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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
kairosman's avatar
kairosman
260 posts
 

@aolmrd1241 

Some of these amps didn’t last in my system very long (the NAD and Kinki monos only 3-4 months, ie I just could not get some of the amps to sound right in my system) some were/are integrateds, and this list is in no particular order:

NAD M22 V2

Parasound JC5

Bryston 4B3 & 14B3

CODA CSiB & #8 V1 & S5.5

Kinki Studios EX-B7

Gryphon Diablo 300

Mcintosh MA9000

BAT VK-255SE

I still have the Gryphon and of course the S5.5, the Gryphon replaced the McIntosh in my main system, but honestly with some music I like the S5.5 more than the Gryphon, I have the S5.5 paired with a tube preamp and the synergy of the stack is really fantastic with the Mofi Sourcepoint 10s in my second system. As I mentioned too, the S5.5 has no problem driving B&W 804 D4s which are a really difficult load.

fthompson251's avatar
fthompson251
305 posts
 

@vthokie83 Yes I get it, I waited 18 weeks for my Legacy Focus XD’s. It’s just that Doug told my dealer 2-3 weeks when he ordered it and we just passed 8 weeks. which was unexpected and no firm ship date as of 2 weeks ago. I guess the hold up is the Anodizing vender for faceplates and heat sinks. He was promised them 4 weeks ago.

yyzsantabarbara
4,553 posts
 

@kairosman How did the Bryston amps compare against the CODA gear you owned? I have owned the CSiB and the #8 V1. I have owned older Bryton but not the cubed lineup.

 

Bryston 4B3 & 14B3 

CODA CSiB & #8 V1 & S5.5

kairosman's avatar
kairosman
260 posts
 

@yyzsantabarbara those Bryston amps were clear, neutral, dynamic and resolving, but the tonal characteristics of acoustic instruments were never "right" to my ears in my system, for whatever reason. A little "grey".

The NAD was "grey" as well, the Kinki monos were thin, not meaty enough for my tastes.

The BAT was the best of the lot, except for the S5.5 and Gryphon, I had it for years and really regret selling it.

aolmrd1241
1,021 posts
 
kairosman

Nice list for comparison and thanks for the reply...

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