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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
johnah5 OP
221 posts
 

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 

irave
16 posts
 

@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.  

vinylvalet
837 posts
 

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

johnah5 OP
221 posts
 

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

christianb5s4
231 posts
 

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. 

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