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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)

johnah5
markmuse
285 posts
 

@vthokie83  The Caladans take a very long time to break in. They tend to be a bit sharp out of the boxes. Once they settle in they are great. I am replacing a pair of Fyne F1-8 that with stands cost more than 3x. Really great imaging, great depth of textures, very musical. They are, at least in my system, ‘you are there’ speakers. The Caladans will reveal every little change upstream, so play with different cables, interconnects, power cords.

in the Backert I am using 12sn7 tubes with adapters. These kick it up to another level.

aw-agd
17 posts
 

@firefly627s 

 

We posted this info before on this thread.

The information about the maximum current capability of all AGD amps is available on the AGD website under each product description. We do not consider any technical characteristic of our amps remarkable or not remarkable and we do not use them as a marketing tool, they just are what they are.

In any case specifically for your question:

Audion, Vivace and Tempo : 30Apk

AGD Gran Vivace and DUET :  50Apk

AGD Solo >70Apk

firefly627s
54 posts
 

@aw-agd

Thank you for the information on current for the AGD Class D amps. I was just curious and actually those current values are quite excellent for Class D topology imo. The AGD amps do look to be excellent instruments getting great reviews. Thank you again.

yyzsantabarbara
4,804 posts
 

I recommend the Holo Serene preamp or the Benchmark LA4 preamp with either the #8 or #16. They replaced the CODA 07x preamp on my office system. The Serene is a bit warmer than the LA4. They really make the amps shine because they do not add to the already great sounding amps.

johnah5 OP
235 posts
 

Hey Guys,

Just got off the phone with John, who purchased the S5.5 last week and has spent a lot of time listening to it. He is extremely happy with the results compared to his reference tube amplifier. Overall a beautiful silky smooth presentation, airy extended high frequencies, deeper more controlled bass then his tube amp, a mid-range that he describes as very tube-like, and finally a sense of aliveness/energy that is quite exciting to him and his wife on their favorite music. I believe he uses a tube line-stage in his system to drive the S5.5.

Teajay

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