Review on Coda Technologies 16 Amplifier went live today

I have a 96db speaker currently use an OTL and very happy too. 

I was looking for a SS amp from a flavour pov of great low LF. Anyone have an opinion on the S 5.5 since I dont need a lot of power it looks like the ticket for me. 

I've been a Pass Labs owner in the past and I find the sound boring vs say Karan Acoustics which I owned too. 

I've since departed from SS completely and gone down the high sensativity speaker and low power amp way. Looking to have a good SS now. 

Would be glad to know opinions of others on the S5.5 50watt pure class a amps.

I know this is an older thread but I wanted to discuss a bit. I have a summer system and a winter system. CJ Tubes for winter (ET5 and P12 amp) and I have a NAD M23 amp for summer that I would like to pair with a SS pre. I am considering the Coda 07x to use with the NAD. If I like it enough I might even use it with the P12 in the winter. A buddy lent me his Parasound JC2 and Benchmark LA4. The JC2 had incredible bass probably the best I have heard but the highs had a bit of grain to it. The LA4 was crystal clear but was flat sounding. Like everyone says it appears to be neutral. Note I did have to float the ground on the LA4 as I was getting some hum. It is a quiet unit. Thoughts? I dont mind (in fact prefer) a Pre with some character.

Hey jimbones,

Take a look at my Stereo Times review on the 07x which will give you the details of why this is one of my favorite solid state preamplifiers. 

Teajay

I owned the 07x | LA4 + HPA4 | Holo Serene preamp | Schitt Mjolnir v3 at one time and paired it with the CODA #16. Actually, the 07x may have been paired with the CODA #8. A bit of a blur now.

The 07x did not have the detail that the LA4 and the Holo Serene provided me. It was also noisier than those 2 and I could hear noise on very quiet passages. Once I heard that I always focused on that so the 07x had to go. A lot of people on here have said I am crazy with that observation.

My 07x was rebuilt by Doug at CODA due to this issue since it was noisier than the dealer’s unit. We had them side-by-side and compared. However, even after Doug replaced every single component on my 07x, except the case, I still found it lacking in comparison to the LA4 and the Serene.

The LA4 is indeed not holographic and will not add to the sound. However, my speakers have a bit of warmth and that is all I want. If you want a bit more warmth from your preamp, the Holo Serene will provide a bit more than the LA4.

A good way to figure out if you like the LA4 is to do a 30-day home trial from Benchmark. The Serene is almost identical sonically, except for a bit more warmth.

My Schitt Mjolnir v3 is a Class A preamp and it is rather good, better than the 07x for me. It has no remote and is very warm. I do not like it paired with the #16, It is too much of a good thing, but I think a lot of others would like it over the LA4 and Serene paired with the #16.

The thing with the LA4 and Serene is that the other components really dictate how your system will sound. For example, the CODA #16 system is not that great with the warm-ish Schitt Yggi+ LIM DAC. However, it is amazing with the more neutral Yggi+ OG DAC.

BTW - I mistakenly thought your amp was the CODA #16. I had the NAD M22 v2 in the house for 30-days paired with the LA4. I hated the sound and luckily was able to return it.