Benchmark AHB2 - To 'mono' or not to 'mono'
wwoodrum I’ve said it before in other threads here it is again "Nice amp, if you want to hear them at their best, don’t bridge "if there’s no need to", as all you’ll gain is watts, everything else takes a hit when you bridge amps. Pro’s= More watts. Con’s= Worse damping factor Higher output impedance (has relevance to damping factor) Lower stability (especially into low impedance’s) Current ability is reduced (especially into low impedance’s) Higher distortion. And if you have two of them better to run them in stereo mode and vertically bi-amped, instead of bridging (mono’ing). http://www.av2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/biamp2.jpg" Cheers George |
@pcc67 - The only objective comparisons (head to head) have been with a Bryston 60W integrated amp and with a Rega Osiris. The comparison with the Bryston and the superior mid-bass resolution of the AHB2 during my in-home trial of the latter was the basis for my decision to hold on to the AHB2. The comparison with the Osiris came later. The owner of the Osiris (my brother) left the duel with the feeling that he preferred his amp hands down. He's all about the dynamics. I thought the AHB2 portrayed everything more cleanly; more definition and air between the individual voices. The AHB2 was slightly less dynamic, which I attributed to its lower wattage delivered to the speakers. (Hence my curiosity about bridging, because I did appreciate the dynamics; it just isn't a deal-killer for me like image is.) Speakers used for these comparisons were Joseph Audio Pulsars. |
@georgehifi - Well, George, your post on the other thread was what made me start to question whether I should go the bridged mono route! I've seen posts by others that stated that going bridged mono was awesome, or words to that effect. (Now, I read these discussions regularly and mostly lurk, lacking anything worthwhile to add - and I avoid the flame wars about cables and such, but... ) I know there's a significant amount of experience represented by quite a few of the people who post here. So I started the thread hoping for some good advice, and really appreciate yours. No point in spending money (or spending it wrongly) on improvements that really aren't. |
