![]() A third Neutrik NL4 is provided for use when the amp is in bridged mode, which is selected with a second toggle switch. For output, the Benchmark amp offers a choice of traditional multiway connectors or a stereo pair of Neutrik NL4 sockets. I was also impressed with a seriousness of design apparent in its features: The fully balanced AHB2 has, on its rear panel, only XLR jacks for signal input, plus a toggle switch that allows the user to select among three input-sensitivity levels. When I unpacked the AHB2, I was impressed with its small size and weight: the non-rack-mount version is 11.04" wide by 3.84" high by 9.34" deep and weighs only 12.5 lbs. I didn't recall how well the Benchmark AHB2 might suit me, until the amp began making a buzz (only figuratively!) happily, when I asked John Atkinson if I might review the Benchmark, he told me that he already had one that he could drop off. ![]() ![]() Fast-forward to 2015, when I found myself investigating lighter power amps—I can no longer lift my 155-lb McIntosh MC303, or easily maneuver my 65-lb Parasound A31. Out of technical curiosity and my own interest as a consumer, I wanted an AHB2 right away, but the model had yet to be launched. By the time of Burdick's retirement, in 2006, Benchmark didn't yet offer a power amplifier, but the company used a prototype based on his work to evaluate their new digital products, and that amp was soon developed as a commercial product Burdick died just weeks before the AHB2, now named in his honor, was shown at the 2013 AES convention. It was also explained to me that the AHB2 was based on designs by Benchmark's founder, Allen H. On silent display in Benchmark's booth on the convention floor, its compact size and comprehensive features made the amp immediately attractive, and the design was described as a departure from traditional analog and digital amplifiers (footnote 1, more on that later). ![]() I first saw Benchmark's AHB2 stereo power amplifier at the 2013 Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, in New York City. ![]()
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