http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/benchmark-ahb2-amplifier/
sound on sound review in a no BS style..
sound on sound review in a no BS style..
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When should you upgrade your hi-fi? How to control ‘upgradeitis’
BENCHMARK AHB2 Review
- Thread starter lpv
- Start date
Besides the fact that I really like the style of the review.... I'm interested in Benchmark. Heard of them before, never ever listened to their gear in real life.
Curious if there are people on the list that actually did!
Curious if there are people on the list that actually did!
" I don’t have much to say about the sonic qualities of Benchmark’s new AHB2 power amplifier because there isn’t that much to say. Used within its limitations and for its intended purposes it is in any practical sense perfect. I know this is not the sort of thing we’re supposed to say about products, but it has been evident for a very long time now that solid-state electronics, particularly linestage preamplifiers and power amplifiers, have reached a point where they are effectively a solved problem such that it is exceeding difficult to tell one from another even in the most exacting A/B comparisons. "
Al ears
Well-known member
lpv said:
And the point of reviewing reviews is?? The verification of these is audition, if you cannot do that then it's personal opinion verging on spam.
Native_bon
Well-known member
Cannot agree more about the point of some Hifi or systems as a whole emphasising detail which does not happen in the real world. In the process the system doesn't sound natural. This is my main problem with 95% of speakers these day. Almost certainly thin and shouty in the upper registers and upper mid-range.
chebby
Well-known member
lpv said:
The rest of the paragraph that you quoted from was interesting (along with the pointed TAS editorial dis-owning/disclaiming of it).
For the subject discussed (solid-state, mid-high budget, separate mono or stereo power amps) I can see that their 'tending to the curve' of optimum (even 'perfect') performance is only going to concern a microscopically small (and still diminishing) number of well-heeled audio enthusiasts in a world where the bar for 'exotic' now starts at buying a second Sonos Play 5! (And jolly good they are too for any Sonos fans reading this.)
Where does this leave 'Joe Integrated' with his £300 - £500 for an amp or amp/DAC? Does the same phenomona exist there? Are they all tending to an optimum performance curve that makes them virtually identical too?
Does the more stringent economics of making budget gear (and the concerns of higher volume manufacturing) force compromises that actually result in 'character' differences between designs from different brands? (Due too all the varied solutions to such compromises that higher end specialist companies don't need to worry about.)
today's solid amps [ including av amps] are transparent and as long as there's enough headroom for the music material/ speakers/ room/ distance/ required spl there's not much difference between them..
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