Bryston 4B Cubed vs Hegel H360 vs Benchmark AHB2


I am likely going to get the KEF Reference 1 for my office at the end of this month. I was trying to convince myself to get something else but I always came back to the KEF Ref 1 for many factors, such as sound, cost, size, ease of setup.

I think the KEF Ref 1 speakers can use a lot of power even though they are rated at 50-200 watts at 8 ohms. My setup in the office will require a few digital inputs  and 1 or 2 analog inputs. 

I have narrowed down my list to the following electronics:

1) Benchmark DAC3 + AHB2 amp(s), I have not heard the AHB2 amp but did own the DAC2 for years and liked it a lot. Only issue with this setup is that I will likely need to get 2 AHB2 amps to get over 100 watts for the Ref 1's.  Anybody with these amps think I need 2 of them for the KEF Ref 1's in an office? I sometimes play music loud but not for long while I work. I would buy Benchmark as new gear.

2) The Bryston 4B Cubed along with the Bryston pre-amp with integrated DAC option. I owned older Bryston gear in the past and one complaint I had was a slightly smaller sound stage. I would buy the Bryston gear on the used market.

3) The Hegel H360. I heard this unit playing KEF Blade 2 at a show and I was pleased with the sound. I loved the sound of the Blades but I may be giving too much credit for the sound that day to the Hegel. Whatever, the case it was an enjoyable experience. I could go used or new with this gear. My concern about Hegel is repair work and reliability. I have never owned Hegel gear but I have read some rants here about Hegel customer service. BTW - Is there a new H390 in the horizon?

All of my choices are in the detail oriented sound camp. This is fine for my office system since I am getting a warmer sounding system later on for the living room. Some variety in systems will keep things interesting.

Anybody have any feedback on the 3 brands I have listed and the concerns I have for each.
yyzsantabarbara
@scott_w,

Thanks, with that info I guess I can demo just one AHB2 amp in stereo mode instead of 2 as mono blocks with 380 watts at 8 Ohms. Stereo is 100 watts at 8 Ohms. Then both DAC and amp will cost about $5300 new,
I am going to check out the new Bryston gear just so I cover all the bases. The new gear is supposed to sound more mellow than my older Bryston and the used prices of a 4B3 + BP173 is around the $6K range.
I have not personally heard the Bryston 4B Cubed amps but I have spoken with a few owners of the new amp and they are very pleased with the new improved sound. When you have an opportunity to audition them, please post your thoughts. A guy can never accumuate to much information ;-)
@lak,

I was looking for that extra Bryston info last night and went to the source. Read the complete thread.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=151889.0

They talk about issues I had raised about the Bryston. I used to own the BP25 + MPS-2 preamp/power supply so I am very familiar with the thread's discussion points. I definitely want to consider the Bryston for my living room system when I start shopping for that. At this time I am looking for the office system. A smaller foot print for the electronics is important for the office since I have tons of computer gear (very quiet) in the office.

I am leaning towards the Benchmark setup and may order the system next week to take with me when I audition speakers at the end of the month. The Benchmark units are very small in foot print.
I should add that I heard the KEF Reference 1 at the last LA Audio show driven by the following Wyred4Soud gear:

"MS Music Server (was prototype then, it is now released), our 10th Anniversary DAC, and a pair of our SX-1000R mono block amplifiers"

this class D system sounded awesome. However, this gear is not any cheaper than what I am already considering.