Removing a ZERO from the price of amps

I need an amp today since I sold my existing one this morning. Likely going for the Benchmark AHB2 but will keep my eyes on the Purifi stuff as it matures.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/seeking-cost-performance-input-and-thoughts-hypex-vs-purifi-vs-benchmark.13290/

The Audiosciencereview cult......he he...believes in measurements only. They don’t think anything else matters......you know...wire is wire....stock fuses are fine.....any kind of connector is ok.....who cares about resonances....etc. etc.

I believe everything makes a sonic difference.......So I am in the "snake oil pusher" dept....according to them. According to me they are in the "Ostrich with head in hole....so I cannot hear anything" dept.

The old Objectivist versus Subjectivist game. Old as Audio itself. I just don’t understand why the objectivists don’t just get a 1977 Pioneer receiver and be done with it. Why do they even bother posting about anything....or investigating anything since they think nothing matters except numbers?......We humans are a hoot.

Every implementation of the Purifi module will sound different.....yet measure the same.....this is the truth.....truth is not what Audiosciencereview is about. They are about a point of view. Truth in audio is what you HEAR. Audiophile means lover of Audio......sound.......music. Measureitophile means lover of measurements. Two different kinds of points of view.

I think measurements are fine. They can indicate some audible differences......however, there are an infinite number of other things that determine audible differences. If you only measure, then you are not playing with the whole deck.  You are just playing with one card.  Really, not much fun!

Actually ricevs I do not only go by measurements. The AHB2 is something I owned before and know will sound good. The Purifi stuff is so new that I have no trust in it yet. I will wait and see what consensus is reached on what is considered good Purifi gear before I plunk money on it. The ASR site is helpful to learn about all the crappy Purifi builds that are out there at the moment. I am interested in a company out of Australia, who have a Purifi amp, called March Audio they maybe better than the pack.

Most of the people posting on the ASR link I shared recommended certain Purifi gear over the AHB2 based on better measurements (specifically watts) and better price of the Purifi. I am choosing the AHB2 today based on how it sounded to me when I owned it a few years ago. I posted the link because there are people like me comparing the Purifi amps with the Benchmark AHB2.

If Bruno were to sell his prototype Purifi amps I would be interested in those today but I will wait until version 2.0 before I look at other Purifi builds. In the specific case of Purifi, the ASR web site was very helpful in showing me why I am correct in this thinking (nothing to do with measurements).

I am glad you trust your ears. However, the March guy is a "nothing makes a difference except measurements" kind of guy. He argues against discrete op amps (those of us who listen know the OPA1612/LM4562 are good op amps but cannot compare SONICALLY to the best discrete op amps). IE....his amps are the worst sounding of the pack. The AudioScience guys go crazy over non meaning supposed wiring errors. They obsess over nothing because there is very little to look at because it is all measurements to them and other science based thoughts (like how pin one on an xlr is grounded). Meaningless drivel. They do not listen and compare. Every single mod I do to a Purifi based amp changes the sound (and to me, makes it sound better).

The measurements of the Benchmark and Purifi are so close it is a wash.  However, there are tons of things you could do to each amp to improve the sound.....non of which will change the measurements.  Check out 10 audio.  Jerry reviewed the Benchmark and loved it.  However, he put in a $135 Audio Horizon fuse in it and it became better (to his ears).  So was the amp perfect before or after the fuse?  Neither....if you gave me a Benchmark and I spent months tweaking it.....it would sound way, way, way better.......and that YOU could hear.    

It is nice to know which components measure the best....but as I said in the last post......there are infinite amounts of things that effect the sound.....and measurements is just one.....one is not infinity....except in spirit.

Hi Fi Critic did not think much of the Benchmark AHB2.[April-June 2016].."But it failed to to impress in terms of musical involvement,attaining an overall score of just 45 points".