Benchmark AHB2 - To 'mono' or not to 'mono'

@pcc67 - The only objective comparisons (head to head) have been with a Bryston 60W integrated amp and with a Rega Osiris. The comparison with the Bryston and the superior mid-bass resolution of the AHB2 during my in-home trial of the latter was the basis for my decision to hold on to the AHB2.

The comparison with the Osiris came later. The owner of the Osiris (my brother) left the duel with the feeling that he preferred his amp hands down. He's all about the dynamics. I thought the AHB2 portrayed everything more cleanly; more definition and air between the individual voices. The AHB2 was slightly less dynamic, which I attributed to its lower wattage delivered to the speakers. (Hence my curiosity about bridging, because I did appreciate the dynamics; it just isn't a deal-killer for me like image is.) 

Speakers used for these comparisons were Joseph Audio Pulsars.

@georgehifi - Well, George, your post on the other thread was what made me start to question whether I should go the bridged mono route! I've seen posts by others that stated that going bridged mono was awesome, or words to that effect.

(Now, I read these discussions regularly and mostly lurk, lacking anything worthwhile to add - and I avoid the flame wars about cables and such, but... ) I know there's a significant amount of experience represented by quite a few of the people who post here. So I started the thread hoping for some good advice, and really appreciate yours. No point in spending money (or spending it wrongly) on improvements that really aren't.

I have seen the amp clip at what I thought should have been a reasonable volume, but only on a very demanding recording - Steely Dan's 'Gaslighting Abby' from "Two Against Nature." But just that once and so I'm not too concerned in that respect. 

In general, I'm extremely happy with the performance of the amp and the Pulsars together, and I don't want for the ability to create more loudness in my listening room with most of what I listen to. Maybe I should just leave well enough alone until I'm ready to invest in some nice neutral-sounding mono-block amps with more horsepower. If I had the second amp, I'd go with George's advice and try bridging too, to see what my ears tell me. Since I don't, it seems like the money I'd spend on the second amp would be better spent in other ways.

Thank you all.

@tobes - Regarding your former post, it is true that I don't know how much I need the extra power. I have a 14'x20' listening room to which I've been gradually applying acoustic treatments to get rid of slap echo and eliminate standing waves (with some professional advice). I have found that treating the direct reflection points on the side walls and ceiling in the room has improved the system image drastically, but also allows me to play my system more loudly and to gain a better appreciation of the dynamics in a recording, and now those dynamics are present everywhere there is image, not just tending towards the center (if that makes any sense at all) - as was the case before I started treating this room. I was thinking that the extra power would improve almost everything about this, particularly in more dynamic recordings.

@tobes - I find that I tend to stop following discussions after the trolls find them and do what they do. I'd rather politely ignore them than provide them with the attention they so obviously lack and need. I don't know all of the names yet, but they do tend to self-identify fairly quickly and in a pretty pathetic way.

So far it sounds as if those who've actually used a pair of AHB2s in bridged-mono mode have no regrets....

I’m not going to gush over the improvements offered by the second amp as in overall terms they are not massive.

But isn't it the incremental improvements that sometimes make the biggest difference? Take speaker cables for instance - a person who doesn't do this for a hobby might not notice much of a difference between a $400 cable and one three times its price, or even 10x the price. But for you and I, that might make a huge difference in the way we experience the music. That concentration and depth of image that improves the overall presence of the music makes the difference worth spending, to us.

Anyway, I'm encouraged by your experience with two of the amps. (And have always wanted to listen to ATCs but have not yet done so.)

Trolls as in the mythical beings that live in caves and assail unwary travelers; the modern context is here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

[off topic] Not that I’ve never appreciated really nice work by the very best, but most of them aren’t even close. To wit: this review of Audioquest K2 speaker cables... https://www.amazon.com/review/R3I8VKTCITJCX6

I might consider an Audioquest product, but since the AHB2 only accepts XLR, those would be an issue. Call me crazy, but a guy who invests in Nordost cables has no business buying a Chinese splitter for $10.99 on eBay without some nice references from others. I suspect the improvement from vertical bi-amping might be obscured by the crappy cable in the middle.

 I am going with the opinions of those who say they’ve done it.

And yes, my speaker cables (Frey 2) were more than the amp and worth every penny. 

@George - I’m not questioning the theory behind what you say. But I believe in empirical observation. Tell me you’ve done it  both ways with this amp and your way is better; I will gladly spend what I have to in order to try it. (That said, TWO pairs of Nordost cables is an investment not for the faint of heart, regardless of length!)

George,

How do I split the output from the pre-amp/DAC? Does someone make a decent splitter cable with XLR terminations? Or am I missing something?

YMMV indeed.

Most assuredly, the amp is not the only part of the equation.  I use 2-way Joseph Audio Pulsars and am not trying to power a large woofer, and with the AHB2, they give me every bit of bass that I expect and then some. Other people have commented similarly when they listen to my system. 

And just an update: Since my original post, I have been trying different brands of cables and have settled on some that I think have improved the overall sound and dynamics vs. what I had been using - none of which were cheap cables, by the way. I think my next investment is the Graphene upgrade to the Pulsars.

Thanks to everyone for their input.