Used PS Audio BHK 300 monoblock or (2) new benchmark ahb2 bridged?

@donavabdear what exactly do you mean when you say they are noisy? Fan noise type of noisy?

thanks

Hiss the dreaded monster the PS Audio BHK preamp (I've had 3 of them) is not as quiet as my other preamps like the Lyngdorf 60 (theater controller) or any of the solid state preamps I've had but I like the BHK preamp better than the rest because it make the music sound better, probably is the tubes.

I owned the AHB2 about 5x and likely going to get a pair of monos again for either my Yamaha NS5000 or Magenpan LRS+. The NS5000 would be great with the AHB2. The LRS+ maybe not the best, but I think I will take the chance. I have a CODA #16 and I will rotate the amps between the 2 systems.

The CODA #16 is likely closer to the BHK sound than the AHB2 sound. While the #16 is great, I miss the beautiful AHB2 sound. I do not think there is any top end as good as the AHB2. However, the AHB2 is not the most powerful amp, especially compared to the #16.

Speaking of noisy preamps, I had a CODA 07x preamp, and while likely very quiet compared to the majority of the preamps it was like Grand Central Station compared to the Benchmark LA4 and Holo Serene. Try a silent preamp with whatever amp you like.

@donavabdear 

I have heard the BHK preamp with the BHK 250 mono blocks and everything was whisper quiet.  If you have had problems with three of the the preamps, I’m guessing there is something else at play here. 

@curiousjim Thanks for the note, I've had 3 BHK preamps and love them because they sound great, the problem is I have Paradigm 9h speakers that are hybrid they have amplified low frequency built in and the mid and high frequency are beryllium so the speakers are very efficient. Because of that speaker efficiency the self noise of any preamplifier is very evident. I changed to boutique tubes, changed cables, moved cables many times, bought 2x P-20 power reconditions ( $20k), other passive noise removers, had home run power circuits put in my listening room, turned out I got 2x bad BHKs and PS Audio finally simply gave me a new one. Now there is no extra noise but there definitely is more noise than my other solid state preamps like my lyngdorf 60 or the PS audio DAC mk 2 or the Hifi Rose streamer. BHK preamps with the BHK 300 sound quieter with less efficient speakers if you are OCD about hiss, which I'm guilty, but the BHK lines definitely work wonderfully together musically.