Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ta-r-2500-r-multisource-receiver

The first thing I like to test with amplifiers new to my B&W 808 speakers is the low end. The Benchmark amp drives these speakers with remarkable control and precise bass extension. A bassline that is recorded distinctly should sound the same; the beat should be crisp and well-defined. I have created a Qobuz playlist, “Bass Test,” made of tracks I find useful in amplifier and speaker comparisons (footnote 9). Some of these tracks are far from the ultimate floor-shakers, but each tells me something about how an amp/speaker combo handles the lowest octaves. For instance, in Bob Marley’s “Concrete Jungle,” the tonality of the bass instrument is distinctive, and each note is clearly articulated. It’s the same with the Grateful Dead’s cover of “Mama Tried,” with the tonality of Phil Lesh’s bass amp also part of the sound. “Flea,” from St. Vincent’s recent All Born Screaming, features interestingly jagged bass-synth sounds. Meanwhile, Professor Longhair’s “Big Chief,” in the version by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, has a prominent bass part for sousaphone. And Charlie Watts’s booming kickdrum on “Honky Tonk Women” from the Stones’ Forty Licks anthology should pound like a gut punch when the volume is turned up to a level suitable for the raunchy romp the song calls for. In all cases, the T+A R 2500 R’s power amp comported itself well.