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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)

johnah5
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jfrmusic
125 posts
 

Thanks guys for the information about WPC and Current. Not sure I completely understand it but from what you’ve describing the 5.5 would easily drive and control the Harbeth C7. Also since it’s 6 ohm the WPC would be somewhere between 50 and 100. Probably 75. 

So given the high current of the 5.5 you’re saying it will have the reserve power to handle dynamic events when listening at the 70-80 DB level? Again I listen to large scale classical such as Mahler, Opera,Film Scores etc. 

Is there a way to compare the current delivery to WPC? For example 100 Amps current is equivalent to X WPC max. 

vthokie83
674 posts
 

Jfrmusic,

Call Doug Dale at CODA, he is easy to talk to, free with his opinions, and an all around great guy. I've spoken to him a few times before and after buying the S5.5, and he was easy to reach.....actually he picked up the phone each time.

He'll be straight with you and give you an honest "yay" or "nay". He probably can give you a better understanding of the correlation of WPC compared to current delivery than most of us can

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yyzsantabarbara
4,568 posts
 

@firefly627s I owned the CSiB from 2019 so it is not the best version of it, but it was pretty good. The #8 was better and the #16 is so much better. The Sanders Magtech sounds better to me than the #8 but not the #16. I had the Sanders on the LRS+ for about 6-months and I loved it. My slight dissatisfaction with the #16 on my Yamaha NS5000 made me move the #16 to the LRS+. It is over the top amazing. A perfect match for the brighter LRS+. The Sanders Magtech is really good on the LRS+ but the #16 is so good that I have been constantly stopping my office work and listening.

I use the KEF KC62 sub in my office LRS+ system. It is not essential since the #16 really pumps out some bass in the small room, but the sub does add a nice touch,

If I get the new CODA System 150, which I can when I start a second job in September, I will replace the Sanders. Have 2 CODA amps and be done.

I asked James at Destination HiFi what was up with the listing for the SYTEM 150 already on the web site. Here is the response:

The amp Doug is sending here is the very latest and newest version of the Coda System 150. It’s so new, that Doug is still building it!

There are internal improvements being made.

There are no new specifications to be updated, so there is nothing to update on either the Coda website or Destination HiFi, for the time being.

BTW - The Magna Risers are great for the LRS+. They also come with a wire to plug into the speaker connections. It made a big difference for me.

Vogue is sounding great. Switching over to the new Judas Priest.

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