers their equipment with a “measurements first” mentality. Their engineers are confident that when you listen to music with the Benchmark LA4 preamp ($2,599) and the Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier ($2,999) you’ll immediately understand why measurements matter. Measurements speak for themselves at Benchmark Media Systems, a company that takes pride in the impeccable measured performance numbers of their products.
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