Review on Coda Technologies 16 Amplifier went live today

yyzsantabarbara; I know a few ppl who’ve heard the new Krell amp and yep, for sure it’ll knock your socks off I’m told. Then again, if you’ve got any concern about how some of the existing KRELL amps might drive your KEF blades, fear not. Dennis at Leesburg Listening Room is a dealer for both lines and would tell you that the existing Krell 575 mono blocks will drive those Blades into blissful oblivion with ease. Here is a link to that mono block. Hard to imagine anything sounding much better. Maybe that new piece might ……

@krell_fan1 I spoke with a KRELL dealer today in WA about the new amp. His partner had demoed the KRELL KSA i400 at a WA show and loved it. The guy I spoke to found the KRELL XD not as warm as he prefers (he is more of a PASS fan). He had not heard the new KRELL i400. I told him the KRELL XD was at the upper limit of warmth for my ears, I do not favor PASS and I love my KRELL 175XD.

We got to talking about different amps for the Blade 2 Meta and I am tending to think that the massive current of the CODA #16 is enough in stereo mode for the Blade 2 Meta. That is at moderate volume I would get a similar sound as a 400 watt amp (maybe the 400 watt KRELL i400 is different)

I may fly up to WA and demo the KRELL i400 with the Blade Meta but the CODA #16 looks like a great choice for the Blade 2 Meta.

The dealer in WA also tried 4 Benchmark mono amps on the KEF Blade Meta. There is a photo of that session on the internet. He preferred the PASS to the mega watt AHB2 setup.

I am going to talk with Doug Dale about what you lose when you go mono with the CODA #16. Something to have in the back pocket if needed.

Hmm. Interesting. I am not really familiar with Pass so cannot speak with any authority. I DO know at least TWO Krell dealers who heard the new 35K amplifier at a trade show and were blown away, claiming it to be the single greatest amplifier they'd heard at any price. As you know with CODA, power is not the end all. Current supply and other variables count as much if not more. There is magic in the XD platform that has to due with how the designer tweaked the impedance, but from what I hear, there is FAR more magic in the new i400. from Krell. What it is I do not know. -:)

All that said, this is what I would likely do, IF you indeed take this one dealer at his word that the XD is not as "warm:" pass on Krell XD 100% if you are OK to place  all your trust in one man whom you've never met.  Personally I feel it is warm and have owned the 300 FBPcx and the 400 FPBcx. I like the  XD better. BUT...all THAT said, I totally trust and believe in the magic of No 16 CODA based on what I have read and the few dealers with whom I spoke,  and would not hesitate to purchase it. For the money, there may be no better option, though many would state my Krell DUO 300 XD might sound as good or better.  I dunno. And FOR SURE those mono block 575 XD's  will blow you away. Of that I am sure. I just haven't heard the CODA but DO take all at their word it is FABULOUS. So if it about the money, buy CODA. I would for the money! But if you want the very best amplifier EVER you could certainly try to listen to those 575 XD blocks bc many believe they crush anything out there. But they cost a LOT more than the CODA No16. Otherwise if it is NOT about the money, wait on that new 35K Krell. I  have met the engineer, David Goodman, and the man is a genius. And the fellow who ran Krell until recently said it was like something the world never heard before. And I always trusted his judgement. David Goodman has done something special with that amp. 

For the money, there may be no better option, though many would state my Krell DUO 300 XD might sound as good or better.

When I heard the CODA #16 I thought it sounded a lot like my KRELL DUO 175XD. The 175XD cannot go down into 2 Ohm as strongly as the CODA. I heard a bit of that when I had my Thiel CS3.7 speakers and thought the CODA #8 drove them harder.

I liked the Benchmark AHB2 and the KRELL DUO 175XD overall more than the CODA #8 with the Thiel CS3.7. The CODA #16 is sonically a slightly cooler 175XD and slightly warmer AHB2. A real great amp. If I owned the CODA #16 when I had the hard to drive Thiel CS3.7 I am 100% sure it would have been my favorite on the Thiel.

With regards, to the dealer. The fact that he likes the PASS more than the KRELL means he prefers a different sound than me. So I really do not take his opinion to match my tastes. Different strokes. An amp that is warm is really not my personal preference. The KRELL XD does a great job of not going over my warm threshold.

Luckily for me, if needed, I have an ’extra’ KRELL 175XD amp that I can use temporarily with the Blade 2 Meta while I go and listen to the i400.

Walter Schofield and Dave Goodman helped me select the 175XD for the Thiel CS3.7. Very helpful and KRELL also made me a custom power cord for the 175XD.

I have been watching this for a while, but wanted to wait for the i400.

Krell Solo 375 XD For Sale - US Audio Mart

I know Walter very well and have met David. Stand up guy Walter is 100%. He is no longer at Krell, sadly. I checked out that listing and the MSRP is actually less than the new price of $11,250 each or 22.5k for the pair. I get that you cannot get more than 600wpc with that 575 XD. But do you really NEED more than 600 wpc?  At 14K all in for those 575 mono blocks that’s a steal. And I believe warranty is transferrable. Talk to Dennis at Leesburg Listening Room in VA. He’s also a dealer for Bryston and Bricasti. I think he’d tell you that the 575 XD mops the floor with that Bryston unit that puts out 1000 wpc. And I don’t know Bricasti gear at all. It recall him saying it (575 XD) was as good as anything he’d ever hesrd and assume he was including those very pricey Bricasti amps. The M28 are rated @ 400 wpc into 4 ohms and retail for 30,000. They (Krell 575) are likely to sound as good if not somewhat better the No 16 but in all fairness I’ve never heard one. I DO know that Krell is killing it with their 300i.  Can’t make them fast enough. And I don’t think ANYONE is making a better multi channel amp than Krell.I have their Chorus 5200 and it’s amazing.
 

Happy to know you’ve dug the 175 XD. I LOVE my 300XD and will likely hang tight until and when I can HEAR a No 16. That said, if I had the space to accommodate those two mono blocks for only 14K they’d have been bought by now, FOR SURE. It wouldn’t bother me if I subsequently heard the i400 and found that it were perhaps “2%” better or something nominal like that. No way is it gonna sound 10% better, IMHO. Dennis has heard. He could tell you. -:)