Principally the lower octaves are missing. I would love to buy a slew of his transcriptions but I can’t find them. Let us start with unblemished pleasure, having installed the Benchmark I started with Mussorgsky’s Picture at an Exhibition transcribed for the organ and played by Jonathan Scott. I never had this impression with the Benchmark AHB2, but that is not to say that it is a completely positive experience. I could see all the parts but the musical joy and engagement was diminished. A number of years ago I listened to a Schitt Yggdrasil in my system, this was incredibly detailed but to me, over time, I felt as though I was present at a musical autopsy. Is great detail a good thing? It is certainly impressive and will have the listener in raptures as they hear the previously unheard. The AHB2 was even-handed across the frequency spectrum with a balanced mid-range presence. The control of the bass was such that I almost felt the speakers were working downwards by an extra octave. The Benchmark controlled my Sound Artist LS3/5a in a vice-like way. I can understand why this amplifier is valued by professionals, it is superbly informative. My immediate impression was of the sheer detail being presented. The amp took about twenty minutes to come fully on song before which it could be shrill and the bass less than controlled. After a few seconds, the lights went out and ….silence still reigned. Turning on the AHB2 resulted in SILENCE as the FPGA controlled routines checked that all is correct, with two red lights illuminated on the front. This moved from using the Hugo TT RCA outputs to the balanced XLRs. I warmed up my ears by listening through the review playlist a number of times before slotting in the Benchmark AHB2. How problem tracks and LPs were presented.Comparison of older and modern tracks, with their different mastering priorities. ![]() ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |