New Stereo Times review on CODA CSiB Integrated Amplifier

I have the opportunity to get a 07x at half the retail but it’s appx 5-6 yrs old. Do you guys think this is worth my time? I know Coda has a line stage simply called CB...which is just the CP minus the phono stage.

Since there is some discussion here regarding the Pass XA25 vs the Coda amps, I’ll throw my $.02 in the mix. I owned two examples of the XA25 and now have the No.8 V1. The XA25 is a nice amp, but when it comes to speakers of <90dB sensitivity, it just doesn’t have the requisite juice. 

For $1K more, the Coda No.8 is like an XA25 on steroids. In all aspects the No.8 is at least a little better to my ears, and a lot better in the bass and mid-bass. When it comes to driving speakers like Magnepans, the two are a world apart. Speakers like Maggies need current to come alive and the XA25 (at 10A peak), simply doesn’t produce nearly enough. 

 Overall, I find the no.8 produces superior decay, is smoother/better refined, and larger sounding. 

Regarding Hegel, the only one I’ve owned is the H190, so obviously not apples-to-apples, though the 190 has a similar power rating to my No.8. There is really no comparison. For less than $5K all in (≈$750 more than H190’s original retail) one can pair a No.8 with a Topping Pre90 or A90D and get far superior performance. And believe it or not, the No.8 in V1 guise actually runs cooler than the H190.

Most folks that have made the Coda vs Pass comparison have come to the same conclusion.