I have the remote already, it will coordinate with both devices.
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For me it was the discount at a head fi event many years ago, I also appreciated their headphone offerings, nice and compact HPA4 amp, and matching size stackable DAC.
Their amp is more popular than their dac I would guess.
I liked benchmark since they always gave me a no nonsense approach towards doing things.
But at the end of the day, their products were not musical sounding to me, but I still always appreciated that they never change for others, but more so do what they believe in, dry ish accurate still amazing type sound.
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I finally did buy a DAC3 B and an LA4. Benchmark had a “buy two, get 10% off” Cyber Monday sale, so I took the plunge. No regrets.
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I was lead to Benchmark by @Graeme_Finlayson and would like to thank him for this.
I purchased the LA4.
Wire with gain, nothing else needed.
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For me it was the performance, and the design. And the manufacturing quality. As someone who works in a small company here in New England, I saw their manufacturing setup and it was just like we would put together. I was amongst kindred spirits. Talking to them before and after purchase sealed the deal. Seeig the AHB2 and the DAC3 perform so well at ASR was just icing on the cake.
BTW, I drive right past their place on the New York Thruway going to visit my mother. One of these days I’ll stop in.
It’s high performance well made gear, but not high end. That’s like a unicorn in this modern stereo market.
Sheldon
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Most likely not in line with the OP intention but after purchasing my current speakers I was looking to upgrade my amp as well. I was researching and audition several amps including the Mark Levinson 585, Primaluna EVO 400 separate pre + power, Primaluna EVO 300 hybrid, Audio Analogue Maestro Anniversary and the Benchmark AHB2. Although the last one was mainly because I wanted to check what the hype was all about.
All amps got my clock ticking some way or the other. Some played gorgeously romantic, some were controlled and powerful and others struck a balance in between. There was one amp which stuck out… the Benchmark. Imho the Benchmark sounded dull, characterless, clinical and quite frankly boring. Even though it was the cheapest of the bunch I find it to be way overpriced. As during my auditioning it underperformed, but also “the parts in the box” can’t justify it’s retail price imho.
To me listening to a good hifi set is all about emotion and the ability to make you believe you are a spectator in a recording studio or attend a concert of one of your favorite bands…. It’s not about spec sheets, numbers or %THD.
So hype led me to Benchmark, but actual music led me somewhere else.
I’m struggling to see the point of your post. You didn’t like the sound of the Benchmark AHB2, and that’s fine.
That doesn’t make it a bad or over-hyped product.
There’s no need to go on further and make unsupported statements about its value.
Besides its almost perfect measured performance, it’s also had some very good reviews from the popular hifi press.
One thing that sets the AHB2 apart from other products is that the amplifier’s output is not distorted by the effects of the speaker load.
This will inevitably make it sound different to other amplifiers. Different, but nonetheless, accurate.
It’s electrical performance won’t compensate for a poorly designed speaker, and let’s face it, a speaker which gives other amplifiers a hard time due to its impedance and phase characteristics is not well designed and has incorporated either lazy or value-engineered crossover design decisions.
If euphonic, with added distortions and artifacts is your bag, then fine. You pays your money, you takes your choice.
How so?
Are you so we’ll versed in hifi design, engineering and manufacturing as to know this?
Do you know what it costs to design and manufacture a product in the US with rigorous QC vs designing in the US and offshoring all other aspects of production to the Far East, like many other manufacturers do?
When you all take this into account, the AHB2’s price tags makes it a real bargain.
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The topic title is: “What led you to Benchmark?”. I felt compelled to answer that question based upon my own experiences. I do understand and respect that allot of people have fallen in love with this amp, which obviously is great. It’s just my opinion that while it may measure perfectly, to me it doesn’t sound the equivalent.
Before I buy audio equipment I always research which parts are inside. Beside the costs of research I genuinely believe that the price of audio equipment should be justifiable by the parts used in its design. Inside the Benchmark are mostly generic chips and transistors and considering its weight of only 5,6 kg it’s fair to say that the amp is not packed with parts. For example, the EVO 400 is only roughly €1000 more expensive but adds 30kg of expensive audio parts in its design. Hence my opinion that the amp is overpriced parts wise.
The Primaluna EVO 400 is a tube amp, it requires output transformers in addition to the power supply transformer… I would suggest this extra 25kg is just iron and copper, not “expensive audio parts”. The AHB2 design uses an extremely light and articulate switch mode power supply, which probably weighs in the order of 500 grams. As a solid state amp, there are no heavy output transformers.
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And what would be the benefit of “boutique” components and unobtanium parts when this amplifier is already technically perfect?
No better performance and a higher price tag.
That’s just not Benchmark’s way of doing things.
Some manufacturers use non-generic parts in their builds and wax lyrical in their marketing spiels about it. Bottome line, the consumer ends up paying more for the manufacturer’s marketing. Not for a “better” product.
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You are spinning the nerrative. It’s the other way around. Asking €4K for the parts used, is imo a scam.
High quality output transformers are its most expensive parts, so thank you for proving my point. For the other parts google inside pictures of the PL en compare them to the Benchmark. You will be amazed.
I’m not spinning anything.
The cost of an amplifier isn’t just about the summed value of the parts. It’s about the R&D, the design, engineering, testing and the assembly.
Have you looked closely at the casework on the AHB2? The machining, the anodising, the overall fit and finish?
How much do you think it costs to assemble an AHB2? How many hours of time at the labour rate of a skilled worker in the US?
Primaluna design in the Netherlands and high-volume manufacture in China. Skilled labour in the US is 3.5 x the cost of skilled labour in China.
Benchmark is a low-volume manufacturer in the US.
It costs hundreds of dollars more to build an AHB2 than a Primaluna EVO400.
You’re fixating on the wrong cost metrics.
What does it matter?.. I come here for ideas, not arguments. I’m free to make up my own mind, just like everyone else. Most important thing is, there’s a choice - no point in fighting over it 
BUT, this thread is “What led you to Benchmark?” - not “What led you away from Benchmark?”.
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In choosing an upgrade for my older class AB NAD amp last year, I considered a Parasound A21+ or similar (to hot and heavy), or one of the latest class D amps (to much ultrasonic noise I’ve never been comfortable with). I didn’t consider a tube amp at all, because older design with tubes that wear out, and generally too much distortion for my taste.
I first saw the Benchmark AHB2’s excellent performance in a Sterophile review article, and liked the forward thinking design. Then heard and saw one at RMAF. Then a follow-up review at ASR convinced me to buy a pair. I will not be replacing them.
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May be to test your understanding of nasty chemical substances , I can pronounce Lead and Phthalate
Fortunately I studied Organic Chemistry or I couldn’t be warned in California
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I’ve been using a Parasound A21 for about 13 years. I really like it, but it is BIG and does create some heat. When I replace it, I plan on moving to the Benchmark AHB2 (or any newer version they produce). I’ve always really liked Benchmark’s quality and no-nonsense approach to audio. I started with them using a DAC1. Still have it in use many years later.
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At about half the current capability of the Parasound A21, I wonder how speakers that thrive on high current amps (ie Magnepan) would do with the Benchmark compared to the Parasound?
My apologies for veering off topic. Benchmark appears to make great products I would love to try, but alas, prices are too rich for my meager budget. 
my speakers don’t need near the power provided by the Parasound.
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The answer to the question probably varies a lot depending on the speaker, but the Benchmark amp has a much better chance by running a pair of them in bridge mode. Although that would worsen the situation in your last point.