#Benchmark ahb2 amplifier review how to

When the amp is turned on or off, a very quiet click can be heard.īenchmark took the THX technology another step by designing the amp to work in a lower-gain mode in a pro- audio setting. Gold-plated relays are used on the input stage, where the current is near zero and contact wear is not an issue. Instead of relays, Benchmark chose to use an electronic mute circuit on the output stage to avoid the distortion resulting from high-current relay contacts degrading over time. Together, the LED lights can display a total of 16 different fault conditions. Alongside the power switch on the front panel is an LED indicator, and there are additional LEDs labeled Mute, Temp, and Clip for each channel. In practice, these technologies result in a small and lightweight amplifier (footprint equals that of Benchmark's DAC line - half-rack width) that runs so cool that the heat sinks are rarely more than lukewarm to the touch. The supply responds instantly to the music dynamics, maintaining a constant, well-regulated supply voltage even when challenged with the most difficult peak-power demands. Moreover, the power supply is designed to deliver high current on demand, without the need for capacitive storage. The patented feed-forward design incorporates an ultra-clean, low-power amplifier that runs in parallel with the main Class AB amplifier, feeding the main output with an error-correction signal that cancels out crossover distortion.

#Benchmark ahb2 amplifier review how to

Essentially, THX figured how to tweak a Class AB power amp to run with almost no bias current and yet end up with no switching distortion. The Benchmark AHB2 amp uses new technology from THX, the folks who bring you 'certified' cinema sound systems. I thought it was the cat's ass and didn't even consider swapping it out, until I started reading descriptions and reviews of the Benchmark amp. As far as audio quality, the amp offered very good low-level resolution and plenty of dynamic power. Over two decades of working with the ADA amp, I got used to the fan noise, and tuned it out. I've had the amps in various places, but they can't be too far from my monitoring system because they are unbalanced-input, and also because I prefer short runs of speaker cable. But in a rack in a studio, they are noisy. When the amps are in a closet in a mansion, powered on 24-7 and piping 'music to smoke cigars by' all over the joint, big cooling fans in the chassis are just fine. And in this lies the rub: Al preferred to use big fans to keep things cool in the boxes. My brother worked as Langella's production manager for years, and I've always considered ADA an unknown powerhouse, especially in regard to power-amp design and build.īecause they were designed for multi-room systems, Langella's power amps were capable of handling very low impedance loads and were built into massive all-metal boxes. That amp, designed by ADA co-founder Albert Langella, is built like a tank and has served me without fail since I built my studio almost 20 years ago.

While many of the active monitors get plenty 'loud,' they often sound un-dynamic and harsh, at least to my ears.Īfter upgrading my monitors to Amphion Two18 speakers, I decided to look into modern alternatives to my circa-1980s Audio Design Associates (ADA) FET300 power amp. For another, almost no powered monitors include really super-quality power amps because of the compromises necessary to fit electronics into a speaker cabinet and meet a price point. For one thing, there are many more choices of combinations. More on the DAC2 later, but now more on this new and very different power amp.Īlthough many studios, particularly smaller at-home outfits, use active monitors (speakers with built-in power amps), some of us prefer the old-style setup of separate passive speakers and outboard power amps. The ADC1 analog to digital converter has been used by recordists and mastering engineers for years, and the company recently updated its DAC line with the new DAC2 series. You probably know Benchmark for its long-available ADC and DAC units. (The album also contains some killer psychedelic rock riffing, but that's another story for another time.) That album's title is a perfect description of how the new Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier fits into a studio monitoring system. They made an LP, Conspicuous Only in Its Absence, the title of which has stuck in my mind ever since I first heard it as a teenager. Before she joined Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick was in a band called The Great Society.