I am driving Fyne F702 floorstanding speakers (92 db efficiency) with the Benchmark AHB2, with a Rogue Audio RO-7 preamp, Schiit Bifrost 2/64 DAC, Ifi Zen Stream with upgraded power supply, NAD C568 CD player (thru Schiit DAC), and the system sounds great, not at all sterile in our rather “dead” 13 x 20 living room. Indeed, just last evening I fired up my recently-refurbed Thorens TD 126 MKII thru a Schiit Mani 2 and I was stunned by the realism from some MFSL and Sheffield records from the 1980s that have been stored for nearly four decades. Excellent imaging, dispersion, clarity, tonal qualities, and the harmonics produced by the instruments all provided a realism that nearly placed the performers in my living room. Even further from sterile than from digital sources, and I may have to invest more in vinyl and associated equipment. Might I replace the AHB2 with something that some people consider truly “audiophile?” Perhaps, if I had a rich uncle that passed away and left me a modest fortune, but, alas, no rich uncles in my case. So, the AHB2 gives me superb sounding music with a vibrant sense of realism … which, after all, is what it really is all about … in my view. So, again in my view, the answer is yes.
