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

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

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

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. 

@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.

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