CODA amp No.8, Bryston 4B3, or Ayre VX-5 Twenty

A big thank to you all!! As I'm unable to audition any of the amps, I have to make decision based on reviews, comments, and gut feeling, which tell me CODA No.8 is the best suitable one. So I will order the CODA No.8. Thanks!

@henrynguyentx I had the CODA #8 v1 with the hard to drive Thiel CS3.7 speakers and the V1 was more than up to the task. It also has more Class A vs V2 and V3.

If you want the CODA #8 V2 or V3 you can may also want to consider the Sanders Magtech which I believe CODA builds for them. They sound similar though I sold the #8 and have no plans of selling the Magtech. I love the Magtech

I have seen the CODA #16 up for sale for around $9k I also own this amp. If you can wait and swing for the slightly more expensive used #16, then you may never need another amp. The #16 has a ton of that beautiful Class A sound.

Excellent choice.

I have had the CODA #8 v2 for almost a month, it’s an excellent amp and I’m very happy with it! At first it sounded harsh and there was sibilance in the sound, but after around 3-week burned in, all the issues were completely gone and it sounds beautifully now. It is superior to my old amp Odyssey Khartago in all aspects. But this is understandable because the CODA’s price is almost 6 times greater than the Odyssey’s price.

Also thanks to this, I now fully realized how good the Odyssey amp is. Although it can't compete with the CODA, it sounds very sweet, beautiful and "musical" regardless of the sources. The CODA is better, but not day and night difference. While the Odyssey is really good, the CODA brings in some more refinements.

To sum up, if I had a second chance and if my budget is tight, I would stick with the Odyssey and would be happy with it. But luckily I could afford the CODA hence I will keep it and will (reluctantly) sell the Odyssey because I can’t keep both of them. I don’t think I will upgrade amp anymore.

Thanks all for your inputs & comments!

Enjoy the music!

Good to hear the Coda is working out for you. I had the same experience with break in with my Coda #8, it took at least a week of 24 hour play to start sounding right.