Parasound vs Coda

I have the Coda No.8 V1. It’s much better sounding than the Parasound amps I’ve tried. The Coda sounds similar to the Pass XA25 but with way more grunt. It’s also much quieter than any Parasound amp. 

I’ve ran my No.8 with the Topping A90D and Mac C49 preamps. The latter is warmer, with greater punch, while the former is higher in resolution and more neutrally balanced. The Topping performs similarly to the Benchmark LA4 but with a hint of added warmth. One area the Coda excels in when paired with the Topping is “decay.” It produces better instrument decay than many tube amps IME. 

Suffice to say the No.8 is the best amplifier I’ve owned and likely my last. 
 

@helomech If you recall, what did you like more about Coda over Parasound besides being quieter? 

@christianb5s4 

The Coda has greater resolution, a wider soundstage, and better instrument separation. Also, it’s more refined and has greater decay as mentioned earlier. 

FWIW, the JC5 is merely an A21+ with a slightly altered bias and better quality parts. Both the JC5 and A21+ measure worse than the original THX-rated A21, and it’s definitely audible in real world use. The newer Parasound Halo amps are a regression in performance despite the claims of the spec sheets. 
 

@christianb5s4 Did you get to listen to the KRELL Duo 300XD?

I have to agree with the post above regarding Parasound and CODA. Though I only had the A21+.  The A21+ is good for the price, the A23 I had was not so good, even for the price.

@helomech Thanks for the explanation, Destination Hifi is not far so I plan to go up for a demo. They're the closest Coda dealer by far.

@yyzsantabarbara I did not, I was over optimistic on how much time I had this past weekend. A weakness of mine.