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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
290 posts
 

Yes, the channels are reversed from the normal on other amplifiers (left on the left when facing the FRONT of the amp has become the norm). But if you just follow the labeling on the amp itself you will be fine. Use the balance control on your preamp to verify. Also if you use a streaming service search for test tones. They usually have a left channel / right channel signal you can use to verify.

Regarding power level at 4 ohms, I have Caladans which are 4 ohms. My other amp is an AGD Tempo (100w at 8, 200w at 4). The S5.5 plays louder than the AGD does for the same preamp setting. I don't play music really loud, so maybe the 5.5 clips sooner, I don't know. But it is hard for me to believe that this thing runs out of steam into 4 ohms under any but the most extreme circumstances. 

ricevs
1,543 posts
 

Gain has nothing to do with power.  The 5.5 has more gain than the AGD (26db versus 23db) so plays louder with the same volume setting.  

vthokie83
1,078 posts
 

yyzsantabarbara

One should be mindful of which S5.5 they are purchasing. The one that is currently for sale, was updated with new transistor hardware in 2024....and that is what now makes it so special. The S5.5 has been around for a bunch of years, but it is this latest improvement that is so critical......I'd make sure to only look for 2024 manufacture dates.....I wish they had just changed the model to something like the 5.6

grk
252 posts
 
@sim_audio_nerd. "Not sure why Coda has it like that in the manual..very confusing"

 

@ Markmuse: From pictures I have seen, the labeling on the amp is the same as in the manual.

Maybe the owner is dyslexic?

johnah5 OP
236 posts
 

Jeez Guys, 

Like all amplifiers I have ever owned when you face the front of the amp the left input/speaker wire output is on the left and the right input/speaker wire output is on the right. Regardless of the manual this is a no brainer.

The S5.5 does double down to 100 watts into four ohms. Nobody, including myself, has yet used a speaker that the S5.5 has had any trouble driving effortlessly to very loud volume levels in many different systems. Vthokie83 is correct regarding that my review and this total thread is based on the brand new version of the S5.5 with the different transistors compared to earlier generations of this amplifier.

Teajay (Terry London)

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