Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?

@avanti1960 try it, if possible, before you sell the XA-25 to be able to compare the two amps. 

Another amplifier to consider if you’re looking for more transparency and dynamics but still extended and refined is the Hegel H20. 
Nothing against the Benchmark amp I get people like it for what it is but I just don’t think it’s on the same level as your source, preamp and speakers. 

@lalitk agreed, below Mid-fi, not an audiophile piece.

I have owned an AHB2 since 2016. I liked it as compared with the Bryston integrated that I had at the time and so I sold the Bryston amp. Since then, I've learned that while it sounds 'good' with any combination of equipment, its performance is very highly dependent on the speakers and cables / interconnects. Keeping speaker cables, power cables and interconnects the same (I don't want to restart THAT holy war), I have heard it sound good but uninspiring as compared with other amps when used with Joseph Audio Pulsars and Pulsar 2 Graphenes, Roksan Darius, and ProAc Response D40Rs. I have also heard it reveal the deepest depths of a soundstage (as far as I know) with Zu Audio Soul Supreme speakers, though those want a subwoofer or two after listening with the D40Rs. 

To the question of whether or not it is an 'audiophile amp' - I can't say. Perhaps in this crowd I'm not an audiophile as my most expensive piece of gear retailed for $12K (the ProAcs). On the other hand, most of my friends call me an audiophile, given my extensive collection of gear on hand and the longer list of gear that isn't on hand any longer.

But who cares? It is a damn good amp for the money. I'll be holding onto mine for a while longer.

@ricevs is there a class D technology advancement thread; I think I’ve read this before on how GanFET is only one of the first major advancements in upcoming class D.

I do want to try this new Peachtree amp and see how disruptive this product truly is.