Coda no 16 amplifier

[zonto]

Hello All,
My audio system was sounding really good but I felt the need to go further and recently upgraded a McIntosh MC152 amp to a Coda 16. What was missing? A certain bit of clarity, the ability to place instruments in the soundstage, and an amp that is consistent in quality with the rest of my equipment.

McIntosh is one of the amplifiers that pairs well with my Focal Kanta 2s. I thought about a more powerful McIntosh but didn’t go there, heard a Luxman M900u in a dealer’s showroom that was OK, but a demo of the Coda turned my head. The Coda is an eye-opener in the clarity and power it brings to the system, but it has thrown the balance off. I am now struggling to overcome some brightness in two channel audio (it is not a problem with my home theatre setup), a slight edge that I had previously managed to defeat by changing cables, rolling tubes in my preamp and adding the Mac.

My listening space is not ideal and can use acoustic treatment to tame the highs, but things sounded pretty good before. The focus and bulk of time (say 85%) is with home theatre, but when I play two channel, I want it to be high quality. The obvious path is to sell the Coda and look elsewhere, but the thought of shipping that beast to a new owner is daunting. An alternative is a different (warmer?) preamp to better match the Coda (must have HT bypass and XLR connections), or perhaps something like a MiniDSP with Dirac to tweak the sound. I'm even contemplating warmer speakers to replace the Kantas, but that means three speakers (L/C/R) for home theatre.

I appreciate any words of wisdom or solace from Coda owners on a strategy to fix this issue. Thanks,

Robert

What is the rest of the system comprised of, including cables?

 

[Robert_NP]

My system is an Aurender N200 streamer (I only do digital) via Cardas USB to Meitner MA3i DAC, via Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper IC to Backert Rhythm v1.4 (see note), via Cardas Clear IC to Coda, via Audience Front Row speaker cables to the Focal Kanta 2 floorstanders.

In the interim, got a MiniDSP with Dirac to help with room correction and equalization. I can see it's value and potential, but it has been a frustrating experience to set it up in my space, since it requires a laptop for the software and lots of trial and tweaking. We have a laptop, which my wife uses for work, but sharing it has been problematic.

Note: I really, really like the Backert, which is neutral sounding with considerable presence and clarity, but felt a warmer preamp would help. Just got a Conrad Johnson ET7, and am playing with different tubes. The CJ is known for warmth, and it indeed helps to balance out the rest of the system. Even with the CJ in place, it's still not quite right. As impressed as I am with Coda, I decided to see if I can sell it and move on. Someone responded to the ad I posted and is coming by next week to buy it. Whether this is problem solved or shooting myself in the foot, time will tell.

 

[zonto]

You’ve got to trust your ears. If the McIntosh is a better match than the Coda then so be it. For what it’s worth I think you’re just hearing the Focals in all their glory now, whereas the McIntosh imposes its own sound signature. Those Be tweeters are brutal, and I imagine especially so without room treatment. The Coda is neutral without being etched or overly “hifi” sounding, and pretty transparent (though not the ultimate in that respect due to the many output transistors).

 

[Robert_NP]

I agree. Where I might have heard 95% of the music before, I have the whole enchilada now. Early on, resolution, detail and clarity was the goal. I'm coming to realize all that might not be optimal, at least for me. Trust my ears, indeed. Thanks.

 

[KrellFan1]

What is the rest of the system comprised of, including cables?

What is the rest of the system comprised of, including cables?

What is the rest of the system comprised of, including cables?

An alternative is a different (warmer?) preamp to better match the Coda (must have HT bypass and XLR connections)

Consider the Mola Mola Makua preamp. Has HT bypass mode, Class A, gorgeous, dynamic and will pair well with your Coda as it did with my Krell amp. Coda like Krell is decidedly neutral and NOT bright. Mac is built to be warm, aka not neutral. I’d also ask if you deploy IsoAcoustic GAIA isolators? If not highly recommend. They decouple your speakers from the floor and will change fundamentally your listening experience. Not suggesting a guarantee it will your mitigate your “brightness” issue but will improve the overall experience.

You may be simply used to a Mac sound that is decidedly not neutral by design. There is nothing at all in the design of your N°16 Coda that would cause it not to mesh well with your Focal speakers. I now have the Sopra N°3’s driven by my Krell Class A which is also neutral like Coda. Great! I use my Lyngdorf MP-60 to drive the Krell which features RoomPerfect. Maybe consider replacing your preamp with a TDAI-3400 to get the benefit if RoomPerfect and simply defeat the amp section. So that’s another option. You have a tremendous power amp so I’d keep it for sure.

 

[Steve Rowan]

I’ve used the CODA 0.7x and the Audio Research Ref 6SE. No brightness with either on my CODA 15.Legacy Vs which are almost identical.
Has the 16 broken in? I always kept mine in standby.

I’d guess it’s not the CODA’s fault. Look to interconnects, speaker cables, digital etc. The Codas are known for a rich tube like sound in the high frequencies. I’ve owned CODA equipment for years and never had that problem.

Try a pair of Belden 8402 interconnects they are tinned copper I love mine. See if you can find some Western Electric Wire for speaker cables and power cords on EBay and make your own. Neither one will cost you a mint.

Another great cable builder is Aural Thrills. I use the vacuum tube powered active shielded interconnects between amp and preamps. More money than Western Electric or Belden but awesome cables.

Contact me if you want by pm.

The Conrad Jonson preamp should sound good if iIts output impedance matches the amplifier which can be an issue when connecting a tube preamp with a solid state amplifier.

I’d also try not using the hometheater bypass and see how that sounds.

 

[Robert_NP]

Thanks, Krell and Steve, for the thoughts and kind words. Having gone through a few preamps, the CJ is the best I've had in my system so far. Being tube-based, change a tube, change the sound signature. I got a few NOS tubes a few weeks ago and a modest Mullard is breaking in and sounds really good. I have some better ones en route, eager to see how they fit in.

My speakers sit on IsoAcoustic Gaia's, they were one of my early discoveries, and surprisingly effective. I do not use the HT bypass in the CJ, as Doug at Coda pointed out the beauty and ease of switching between the RCA and XLR inputs with the switch on the front of the amp. Music is input via RCA, HT via XLR; easy peasy and a beautiful thing. The Coda is not new, and is in standby when not in use. The Makua preamp sounds great, the Music Room has a used one available, but the CJ is warm sounding and doing fine. I've spent too much time and money to stay on the cable merry-go-round, and find differences subtle. I have different levels of cables in my home theatre setup to swap out and play, something that has grown tiresome.

I'm sitting here listening to the system with the Coda, et all, and it sounds great. It is far more revealing and ballsy than the McIntosh it replaced (Coda is 4 times the cost), which is good and not so good. The new tube helps calm the top end, but still there is a bit of presence that just doesn't sit well with me. It's this close to being great, but not quite. I suspect that given more break-in, the new tube or one of its successors might do it for me, but based on my experience to date, I committed to selling the Coda (assuming my buyer follows through). I've spoken to a number of Focal dealers and certain amp combinations keep coming up, i.e., Krell, Pass Labs and McIntosh. I'm going to audition a Mac next week with my speakers. Btw, the dealer has Legacy speakers, and I'm eager to hear them.
Thanks,
Robert

 

[zonto]

If you go with Legacy speakers then you may want the Coda still. They are much more demanding loads.

Ironically, Coda also used to be the OEM for Legacy Audio amplifiers.

 

[KrellFan1]

Krell, Pass Labs and McIntosh. I'm going to audition a Mac next week with my speakers. Btw, the dealer has Legacy speakers, and I'm eager to hear them.

Awesome, Robert; I actually have the new GAIA Neo's coming in next week which friends tell me represent a significant upgrade. Pass Labs are known to sound a bit warmer than Krell or Coda, but that's a hassle and expense to trade out. Likely the right preamp might get you to where you wish to be given you stated you are "done" with cable experimentation. I am partial to Cerious Lumniscate bc they are decidedly neutral and revealing. They have transformed my entire system.

That said perhaps one of the iconic Pass Labs preamps might get you there. Never heard but their higher end preamps are "legendary" so perhaps you might get lucky to find a used piece at a great price.

Best of luck to you!