Coda 11, Schiit Tyr, JC5 or ???

The bargain that Im told competes with anything:  see Vera-Fi Audio LLC Series One A40 class A amp $1599

I'll check into that.  May have issues at 40w but fortunately I don't listen at loud volume most of the time so 40 should cut it.   Thank you! 👍

But you don't need power to get high average levels. You only need four watts to listen at 86 dB average level(very loud as an average) at 2 meters. You need power to maintain clean sound during and after large peaks(such as not untypical 30 dB piano peaks). Suddenly your 4 watts turns into hundreds of watts.

I am a big fan of Schitt gear. I have owned the CODA CSiB, #8, and now the #16. 

There was a great series on SoudstageUltra.com about Jeff Fritz searching for his new uber reference amp. He used a CODA #11 as a stop gap while he was looking for the uber amp. After a while he was wondering why he needed another amp when the CODA #11 was so good. He eventually spent about $30k for a used Boulder amp.

The Tyr will be a better deal since they don't have the markup by selling direct. The same amp sold via the typical distributor/retailer would cost $3000 or maybe more. 

I would look at the Odyssey Audio amps.  They have both stereo and monobloc options within your price range.  I replaced a well-reviewed tube power amp with a pair of Odyssey monobloc amps and my ears said the result was stunning.  Plenty of power for peaks, plus excellent tonal qualities at both low and moderate volume levels.  These  apps brought my system to life.

Definitely look at Odyssey ... clunky website, rock-solid offerings.  I have the Kismet amp and will never part with it!

The Tyrs are incredible. I kept them and returned the $6800 Pass XA-30.8. Nothing against the Pass, just about how great the Tyrs are at half the cost. 

Thanks to everyone for the confirmation on Schiit and the other options ie Odyssey. 

I had a terrible experience with Odyssey Audio and would avoid them like a plague.  Without question it was the worst experience I’ve had in this hobby among the many dozens of products and brands. 

If you miss the gutsy/meaty Parasound signature, you’ll be remorseful with most other brands. For example, I had the Coda No.8 (V1), and while it was a good amp with plenty of refinement, I ultimately preferred my Parasound A21 for its “effortless” reserve and low-level authority. 

Based on the measurements of the Tyr monoblocks, you’d be giving up over 1.5dB of headroom relative to a JC5, which is not insignificant. However, the Tyrs are quieter so can likely resolve a little more detail. 

I do believe there are better amps out there, but IME, you don’t really get much of a worthwhile improvement until you step up to something like a Gryphon or Boulder, or possibly a flagship Coda or Pass. Also, consider that the Parasounds would likely sell for 2X the price if they were manufactured in Europe or the U.S., rather than Taiwan. 
 

I also fully endorse Odyssey. Talk to the owner on the phone, tell him what you are looking for, and just let him talk you into whatever he thinks will work best.  The guy (Klaus Bunge) is a character in a "mad genius" sort of way.  You will have great fun, wait quite a while (...), then end up with a phenomenal amp for a great price!

I have had several Schiit products and I liked them all, however I have not heard the Tyr’s so cannot comment. I do have a Coda #8 and it checks your boxes. Power to spare and very musical. I am guessing the 11 is not that different. 

Awesome.  Thanks for the feedback.

@adamsherman  What class D amps were you listening to?  I’m finding them to be more similar to AB these days.  Personally I’m using Orchard Audio ganfet amps and enjoying the synergy with tube preamp. For solid state I have Schiit Aegir monoblocks which are very good Schiit has a new dual mono amp called Wotan.  Worth trying with their 15 day return window.

McIntosh MC 352. Not sure about the synergy with the AI preamp but a plethora of used MAC preamps out there. Another bonus is resale value/repairability and many potential buyers when(if) ready to sell.

Has anyone compared the Schitt Wotan to the Tyr monos. My CODA #16 is going up for sale sometime this month and I need a low-cost temp amp for a while, or I may have to park my Yamaha NS5000 speakers for a while.

I need some cash for the RAAL 1995 Immanis headphones and they are not cheap.