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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
johnah5 OP
234 posts
 

Hey laginz,

To answer your question regarding how the S5,5 presents individual instruments and overall sound-staging:

1) On five different speakers the sound-stage was wide and deep an behind the front of the speakers. It also in my system offered excellent layering and exact positions of the players on the stage.

2) What I call image density or "meat on the bones" imaging was very well done. However, it was not at the expense of what you were describing of having the images thrust towards the front of the other instruments. The individual images stayed  accurately placed in the sound-stage.

Teajay

laginz
34 posts
 

Thx, Teajay:)

vthokie83
845 posts
 

Teajay,

Got some good news this week, Aric Audio is shipping my new modified Motherlode XL preamp! It will be a little while for me to reconfigure my setup, but really looking forward to hearing the CODA S5.5 and Aric Audio Transcend "Push Pull" amp through the Motherlode.....lot's of fun listening ahead.

sim_audio_nerd
57 posts
 

@vthokie83 that sounds like it going to be killer combo wise!

I’ll be getting my Coda S5.5 next week.

It will be: source-->Supratek Signature Grange preamp/phono-->Coda S5.5-->Coincident Super Victory IIIs.

yyzsantabarbara
4,794 posts
 

FYI - I saw a CODA 07x preamp on sale for an amazing price on USAM. 

I am listening to the Class A Schitt Mjolnir V3 preamp ($1200, no remote) with my CODA #16. I am using a bight Benchmark DAC3B with this setup. This is a really good combo and I bet sounds as good with the S5.5. Something to consider for a low-cost preamp. 

I have the Benchmark LA4 and Mjolnir connected to the #16 at the same time since the #16 supports such as setup.

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