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

@hickamore

Could have been the speakers. Spoke with Aric and he says he doesn’t see anything in the specs that would be a problem with the preamp

I just pulled the trigger on a black S5.5, and now have to wait for it to be built and arrive.  I've never heard a Coda amplifier before, but it meets many of the requirements I'm looking for in my next amplifier.

The list of my most recent amps is AtmaSphere Class D monos, Pass XA30.8, Benchmark AHB2, Bryston 4B3, and Pass X250.8.   I enjoyed each one of these as each amp brings its own attributes to the table and outside of the 250.8 is not crazy priced.

I have big expectations for this Coda purchase... :)

@minatophase3 

Did you have any problems with the S5.5 blowing the ceramic fuse? Plus, I can only find one place to buy the slow blow 12A 5x20mm, Revolution Power. Partsconnexion doesn't have that size and spec in stock.

@charliee No i ssues at all.  Have had them in for several months and they are doing great.  I also have them in most of my other equipment and have had no issues.  I believe Revolution Power is where I ordered mine from.