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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
timski's avatar
timski
13 posts
 

@paoz 

The S20 is 200 watts of Class AB power, whereas the S5.5 is 50 watts of Class A (at 8 ohms).

paoz's avatar
paoz
36 posts
 

I meant musically, what differences are there?
I see talk very little about the s20 model

johnah5 OP
234 posts
 

Hey everybody,

I have begun to write my review on the S5.5 for Stereo Times and will be including the comments of participants who have shared their experiences with the S5.5 on this thread. If anyone wants to add new information based on further listening/experience with the amp or new owners that have not posted yet, please do.

Thanks to all of you who have shared, Teajay (Terry London)

piebaldpython
61 posts
 

Has anyone had an opportunity to bridge them for the 200W @8ohm? Curious to hear back on this. At the price point of this amp a pair bridged up would be a fantastic deal!!

yyzsantabarbara
4,794 posts
 

Doug at CODA told me that bridging 2 S5.5's is not a good way to use them. I was wondering if you could use 2 bridged S5.5's instead of a CODA #16. The standard gremlins that apply to bridging a 2-channel stereo amp also applies to the S5.5.

BTW - I changed my DAC from a Schitt Yggi+ LIM to the Schitt Yggi+ OG. I moved the LIM to my office. The complaints I had with my CODA #16, lack of detail, is now pretty much resolved. The OG is more detailed while the LIM is the warm and "musical" one.

I am thinking of replacing my Holo Serene preamp with another Benchmark HPA4 preamp on the CODA #16 system.

 

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