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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
yyzsantabarbara
4,708 posts
 

My LRS+ would likely not sound great with the S5.5. I spoke to Doug at CODA about using the S5.5 with the Yamaha NS5000 or the harder to drive Magnepan LRS+ and after my comment that powerful amps sounded the best on these 2 speakers, he said the S5.5 may not be the best choice for either speaker.  

For example, I used a Benchmark AHB2 with the LRS+. It worked well enough in my small room. However, it was not as dynamic or powerful in the bass as the more powerful amps I used (not enough flesh).

I had the CODA #16 on the LRS+ and it was the best amp I have used on it. The 500W Sanders Magtech was a close second with a warmish Schitt Yggi+ LIM DAC. The CODA #8 would also be good with the LRS+. I never paired them together because I owned the #8 before the LRS+.

willywonka
222 posts
 

@yyzsantabarbara As you know I have the #8 with the LRS+ and they sound amazing. Funny story, when I was at AXPONA this year, I noticed one of the rooms had the #8 and #16 amps with some electrostatic speakers. The #8 they were using had GREEN front panel meters. I've never seen that before and mine has blue meters. The dealer told me McIntosh called Coda and asked them if they would stop using blue meters and evidently, they complied. I have a unicorn amp now. 

markmuse
279 posts
 

@yyzsantabarbara  Thanks! But watts versus current? I thought current was needed for these hard to drive speakers. 

zlone
598 posts
 

I also asked him about that power the amp makes into 4 ohms @ watts/Ch and he told me about 40. It’s not 50/100/200 (8/4/2) 

This just can't be the case given how the 5.5 is built. Can anyone set the record straight?

aolmrd1241
1,028 posts
 
I find it hard to believe that McIntosh can dictate to Coda or any other company what color meters they can use...
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