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

I also have Widex Moment. I agree, the best I've found after trying several others and understand your position. I think I'm right on that threshold. 

My experience with audiologists has been the same as yours. Oh well...

@fthompson251 Yes they do.  They are not listed on the website yet but reach out to Jeff and you can order them.  He is offering both XLR and RCA.  I am very happy with the RCA's.  I will either order a set of the XLR's or speaker cables next, not sure which one.

@johnah5 That was not much, my Supratek Cabernet uses 152 watts and my belles SA30 uses 354 watts!!!

Makes me wonder if the S5 has sliding bias into ab early ?

@gryphongryph 

It is impossible for a 50Wx2 pure Class A amplifier to only consume 90W at idle! The 90W reading must be in standby mode!

The "BIAS" button should be turned on with no input signal to test idle power consumption.