Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?

@lalitk agreed, below Mid-fi, not an audiophile piece.

I have owned an AHB2 since 2016. I liked it as compared with the Bryston integrated that I had at the time and so I sold the Bryston amp. Since then, I've learned that while it sounds 'good' with any combination of equipment, its performance is very highly dependent on the speakers and cables / interconnects. Keeping speaker cables, power cables and interconnects the same (I don't want to restart THAT holy war), I have heard it sound good but uninspiring as compared with other amps when used with Joseph Audio Pulsars and Pulsar 2 Graphenes, Roksan Darius, and ProAc Response D40Rs. I have also heard it reveal the deepest depths of a soundstage (as far as I know) with Zu Audio Soul Supreme speakers, though those want a subwoofer or two after listening with the D40Rs. 

To the question of whether or not it is an 'audiophile amp' - I can't say. Perhaps in this crowd I'm not an audiophile as my most expensive piece of gear retailed for $12K (the ProAcs). On the other hand, most of my friends call me an audiophile, given my extensive collection of gear on hand and the longer list of gear that isn't on hand any longer.

But who cares? It is a damn good amp for the money. I'll be holding onto mine for a while longer.

@ricevs is there a class D technology advancement thread; I think I’ve read this before on how GanFET is only one of the first major advancements in upcoming class D.

I do want to try this new Peachtree amp and see how disruptive this product truly is.

Anyone have experience with the AHB2s and Harbeth speakers? (I have the SHL5+, which I enjoy very much)

How would you describe the combo as compared to other amps that you’ve used with he Harbeth?

Thank you!

Have a great day, everyone

Anyone have experience with the AHB2s and Harbeth speakers? (I have the SHL5+, which I enjoy very much)

How would you describe the combo as compared to other amps that you’ve used with he Harbeth?

my hifi pal in los angeles loves his ahb2 driving compact 7 es3’s... can attest it is a terrific combination, superior to using a tube amp, and also a nad m33

i have commented on numerous occasions that most if not all harbeths benefit from a clean, pure sounding solid state amp that provides bass control and some additional sparkle and life to the treble response, and the benchmark delivers both attributes... i typically run hegel or pass x (not xa) series into my own harbeths for the same reason... that is where the synergy lies, in my experience - harbeths have a natural warmth and richness of tone, they benefit from an amp that imparts a sense of speed, control and sparkle