CODA 8 V1

Don’t worry about class a or a/b. Coda is excellent. There’s barely any difference with Pass or Coda when these amps transition out of Class A. 

I haven't heard every Pass or every Coda, but my experience with Pass and the Innersound (made by Coda) amps is nothing like this.  To my ears these amps sounded worlds apart and the Pass amps more fussy about which woofers they play well with. 

I'm not going to argue who makes a better amp, just saying that to my mind a switch from Pass to Coda can make a lot of sense for the right listener and speakers.   I do agree that the class A, A/B issue is ridiculous, especially  here. Pick what you like to hear.  

To everyone that has posted: I'll try to describe my reasoning for moving the CODA 8 V1 to my main system containing speakers Tekton Encores (upgraded special models) in the much larger area of my 2 listening rooms. This would mean the PASS X250.8 would be moved to the smaller room with my Fritz carbon 7 SE Mk2 models

A little background, The Fritz are 8 ohm speakers ( 88 efficient)  and the Encores are around 93, give or take, 4 ohms. Earlier this week I moved the outgoing ATI 6002 amp out of the Fritz room and the PASS in. Just curiosity placed it there, as the Coda wasn't purchased yet.  Room about 13x14' door open on one side to bathroom and the other open long hallway. Primarily streaming Rock and Roll, just as in large shop area.  The PASS opened up the Fritz like never before. The ATI is no slouch, a very good AMP, just not a PASS level machine. The music  was to die for. I wont use all the terms to describe what I heard, except to say, everything was almost exponentially better.  At that point my wife said, its staying here! I had to agree. I know what the PASS sounded like in my main listening area with the Tektons, so with the Fritz, brand new sound.

Mike from Audio Archon ( where I purchased the CODA,very nice guy too) was a wealth of information, as they used to sell Tekton.(For financial reason they don't  anymore) He said as efficient as Tektons are, they really like a lot of (current) as apposed to just watts. He thought that the CODA offering more CURRENT to the Tektons in the larger room listening to Rock and ROLL at 90Db would be the better choice. PS Audio Archon sells PASS and CODA and he loves BOTH! He stated my X250.8 is a n Excellent Amp, top shelf!!!  I think he mentioned the PASS has a lesser amount of current than the CODA, 90 vs 75.  To conclude: The CODA arrived on Saturday and was installed on Sunday (ALL balanced connections) and listened to for 3 hours. (be advised unit was purchased used,  a couple of years old and I'm sure burnt in) I let it warm up for an hour and started listening, my wife stayed for the  unveiling.  As we started playing some Metallica, (Nothing else matters,Wherever I may roam) We both looked at each other Amazed. The absolute Punch, Dynamics and Openness exceeded the PASS in our opinion, by a fairly large measure, not incremental!

We then played some EAGLES, Hotel California, Victim of Love. Hotel California was excellent, but, could tell very little difference (in our opinion ) between amps. Victim of love was a little different, as it is a much more dynamic song, which the CODA excels at. Love my PASS, will never sell!! But, this CODA in the shops environment, listening at the distance I do15' away and at 90 DB through 4ohm speakers seems to be an advertisement for the strengths and current demand of the Tektons. To say that the CODA is a far better amp than the PASS would be wrong. They are BOTH excellent AMPs   However, for my Rock and Roll, at my high listening levels the CODA would be my choice. It was an awakening experience. I believe it is the higher Current that the CODA possesses!!!  Again just my wife and I assessment. Thanks for ALL your help, meant very SINCERELY! I hope this explains things and maybe helps someone else in there decision making. Robert TN

@robshaw   Glad you are enjoying your Coda, they kinda fly under the radar but are stellar performers.

BTW, while on the subject, again not heard every CODA pre but while I really can appreciate the amps I gravitate to more juicy or colorful pres. Conrad Johnson, Luxman, etc. over either CODA or Pass.  

To @robshaw,

It sounds like your tests of trying the amps with the different rooms and speakers paid off for you  - with the music you enjoy listening to most.

You made quick work of this, rather than pondering and reading for too long, you quickly tried different configurations with "your rooms, your speakers, your gear". That’s the way to do it.  Good for you. Happy listening.