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1. #BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER FOR SALE MANUAL#
2. #BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER FOR SALE FULL#
3. #BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER FOR SALE PRO#

Listening started with PMC fact.8 speakers and the Melco N1-A as a digital source straight into the USB input on the DAC2. The majority of the auditioning with the AHB2 was done with the partnering DAC2 preamp/converter, its XLR outputs being better suited to the task than the RCAs on my resident Townshend Allegri. These vary gain from 23dB to 9.2dB, making the amp more flexible in application presumably for pro-audio situations. But this is a learning curve rather than an idiosyncratic issue, and I approve of Benchmark’s eco credentials.Īs well as in- and output connections, the rear panel features bridging and gain switches, where the latter has three positions: low, mid, and high. However, this feature along with the tiny display on the matching DAC2, and a volume control that turns itself down at power up, means there are a host of potential no-sound-although-the-source-is-playing scenarios. It claims to reach its operational peak within minutes, so there’s no need for permanent power up – something polar bears and studio bosses alike will undoubtedly appreciate (many in the recording industry might fail to spot the difference between polar bears and studio bosses, polar bears being moderately less ferocious when cornered).

#BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER FOR SALE MANUAL#

A spot of manual diving later, I discovered that the ABH2 goes into standby if there’s no signal for 45 minutes. This amp threw me a bit when I first tried to use it my routine way of working with power amps is to leave them to warm up for an hour before listening, but I returned to find the amp was no longer powered up. It is claimed to be superior to conventional feedback designs when it comes to measured distortion.

The Class AB output stage is a bit different from most: the AAA element consists of a feed-forward error correction amp that seeks to minimise distortion by “measuring, inverting, and buffering errors in the main amplifier”. At its heart the AHB2 has a switching power supply, which explains its diminutive size: it’s a Class H design rather than Class D because it features a Class AB output stage, and it uses multiple supply rails to improve efficiency.

Getting back to the THX connection, apparently the core design of this amplifier and its Class H power supply were designed by that organisation.

#BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER FOR SALE PRO#

This is fine for pro applications and Benchmark DAC/pre owners, but less convenient for many domestic users who remain firmly single-ended. The AHB2 only has balanced inputs however, it being a fully balanced design. This is an indication of its studio inclinations in one respect, but also a reflection of the fact that Benchmark makes a monitor (the SMS1) with matching inputs and a bi-amp or bi-wire option when using them. But Benchmark must be encouraged by the success of the even more compact DAC1 and 2, and perhaps it sees the end of the era of room-filling electronics more clearly than most.Īs ever with Benchmark, it seems size does not limit feature count not only does the AHB2 have conventional four-way binding posts, but there’s a pair of Neutrik’s Speakon connectors as well. This challenges the usual assumption that size equals power quite seriously and this must make marketing a bit of a challenge in some regions. The AHB2 is less than half the size of most power amps you can tell by the back panel if you look at the relative size of the speaker outputs just how small.

You get some indication of this technological back-story when unboxing this power amplifier, but what hits you first is its unusually compact size for the power output rating. This former in-house only model was designed by Burdick himself (hence his initials gracing the facia of the AHB2), but it went through some major changes when Benchmark started working with THX and its achromatic audio amplifier technology, or AAA for short. It still has a pro-heavy product range, but until last year that range didn’t include a power amplifier, even if there has been a reference amp that Benchmark engineers have used for product development for some time. The company was incorporated two years later and moved to its current home in Syracuse, New York. Burdick’s garage back in 1983, when he started making electronics for the broadcast industry. But, the brand’s origins start in founder Allen H.

#BENCHMARK AHB2 POWER AMPLIFIER FOR SALE FULL#

Benchmark made its mark on the audio fraternity in the late 2000s with the unusually compact, yet full featured, converter and preamplifier… the DAC1, the latest DAC2 incarnation of which I reviewed in these pages a couple of issues back.