[ylee]

I thought I'd post an update on this remarkable amplifier after two months of owning it and listening for 1 - 3 hours per day. I believe at this point the amp, Speakon terminated cables, Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 USB2.0, and the Wireworld Platinum Electra 7 PCs have all burned in.

The sound is crisp and clear, with a wide soundstage and a good sense of front to back dimensionality. I'm particularly pleased at the pitch definition on the bass end of the spectrum. I didn't realize that my CA-2200 amp was somewhat muddy down there until I put the AHB2 in my system. Low organ pedal notes are especially well served by this amp through my Quatro Wood CT speakers. With a very high S/N ratio of 132 db, its extremely quiet. The only amp I know of that beats the AHB2's S/N ratio is the 10x expensive Ayre MXR Twenty - which is probably one of the best amplifliers in the world. The AHB2 gives a very good taste of what lies far higher in the amplifier price range. The $3k price is an absolute bargain.

Finally, the 100 watts/ch into 8 ohms is largely sufficient for me. It of course helps that my Quatros have built-in 250 watt/ch subwoofer amps in each speaker. The AHB2 stays clean across the spectrum at high volumes. It provides good bass extension with the desired level of slam that suits me on the vast majority of my music collection. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone shopping in any price range. If the stereo mode doesn't have enough horsepower for you, you can turn a AHB2 into a mono block with a flick of a switch and get 380 watts/ch into 8 ohms. I may try that next year.