The new Coda S5.5 amplifier: It's a "Petite Beast"!

I spoke with Doug this morning about the S5.5 going into 15 ohm speakers with a sensitivity of 83 dB. He did not think it was a good pairing as it would be underpowered. He recommended the model 16 or 41 amplifier.

@johnah5 Looks like the 096 impedance is 10 ohms....

Hey Peter,

Great question. The answer is yes, the S5.5 drove a Devore 096, which I believe is a 16 ohm nominal load with a no difficulties at all. So I'm assuming it would do fine with your LS3/5 speakers.

Teajay

@johnah5   And others…. How would the S5.5 work with a 16 ohm LS3/5 speaker (Falcon gold badge)?  I know they like a lot of current, but is this enough power?

@yyzsantabarbara Yes, the date has been set, a week from tomorrow I will try the Serene with the S5.5 and compare it to the Accuphase as a preamp.  That should be enough time for the S5.5 to break in sufficiently. 

Will report back with my findings. 

@hanki Thanks for the follow-up and sorry to hear about the fuse issue. Those things can give some stress. 

@minatophase3 congrats on the S5.5. I think you were the one going to get a Holo Serene from a friend to try out. You are going to love it. I am so blown away by the Serene and #16 combo. Now that I have used this pairing for a while, I think it is the best sound I have ever had in my house. That is with a $1000 Magnepan LRS+ which is not my best speaker. 

Just wanted to share: 

I'm packing up a pair of Analysis Audio Epsilon planar speakers that I reviewed months ago and are going to be packed up to be sent back to the importer. These large planar speakers are only 86dB and a nominal 4 ohms. 

So what the hack, I decided to see what the S5.5 would do at driving them. Well, the speakers were driven effortlessly, and all the virtues of the S5.5 - beautiful high end frequencies, midrange details, total transparency, tight extended bass, and finally an "aliveness" were present and made the panels sing with great musicality.

Teajay

Hey minatophase3,

Thanks for sharing your cursory listening experiences with us. So far, what you are hearing makes total sense to me. Both your amps are great, it now will be your personal taste and synergy with your speakers to decide on your "reference".

Have fun and let us know what going on as the S5.5 burns in.

Teajay

My S5.5 arrived today!  Plugged it in and waited about 2 hours before listening.  I know it will take some time to break in but I couldn't wait 😀.  Initial impressions compared to my Accuphase E-380 integrated (still using the Accuphase as preamp):  Bass is much tighter, cleaner and there is more of it!  Top end is much more detailed and clear, my Accuphase tends to roll off the highs a bit.  I find the S5.5 to be just slightly to the warm side of neutral, the Accuphase is slightly warmer.  Both sound really good.  Overall detail and clarity easily go to the S5.5 as well as a blacker background.

I will let this break in for a while and report back, but so far it is looking very positive!

Hi guys.  Sorry for the long silence on my part. Quick explanation is that we had a heavy snow storm here on Saturday and we lost power which caused a big power surge that took our both of my components on one circuit. Unfortunately one of them was my 3 DAY OLD Coda amp!  Not to worry but, it took a few days to figure it out and it only blew out an internal fuse in the right  channel. I didn’t realize at first that there are two fuses per channel inside. The only fuse I knew of is the one you can see on the back which is the only fuse mentioned in the owner’s manual. 
 

Moving the good fuses from one side to the other indicated that all is good. The problem is that I’ve can’t find the correct fuses locally so, I had to order them online and won’t receive them until Friday. 
 

yyzsantabarbara: before the incident I did play the amp continuously at about 84db and the amp didn’t seem any warmer to the touch. I was going to try it at 90db when my wife wasn’t home. It will obviously have to wait a few days. 
 

irave: surprisingly with its published power numbers I don’t feel that it is lacking in power at all driving my somewhat inefficient speakers. It plays way louder than I need with no strain or excess heat. The bass is just as deep as my Luxman m900u but different. The bass is tighter and more tuneful. I was thinking when I first ordered the amp that it might be a bit under powered but I was completely wrong. It has plenty of power for me and my speakers. 
 

I hope this helps. 
 

Jeff

@yyzsantabarbara 

        On your last point on the #16 and this is from the manual as well as Teajays past review on the 16 powerhouse amplifier.

  No.16 is 150wpc/8 AB, 300wpc/4  AB with the first 100watts being pure Class A into 8 ohms or 4 ohms. When CODA states the No. 16 is "100 Watts of Pure Class A Precision Bias Operation" , with no impedance qualifiers, it translates to the amp being  a 100 Watt Pure Class A amp for 8 ohm or 4 ohm loads. Above 100 watts at either impedances, transitioning enters into Class AB as per above spec maxima. 

Added HP in the #16,  so the amp does not stress at lower impedance is; 3Kv power supply, 280,000 uf capacitance and of course the Coda magic; >100amps current.

@yyzsantabarbara 

       Thank you for your helpful comments as always! Much appreciated!

       To all from my previous posts, Doug may have been extra conservative with me because I am in a Magnepan LRS+ phase. I really am not a specification person at all and it's odd I even raised this question. I believe it was  truly intended to help others on this thread, in case any of us were placing a specification as a key criterion for purchasing the amp, that there were no unintentional or inadvertent oversights,  misunderstandings or false presumptions here . There certainly doesn't appear to be any. And would it even matter if there were any? Probably not!

        The S5.5 is hitting the ball out of the park  for everyone, so that has much more practical value to us than specs or what is printed in the manuals. I totally agree with YYZ though that specs are important; however, the bottomline is how a component sounds to each user, in their room with their equipment and their music. Teajay loved the sound these S5.5's were producing and everyone else does too. That says it all! I am not chancing it with Maggies though. Doug steered me back to my CSiB.  Enjoy the music! YYZ thanks again for chiming in! Best, joe

@firefly627s Specs do matter to me. I spoke to Doug about getting the S5.5 for my Yamaha NS5000 and he said it may work since it is a 6 Ohm speaker. 

I told him the 100-watt Benchmark AHB2 does work with it to some OK volume level. However, the amp is almost at 90% volume, and it seems to be pushing it.

On my Sanders Magtech amp, the sound was bigger and louder. That amp is 500 | 900 @ 8 | 4. On my CODA #16 it was similar to the Sanders with some sonic differences that I cannot remember now, essentially a Class AB vs A thing.

After those comments Doug said the S5.5 would not be a good choice for me. That is how we eventually ended up with the topic of the new CODA SYSTEM 150 coming out next month.

I may have a buyer for my Sanders amp and the AHB2 may also go. I will use 2 CODA amps on my 2 systems, but not the S5.5. 

BTW - I thought the #16 was 50 watts Class A in 4 Ohm. Though that is an old recollection.

@irave I have my S5.5 driving B&W 804 D4s which are at least as difficult a load as your Amatis and the sound is sublime, zero sense of compression or hardening or lack of dynamics. Preamp is a Audio Hungary Qualiton C200. 

@johnah5

Thanks Teajay and glad to hear the S5.5 doubles down to 100 Class A watts into 4 ohm. Interestingly enough, the No. 16 amplifier is reported to deliver the first 100 watts as Class A into 8 ohms or 4 ohms, and above 100 watts,  it's Class AB). 

When I spoke with Doug last week I did get a different answer. Maybe I heard wrong or there was some misinterpretation so I won't go into the details. I don’t know why they (Coda Tech) don’t state it on the Coda site specs or put in print in the manual instead of only stating 50WPC Class A into 8 ohm. Maybe it’s just me but if you can double down to 100WPC into 4ohm Class A, don’t hide it, flaunt it.

I know the dealers say 100WPC into 4ohm but it’s ambiguous to me if I don’t see "A" specified, so I was thinking that’s AB. The S5.5 is certainly an outstanding amplifier and quite a value! What are specs anyway? Performance is what matters and the 100 amp current the S5.5 and 16 have are doing the job quite well!

Again, thank you!

Hey firefly627s,

I have talked to Doug about this a couple weeks ago. The S5.5 doubles down into 100 watts class A into 4 ohms. 

Teajay

@johnah5 

           Hi Terry, do you have solid confirmation from Doug at Coda that the S5.5 puts out 100wpc at 4 ohm in Class A, not AB (or some hybrid?)? I recommend checking on this just to be sure just for sake of accuracy. The S5.5 is sonically a great performer irrespective of this, but please confirm with Doug what happens above 50 watts or below 8 ohms regarding amplification class for the S5.5.   Thanks.

Just to add to this, my #16 has much better low to mid volume dynamics vs my JC5 which had way more wattage. Current makes the difference. 

Hey irave,

Sonus Faber itself recommends 100 to 500 watts, so I don't agree with these "people" regarding the excessive amount of power to drive optimally an Amati speaker. They also are 4ohms and about 90dB efficient, a rather easy load to drive. With what the S5.5 delivers regarding its current loading and class A 100 watts into 4ohms it could be a mighty combo regarding the sound quality it might produce. I'm not a fan of the McIntosh house sound, so I believe the Coda driving the Sonus Faber speaker would be more to my personal taste.

Teajay

+2. Owned the 07x for over a year and would call it anything but noisy. That noisy unit must have been defective.

@johnah5  do you have any thoughts on whether the S5.5 might be a good match for Sonus Faber Amati Traditions?  People tend to recommend around 500w to bring out their best and are usually paired with McIntosh.  

Hey aolmrd1241,

I agree that was a "one off anomaly". I own the 07x, reviewed it and made it a product of the decade for Stereo Times. It is one of the most quiet/transparent preamplifiers, which allows you to hear micro-details so easily without becoming analytical or edgy that I have ever had in my systems. Great piece.

My experience so far with the S5.5 being driven with either tube based or solid state preamplifiers is that the amp it self is very revealing of the preamp or source gear that is driving it. Therefore, you can "flavor" to your taste by experimenting with the upstream gear. 

Please keep posting your experiences with the S5.5 as you get your piece, so far everyone agrees it's a superlative performer, drives all types of speakers effortlessly, and is a great bargain at its price. I'll use many of these quotes in my published review on Stereo Times in the near future.

Teajay 

Must have been a one off anomaly. I have never heard of such a noise issue with the 07x before! Thanks for the update yyzs…or should I say batman…lol

My issue with the 07x was documented here on A’gon a few years ago. I will repeat.

When I first got the 07x I found it a lot noisier than the Benchmark LA4 which I had. The 07x was supposed to an upgrade from that. I used the 07x with the CODA #8. Both were upgrades from the CSiB.

I spoke with Doug about the noise issue, and he initially thought it was my DAC. A Benchmark DAC3B and/or the AufioMagic Tubadour (do no remember). After about a month my dealer asked me to bring it to the Los Angeles store. We put my 07x on top of this 07x and compared. Mine was noisier. We sent my 07x to Doug to diagnose and fix.

Now the dealers 07x was noisier than the Benchmark LA4 I owned. After a few weeks Doug got back to me and said he could not find the issue but could hear the noise. He said he replaced every part except the casework, great service in my opinion. When I got it back the 07x was much quieter but still not silent and I could hear it. I lost $2k selling it but all I could hear from that point forward was the hiss.

Drove me batty, maybe to match the ears.

@markmuse 

          Thank you for your helpful input. I am in no rush as well, and am definitely interested in how the Backert Rhythm/ S5.5 performs vs the Backert/AGD with the speaker(s) you have in your system. Please keep us posted. Thanks again!

@markmuse Thanks for chiming in. I'm in no particular rush, so I've definitely got the time to see all these synergy tests that are happening to come to fruition.

@jceahodges  and @firefly627s 

I have had the Backert Rhythm 1.3 for a couple of years, using with AGD Tempo amps. It is indeed a special preamp. And only 2 tubes. Tube rolling is affective.

I ordered a S5.5 but won't have it for a month. Then burn in. So it will be a while yet before I can comment on the pairing. I do think it will be fine though.

If you can wait and stay in contact I will let you know what I think.

yyzs.. If you are hearing hiss from 8 feet away you must have bat ears!

My 07x is dead silent! To hear any type of noise my ear has to be 1 to 2 inches from the speaker... Did you not have a noise issue some time back with the 07x? Did Coda fix it?

The 07x and my #8 make for a powerful musical combo!

@hanki just for clarification, you’re Magico S5 speakers have the following specs and you don’t find the S5.5 lacking in power or bass output compared to other amps?

Sensitivity: 88dB
Impedance: 4 Ohms
Recommended Power: 50 watts - 1000 Watts

I have the SF Amati Traditions, which present a similar load, so I’m wondering if it might be a good match for them.

I am going to wait for @vthokie83 to report back on his Motherload XL to make a decision on which preamp to get to pair with my incoming Coda s5.5. I am to the "endgame" point at age 69. I am intrigued by that Coda 07x from the synergy perspective. This shift in the conversation is exactly the information I am looking for. What to pair with the S5.5 that won’t require selling a kidney to buy.

hi Santabarbara,  I too get a bit of hiss when i put my ear to the speaker but cannot hear it from 8 ft away.  the PS BHK preamp was noisier for sure.  i recall the Pass XP22 being a bit quieter but it was not a good fit for my system.

@firefly627s Thanks for that observation/suggestion - the Backert is definitely on my very short list. I can't recall every reading anything remotely negative about the Rhumba Extreme much less the Rhythm. And it's goodness was also confirmed in this thread by @vthokie83 ... Still can't wait to hear back from @minatophase3 on synergy with Holo Audio Serene. I'll need to sell some surplus gear to make all this happen too... Luxman 550 MkII, Cary Audio SLI-100, and possibly my beloved CSiB. From everything that's being said here... This is has the makings of exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks again to everyone who is contributing to this thread.

@ronkent the issue for me was that I could hear hiss from the preamp on quiet musical passages. Once I heard it was always on my mind and I was only listening to the hiss, even on louder passages. Now this hiss level is about the same for a lot of gear, except the 2 preamps I use now, which are totally silent.

I sit about 8 feet away from the speakers so that is rather close.

@hanki Did you check on the temperature of the amp after driving them at say 90db for a few hrs? It would be interesting to see how much effort the amp is putting out to drive your 4 Ohm speaker.

@jceahodges

I am in a similar search for a pre amp for the S5.5 for my 99db Forte 3’s and from just doing paper research on preamp, am leaning towards Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme 1.4 or Rhythm 1.4 balanced line stage. Would have to part with my 1yr old perfect CSiB, new mint Technics 1210GR TT in box, Mac C27 pre, ARC SP8 pre and Mac MC2125 amp first for the economics to work out but seriously considering doing that.

On the S5.5, its WPC rating is 50wpc @ 8 ohms class A. 100wpc @ 4 ohms AB. 100 amps. My concern is if Magnepans can be comfortably driven with the S5.5 (86 db, 4 ohm, require high current) without stressing the amp. Any input on how the S5.5 handles Maggies or electrostats is of definite interest! Thanks.

I would like to add my 2 cents to this thread.  I have a Coda 16 amp which i really like and it replaced a set of PS mono blocks.  I do not think the 16 is really any better sonically than the PS BHK monos,  but I did not want to deal with tubes anymore.

However my reason for writing is to comment on the 07x.  My last three preamps have been the BHK preamp from PS,  then a Pass XP22, and then the 07X.  to my ear,  the Coda is the Goldilocks of the three.  not as euphonic as the BHK, not as clinical as the Pass,  but just right.  I really have enjoyed my system so much more since getting it. It too is a little beastie.  

hope that helps.

I have owned the CODA 07x for a year. I listen near-field and the 07x was way too noisy for me. The Holo Serene is a comparable and totally silent with better clarity but not as tubeby. Someone that wants more warmth may like the 07x more.

I think the Class A Schitt Mjolnir v3 is a better comparable to the 07x. It is quieter and sonically sounds a lot like the 07x. I have both Mojolnir and the Serene connected to the CODA #16 at the same time (RCA + XLR). I may listen to the warmer Mjolnir once in 2 weeks. When I do I love it.

Only problems with the Mjolnir V3 is that it costs $1200 and has no remote.

@laaudionut I love the sound tubes add to a system but I do not like having tubes in my system.  I had a Modwright Preamp for a while with tubes and it sounded fantastic, but I didn't like having to turn off the preamp after using and then wait for it to warm up.  Many times I will only have 30-45 minutes to sit an listen and I want the system to sound great from the start.  I also didn't like knowing that at some point the tubes will have peaked and the sound would start to degrade.  Probably overthinking it, but I would much rather have an SS preamp that sounds as close to tubes as possible.  Don't know if tube anxiety is a real thing but I think I have it. 😁

The Accuphase may be a fit for the S5.5, but if you feel that it fails to live up to the performance of the Coda, I would also enthusiastically recommend reaching out to Aric at Aric Audio. I have the Coda Model 16 mated to the Original Motherlode, and my system has been nothing short of sublime ever since. 

@minatophase3 

          I wouldn't rush into anything. See how the S5.5 sounds off the Accuphase. It may totally meet or exceed your expectations. I have two 45 yr old preamps that still sound great (to me), a Mac C27  (SS) and an ARC SP-8 (8 tube pre). I also do have a Coda CSiB V1 integrated; the preamp stage is some hybrid of  a CB and 07x. My favorite of all is the SP-8. The CSiB preamp section is excellent though and very comparable to the SP-8 performance using either to drive a Mac MC2125 amp. I wouldn't sell the SP-8 or CSiB for a 07x  to drive a S5.5, being very satisfied with the CSiB sound, quality, design, features.  I am expecting the preamp section of it (similar to CB) to work fine with the S5.5. TBD. The SP-8 synergy is questionable.  I definitely like good tube based preamps though so if buying separates, I myself would look in that direction, but get good guidance on synergy.  The best way is trial testing in one's room if possible. 

There have been some posts in this thread  on Aric Audio Motherlode tube preamps that Terry London speaks highly of. Pricing is in between the CB and 07x. If your Accuphase sounds great to you though, that synergy may beat other separates so why gamble? If you are not satisfied with The Accuphase preamp section though, patience and careful research will pay off. You have numerous choices for your preferred budget. Ask Terry @johnah5 .

Thanks firefly.  I don’t think you can go wrong with the S5.5. In my review I meant to say about the Magico’s that they are sealed enclosures not ported. My error in writing. 
 

Jeff

@firefly627s I have ready Terry's review of the 07x and it does sound amazing.  I guess I am having a hard time with the preamp costing more than the amp :-).  I only run digital and need 1 input from my DAC (running computer, streamer and TV).  My DAC does not have volume control.  Several years ago when I only had my Lumin T2 streamer I connected it directly to my amp (Modwright KWE 150 SE) and it sounded good, but was lacking compared to going through a preamp.

Will wait to see how much I like the S5.5, but from the reviews I am hearing I think I will really like it.  May be time then to think about selling the Accuphase and putting that money towards the 07x. 

@hanki

Jeff, Outstanding review and your system is absolutely awesome. Your report in conjunction with Terry’s heads up on GON clinched my decision for an amp. S5.5. Thank you!

Question now is why should any audiophile look anywhere else? 

CODA Technologies and Doug are totally worthy of this success story and the benefits it will reap! Coda-Great products and customer focus and support!

Thanks again Jeff for the stellar review of the S5.5.

Joe

So here are my first impressions of my new S5.5 amp. It now has about 23 hours on it and still burning in. As a reference I have Magico S5 speakers, a Luxman M900U amplifier, Luxman C 900U preamp, Esoteric K-01x CD player, VPI Prime Signature turntable with an Ortofon A95 cartridge, Modwright PH 150 phono stage. My cabling is Kubala Sosna speaker cables and interconnects, power cables are all  Kimber Kable Palladium 10 except the amp has an Audioquest high current Hurricane. I have two dedicated lines, one 20 amp and the other 30amp for my power amp both with Furutech NFC outlets. 
 

Terry at the start of this thread nailed it perfectly as to the amps attributes. Crystal clear, clean highs with no grain or fatigue.  It lets me hear deeper into the music catching unknown nuances that I didn’t realize that were there. 
 

The mids match the high frequency in the openness and silky smoothness and more detail than I’ve ever experienced. 
 

The bass is tight, tuneful and full ( as much as a ported speaker design can give you). The amp never seemed to stress at higher levels  as I have been playing my system louder than normal without feeling the need to turn it down.  The amp never seemed to stress even when I turned it up way beyond with what I’m comfortable with. 
 

I am sure you have guessed I really like this amp. I’m 67 and retired so this will likely be my last power amp. I just can’t believe that this retails for just $6,400.  It is the least expensive component that I have and maybe the best performing. Coda really nailed it with this one. 
 

Jeff

@minatophase3

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.

Just curious, has anyone tried the Coda CB/CP preamp as well as the 07x.  There is a big price difference, is there a significant performance difference?  Looking at the specs it seems the 07x has less noise and more gain on the XLR connections.

@hanki What speakers and preamp?

I received my S5.5 on Wednesday and have about 15 hours on it. I’ll be posting my initial impressions tomorrow. Even at this point it is more than impressive. Can’t stop listening. 
 

Jeff

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.

Happy to hear positive reviews!  I believe my amp will ship tomorrow so I should have it mid-next week!  I will definitely post my thoughts on how it sounds compared to my Accuphase E-380 integrated.  Will also have a friend bring over a Holo Audio Serene preamp so we will be able to hear the amp through two different preamps, will be using the preamp section of my E-380.  Getting very excited!