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.
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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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. |
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! |
@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. |
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