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Parasound JC5, Pass X250.8, Coda No. 8 V2 Recommendation

I’m looking into the following amps: Parasound JC 5, Pass X250.8, and Coda No. 8 V2. Based on your experiences, which has the most spacious imaging, resolving, detailed, deep bass with airy and extended highs.

My preamp is a Don Sachs Model 2 using 6SN7 tubes. However, I’m also considering a Cary SLP-05 Tube Preamp.

My speakers are all DIY: ScanSpeak Illuminator 13” 3-way, and SBAcoustics Satori 6.5” MTM, ScanSpeak Classic 8” 3-way, and SBAcoustics Satori 8” 3-way using (2) 8” bass drivers.

IC are DIY Duelund DCA20ga. Speaker cables are DIY Mogami W3104 and Canare 4S11G.

Thanks.

88man
dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,409 posts
 

I just sold the demo No. 8 V2 I had in the shop. I ran it with a wide variety of speakers and electronics and it impressed the heck out of me. Extraordinary power yet runs just slightly warm to the touch. Very liquid presentation with extended natural highs and a glorious midrange. Robust build quality and a bulletproof design. One of my clients was so impressed he took it home to try on his Maggie’s. Called me the next day for my wire transfer info. It’s that good and doesn’t break the bank.

avanti1960
1,551 posts
 

The Coda amp is extremely transparent and smooth- heard it briefly in a demo.  I owned the JC5 and next model down Pass labs amplifier.  The JC5 has a pronounced bottom end and is deeply powerful and dynamic but IMO at the expense of midrange.  The Pass labs amp was too colored euphonically in my system.  I wound up with the McIntosh MC312 which is absolutely perfect in my system.  

defendert's avatar
defendert
22 posts
 

I had a JC5 for a few years. A good amp, but i also thought it lacked in midrange and back ground. I ended up going for the AGD Duet mono blocks. I ended up with more dynamic and fuller sound in my room. I could hear more of what i was missing when i had the JC5. After owning the AGD,s for nearly a year. I made up a set of power cables with furutech FP-TCS31 cable. After bedded them in for a few hundred hours the music {punk rock} got even clearer.

88man OP
29 posts
 

Thank you everyone for the good advice! The Coda No. 8 seems to get a lot of praise. I do want a glorious midrange, spatial imaging, and extended highs.

I’ll be biamping the speakers, where I’ll be using a separate class AB amp for the woofer, and a high-end amp for the mid/tweeter cab.

yyzsantabarbara
5,036 posts
 

The Schitt Wotan at $2k compares well with the CODA #8 v1 that I owned. I now own the CODA #16 which is better than the Wotan (own it) and CODA #8.

The Wotan need a lot of hours to get some top end hardness to totally go away. I use the amp with the Benchmark HPA4 preamp and if there are any issues with the amp the HPA4 will let you hear it.

The Wotan sounds as good as a few $8k amps I owned in the past.

 

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