Power Amplifier - Maximum Resolution & Detail!

@yyzsantabarbara

+1 Be very careful what you wish for. As uy’s example Benchmark is great at detail, but at a big musical cost. In my past I have pursued detail and imaging and found myself without music… lean midrange and little rhythm and pace. Companies like CH Precision bring both, but at a real financial cost. Make sure you spend a lot of time actually listening to the music… being carried away (or not) by the music or you can end up with a fatiguing, dry, scientific instrument, where after you measure the sound characteristics of the album, you quickly want go do something else. Nothing wrong with this as a hobby… as long as that is your goal.

@ghdprentice I have owned the AHB2 about 6x for both headphones and 2-channel. It was great with some gear not so great with others, such as my NS5000 speakers.  I no longer have an AHB2. I have a Benchmark HPA4 preamp that is similar to the AHB2 for my future headphones, RAAL 1995 Immanis.

What I have now is close to being great with my NS5000, the CODA #16. Though, I miss a tiny bit of that detail the AHB2 had. That is why the SimAudio and the Luxman are a potential second amp for me.

The Luxman M10x is outstanding. However, I am surprised the Ayre Acoustics get no mention yet. Their VX-R Twenty is equal to the Luxman and if you really want to get there the MX-R monoblocs paired with KX-R Twenty preamp is hard to beat. I am very sure I cannot tell the difference between them and amps costing significantly more.

Probably down the scale from your consideration, but I had the same experience with my equipment.  Using a Rogue Audio RP-7  preamplifier (tubes) with a highly-regarded tube power amplifier that replaced a Benchmark AHB2 driving my Fyne Sudio F-702s, I concluded that the switch resulted in lost definition, some imaging degradation, and inaccurate tonal qualities of instruments.  After extensive research, I replaced the tube power with two Odyssey monobloc amps, extensively upgraded Stratos amps, almost Kismets.  WOW!  I now had back all that I felt I had lost in terms of those three considerations.  The clarity is superb, instrument location is quite good—expanded both in depth and laterally, and the tonal qualities of the musical instruments are excellent; and there were improvements in bass reproduction, although I am still researching gradual upgrades, including from my older Definitive Technology Supercube 6000 subwoofer (perhaps the Paradigm XR11), as well as a new DAC (maybe anYggdrasil MIB?) and streamer upgrades (likely an Innuous Zen MK3).  I realize that there are system far better than mine, but I am quite pleased with the musical qualities I am getting with my system.

So, yes, the change brought more detail and improved sound quality … without “breaking the bank.”  

Benchmark AHB2 brings out details in music that most people will never here.  As @ghdprentice mentioned, it can be too much of a good thing.  I took his advice and brought in amps that are more emotionally engaging to me.