I'm gonna try and get my thoughts together and get an opinion posted here in the next couple of days. Had to do extra work, because I was also breaking in a pair of Clayton Shaw Caladan speakers.....and needed to make sure what I was hearing was the CODA and not just the Caladans breaking in.
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)
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- 358 posts total
@hanki What speakers and preamp? |
I have no experience with any of the Coda preamps; however, suggest taking an online look at Terry London’s review in Stereo Times on the 07X. Based on his findings, the 07x sounds absolutely phenomenal! It would be surprising if the lower cost CB or CP preamps yield as satisfying a performance as Terry reports for the 07x. To quote Terry's review conclusions on the 07X "It is the best synthesis of what solid-state has to offer (transparency, clarity, low frequency extension, control, micro details and slam/speed) and of what tubes have to offer (tonality, color, holographic imaging, three dimensionality, and soundstaging with a sense of air around the individual instruments) that I have heard in over thirty years listening to scores of preamplifiers." Placed on Stereo Times "Most Wanted Components of Te Decade" list! I am guessing the lower cost CB and CP preamps are excellent but not in the 07x league. Then again, depending on the total synergy of all system components with any of these preamps, anything may be possible. More likely though, the 07X will win the race by a decent margin, providing the overall system synergies for all preamps (CB,CP, 07x) being compared are on an even keel. Just a guess from the 07x review. |
- 358 posts total