The new Coda S5.5 amplifier: It's a "Petite Beast"!
I have in-house the New Coda Technologies S5.5 amplifier for review for Stereo Times website. It will be awhile before I write the review. However, I'm so impressed by the performance of this petite amplifier, it only weights 45 pounds, that I wanted to give a heads up to you GON members if you are in the market for a balanced pure class A amplifier, delivers 50 watts @ 8 Ohms, and can drop 100 Amperes of current on a peak!
The world class build quality of Coda amplifiers is on display with the S5.5, along with the most beautiful purity of tonality, precise sound-staging, complete liquidity offered by pure class A design, and what might be the best top end regarding details, decays, and a natural shimmering without brightness or any edge at all.
The S5.5 uses extremely wide bandwidth output transistors instead of the usual TO3 devices used in most transistor designs. I own the Coda #16, which is great, but the midrange/high end is taken to another level of musical enjoyment with the S5.5. The S5.5 has a sense of speed/aliveness that is exciting to listen to that you experience in live music. The amp is dynamic as hell, has driven with ease any speaker I have tried it with, hence my nickname of the "Petite Beast". Remember, 50 watts pure class A, can drop 100 amperes of current and only weights 45 pounds.
Teajay (Terry London)
Has anyone run Wilson Puppy with Coda s5.5 ? Unfortunately i don’t have any possibility to listen this configuration. My present amplifier needs to be updated/ refurbished. I’m not sure if I want to do it. thank you |
@winalovski If I were you, I would call Doug Dale at Coda. There's a good chance that he knows how that amp would do with your Puppies. He's a strait shooter. You won't get a sales pitch from him. |
@doni Pass XA25 runs very hot. I had the XA30.8 and it run hotter than Coda S5.5. I had the First Watt J2 and it ran hotter than XA30.8 in my setup (FW J2 is amazing with the right speaker). Coda done some special things with the heat sinks. It runs fairly cool for a Class A amp and it's not that heavy! |
Has anyone using the S5.5 noticed they are playing their music louder than normal? To try and protect what hearing I have remaining I tend to monitor my listening volumes but have noticed since I purchased the S5.5 I'm listening closer to the 90dBC mark rather than the 80dBC I aim for. I find it so clean and dynamic, but yet not fatiguing. I think that is why I'm turning it up some, to get the live music feel :) It definitely is a beast with respect to bass, driver control, and dynamics..., at least with my easy to drive Spendor speakers. |
