VTL TL7.5 series lll VS VAC Master Line Stage VS AR Ref 6 VS Nagra Classic Preamp

@christianb5s4

Today is my second day with this amp. I have to work later today but got up early to listen to the amp in my system.

The Coda is an unbelievable amp. I have it plugged into my Shunyata Everest conditioner, and I’ve had zero noise ever since I’ve owned the Everest. The Coda is extremely revealing, dynamic and transparent with excellent extension. It results in clarity and detail of everything. Transients are quick. Midbass is sharp, punchy and makes you feel it. (Sorry Maggie owners, you will never know what this is). It has authoritative control of bass, and my REL subs are deep and impactful. Everything sounds more organic and definitive. I wonder what the damping factor is of the Coda 16.

I listened to tracks by Lauren Daigle. Her song You Say revealed stage depth with echoes of her voice. Look Up Child revealed the thumpy in-your-chest midbass. Rihanna’s Lift Me Up is breathtaking. Her voice goes from a large center focus, up to the ceiling and off to the sides way past the speakers. Eva Cassidy’s album Nightbird gives you goosebumps. The dispersion is immense and limitless. Voices in all songs just project and disperse. The sound is deep, high and wide resulting in an immense soundstage. There are no speakers lol.  How is this possible from my YG Acoustics Carmel 2’s which are only about 40 inches tall?

Please don’t get me wrong, the Pass Labs X250.8 is a special amp too. It is warmer and will work well with many systems. The Coda 16, with its Class A efficiency up to 100w x 2, is in a different league. The Coda runs warm and not hot too. I’m happy to own both of them and will never let either one of them go.

@kmmd Have you ever heard Parasound by chance? If you had to grade out of ten, ten being warmest, how much warmer is Pass vs Coda 16? I'm a big fan of transparency but also balancing out the forward nature of my Focals. Also been curious to try brand synergy given my pre is a Pass XP22 which I love.

Thank you for chiming in, by the way.

@christianb5s4

I have not heard Parasound amps, but they have a very good reputation.

Honestly I can’t grade how much warmer the Pass Labs is, as I don’t have a reference as to what a 5 or 10 is. Also in keeping with the OP’s theme, I’d like to keep this to the preamps mentioned and what amps may work well. Also bear in mind that I can do one thing with my VAC Master preamp and that is to tube roll. I can roll in my Mullard 6922s, and I have a warm system.

I see that you have a Pass Labs preamp. Maybe you can match it with their amp. I’d reach out to Mark at Reno Hifi and ask him. Great guy, very knowledgeable and he knows the Pass lineup well. I purchased my X250.8 from him. He does have an in home audition program too. Perhaps you may want to change your preamp or speakers as options.  You may also want to start a new thread with your questions with respect to your system.

@kmmd Fair point, by no means did I mean to hijack the OP's thread. Just very rare to find someone with experience on two amps I'm close to considering. So i appreciate all the feedback truly, happy to PM and not clutter further.

Another vote for VTL over ARC. I've listened to pretty much all the brands and I've never been impressed by any ARC system to be honest. The VTL 7.5 III on the other hand is very very special. It is holographic and bodied without being overly bloomy, slow, nor colored. It's also dynamic and extended without sounding edgy nor dry

Dag amps would work well, but depends on how much meat on the bones you want. Ideally for any tube preamp pairing, the synergy should be with an amp that specializes in speed, articulation, and absolute control like Boulder. But if you want the combo to be warm and bloomy, Dag will do well.