Hi guys, i was very happy when i knew the SR1a was tested using the Benchmark AHB2 since i bought that amp 6 months ago . I was ready to order the SR1a but after reading this thread my impression is that even though they use the AHB2 it doesn’t seem to make enough justice to the SR1a since most of the time i read that to deliver its full potential it needs diferent amps ( Bryston , Pass Lab , Schiit…)
I don’t like to feel i am missing something when i buy new gear and don’t want to constantly feel the need to upgrade ,since i live in Colombia ( South America ) and have to buy blindly , only based in reviews and opinions.
That’s why i like to know if someone has had the chance to listen to this combo SR1a/AHB2 and could tell me its impressions about it . I will appreciate it a lot .
Thanks in advance,
Carlos
Hello Carlos,
Nobody yet compared the Benchmark to those others mentioned.
i did with Bryston, some Pass amps including the ones mentioned here, Krell, McIntosh, Classe, zero feedback custom builds, etc.
Except the sheer bass slam power, Bryston is not exactly reaching the Benchmark performance. It's not far off, but not it. The good thing about Bryston is that what it doesn't know how to do, it won't do it at all. It won't turn it into distorted shreaking, it'll just ignore it. Compared to Benchmark, that became the criterion for quality amps to me, as none I tried so far, can actually do what Benchmark does.
AHB2+SR1a is a very, very impressive performance by any measure in any part of audio universe and THE performance in my part of it.
Benchmark has a different kind of beauty to it's sound compared to euphonic kind of beauty of any flavor.
It's of "a burden fell off my chest" kind and that makes it very musical in it's own special way. So far, AHB2 is the closest performance to the live sound I've ever heard.
I did my own recordings during the course of development of True-ribbon headphones and if you don't hear some detail or nuance on Benchmark, it means that it isn't on the recording. It will reach the deepest depths of any recording and it will do it effortlessly and with graceful beauty.
All I'm saying is that you won't find amps that do music with more insight and such grace. With a different flavor perhaps, or different agility of their gracefulness, but not really with more insight and hearing any kind of gracefulness is good.
Also, if one AHB2 feels underpowered with certain speakers, get two, bridge them and they will hit like a freight train.