Lavardin IT Integrated Amplifier and PO Phono Stage by Roy Gregory

Issue 2 - August 1999 Have you ever opened a window to get a better view? We all have, which is what makes it such an attractive description for the improvements we often hear in hi-fi systems. In fact, it's become something of a clich�, over used and consequently devalued. In reviewer speak, we refine the notion as 'transparency', but few of us take the time to explain exactly what we mean by it, or discuss its real value.

Enter the Lavardin IT integrated amp, a product of such obvious and stunning clarity combined with a natural musical coherence, that it forces me to face the inadequacies of the stock vocabulary I first came across the Lavardin when it pitched up on my doorstep, unheralded, all the way from France and accompanied by some fairly sweeping claims (see the accompanying interview with Jean-Christophe Crozel). Despite a deep and abiding cynicism concerning the "we know why amps sound different" description of the product, even a quick listen forced me to re-evaluate. This wasn't a case of opening a window. More like throwing open the drapes! I've been boring people with my enthusiasm ever since. The performance of the IT challenged all my cosy pre-conceptions. And yet, externally and on paper, there was absolutely nothing to indicate anything out of the ordinary.
The Lavardin IT is perhaps best understood as a technology demonstrator, shorn of every extraneous facility and intended by the company to showcase the fruits of its research. It's understated appearance, moderate power, and hair-shirt facilities make the �3200 price tag something of a shock - until you listen to it! That's when it moves the goalposts.

What the Lavardin amplifier possesses is the ability to make almost every other amplifier sound cluttered and clumsy. Such is the ease with which the Lavardin presents the music, that the flow of energy is perfectly paced and spookily natural. This is a truly transparent product, but as I said earlier, that will need some defining. How is it transparent? Let me count the ways.
Firstly it's transparent to the recording. This is perhaps, the most common use of the term. What it means is that we can hear the elements of the recording laid out in space. Whether it's a purist production with each instrument identified and locked in its acoustic space, or a heavily manipulated studio recording, laden with effects and stacking instruments higgledy piggledy, the Lavardin lets you hear right into the recording itself. Each element and instrument is clearly separated, its contribution preserved intact. In terms of our window, it makes other amplifiers sound like the glass is or heavily tinted, whilst the IT lets you throw it open, lean out and look around.

And that clarity extends to the time domain. When a note starts, and how it decays, is beautifully preserved, so that the rhythmic relationships and tensions within a piece, and between the players also survive. Not just the notes that are played, but when they play them. You get the internal chemistry if you like, whether its the effortless ensemble playing of the Basie Big Band as they unleash another shattering brass tutti, or the rhythmic hitch kicks and complex interleavings of 'La Folia' (Harmonia Mundi HM1050). I keep stressing the delicacy and precision of this amp, but make no mistake, it's quick, and that means it really rocks. Wide range dynamics are really explosive, and well recorded snare drums go off with a real crack. The pitch, shape and impact of bass notes is especially impressive, and they really propel music like Steve Earl's 'Copperhead Rd'.
The second realm in which the IT reveals its qualities is transparency to the performance. This amplifier tracks dynamics better than anything else I've used. The tiny shifts in level which allow a musician to shape a melody or lyric are the tools of expression. They are the micro-dynamic details which separate one performer from another, a great performance from the merely mundane. Of course, if your system collapses or blurs these details, then the gap between brilliance and the merely adequate narrows accordingly The Lavardin allows stellar perfor-mances to soar, as well as clearly defining the nature of the performers themselves. Ricci's tantalising delicacy and poise are captivating (Bizet Carman Fantaisie Decca SXL 2197), as is Martzy's intensity (Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata, Coup d'Archet COUP003), but the IT displays the contrast between the two more clearly than ever before, which makes them both even more enjoyable in their own way You can really appreciate the qualities each brings to their playing.

And here's a thing. The Lavardin's dynamic capabilities extend beyond simply telling you whether something is louder or softer. It scales the changes precisely which creates an incredibly natural sense of instrumental presence, integrated into a complete acoustic. And that sense of holistic correctness encompasses overall dynamic range. The IT shades dynamics just as precisely at either end of the dynamic spectrum, and irrespective of volume. Let me say that again; irrespective of volume. In fact, it is so dynamically coherent that you can play it at astonishingly low levels without any loss of impact or enjoyment. Normally when you turn a system down it sounds flat and sat on, your ears taking time to adjust. With the Lavardin you adjust almost immediately While demonstrating the amp to friends and colleagues, I could halve the volume whilst changing a disc or record without the listener noticing! Not particularly useful in itself I grant you, but think what it means in terms of maintaining dynamic range and presence at low levels, and the ability to play music both quietly and convincingly.
Thirdly the Lavardin is transparent to music. Que? Well, despite all this talk of clarity and precision, and unlike many other amps that have trodden this path, it doesn't destroy poor recordings. It simply gets as much out of them as possible, making even difficult music far easier to unravel. And that opens huge vistas of musical opportunity If you are looking for romance, then you'll he better off elsewhere. There's no rose tinted harmonic bloom or cushioned transients. But there's no hardness or sterility either, and whilst I hesitate to use the term, what you get is a pretty broad slice of musical truth, it doesn't matter what you play the amps won't obstruct the message, it just sounds right. So where does that leave the phono stage? As soon as I heard the IT my first thought was "jeez, I'd like to hear what these guys could do for moving-coils". And whilst I've had to wait a while, the �2500 PO has been well worth the patience. Historically moving coil stages have tended to have either definition and detail or life and body They can involve or amaze, but not both. The Lavardin PO not only bridges the gap, it extends the performance at both ends.
All the characteristic qualities of the IT remain, but given the tiny signals involved, they are even more relevant to phono amplification, and the musical results are even more impressive. In keeping with the IT, both noise levels and surface noise are extremely low. Certainly low enough not to intrude on your musical pleasure. The sense of life and bite from Ricci's bow as it skitters through the closing bars of Paganiniana (Water Lily WLA-WS-06) is breathtaking. And the palpable space that surrounds the performers in the RCA Soria Carmen really adds to the live quality of the recording. Music via the PO is spectacular in the real sense of the word. Instruments and voices have greater solidity and stability and this lack of wander in the imagery has a surprisingly beneficial effect on the system's ability to let you relax into the performance.

The sense of air around instruments is most apparent at the bottom end, where most electronics fail so miserably The Lavardin combination doesn't just define bass notes, it floats them on a cushion of air, just the way they do in the concert hall. And whilst I prefer the additional air and space that I get from the top of the JA3Os, comparisons to live sound show that once again, the Lavardin is closer to the truth. Likewise, the IT/PO makes the attractive presence and colour of the Pass/Jadis combination's midrange seem slightly gaudy. Normally I avoid such direct comparisons, but it's instructive to note how readily the Lavardin components reveal shortcomings in a (much more expensive) system that I've been honing to a fine edge over the years. Which is better? That's a personal choice. Which is more accurate? No contest, especially at the bottom end. The IT/PO's combination of clarity dynamics and naturalness has lifted vinyl performance to new heights, and not just in terms of detail or focus, but in the record's ability to musically convince. I listen more, I question less.
I've already described the way in which these electronics open access to new music, simply by making more sense of it. But the real shock with the PD comes when you play something you know really well. It bit me when I listened to the Siegel, Slatkin, St Louis 'Rhapsody in Blue' (Reference Mastercuts RM-1003). I've always loved this version, and Siegel's piano brings a sense of seedy darkness to a score whose performances are often altogether too jolly. Played through the PD, the dynamic discrimination and subtle weighting of the piano notes, the poise of the rests, the stretching of the convoluted rhythms, all lifted the performance to new heights. The now obviously percussive nature of the piano itself, and the complexity of its harmonic structure brought the instrument's mechanics to life. The controlled energy and restraint of Siegel's playing was laid out, clear to hear, while the orchestral crescendos had even more power and control, making the dramatic contrasts that much more effective. I sat mesmerised while a performance I was convinced I knew surprised and entertained me all over again.

The bottom line here is that the Lavardin electronics produce more music, more coherently and consistently than any other amplifiers I've had at home. They also represent the first serious challenge to the Jadis in something like ten years. They are effortlessly un-fussy and if anything, sound rather understated. If you want spectacle and fireworks, or a comfort zone, look elsewhere. But if you value the natural presentation of the widest possible range of music, they should be top of your list. I'm in no position to assess the accuracy or otherwise, of the technical claims made by Lavardin, but they certainly seem totally consistent with the way the amps sound, making a sort of intuitive sense. They really do let you have your cake and eat it.

In the year or so since I first met the IT integrated amp, it, and now the PD phono stage, have become both essential tools and a source of constant pleasure. Reading back over this copy I was concerned that it might seem a bit on the dry side, but that is because I've been at pains to try and explain exactly why the Lavardin electronics stand apart from (and above) the crowd. In a world which continually rejuvenates and rediscovers old technology these products could just represent the most significant breakthrough in audio circuitry for years. Do I like them? Could I live with them? Do I covet them? Yes, yes and absolutely!

Less is More?

The Lavardin IT is the first, model in the companys Reference Series of products. As such it performs the role of technology demonstrator, and in order to best display the merits of their novel circuitry they eliminated anything that might compromise the sound quality. Thus you get four inputs, a volume control and a single set of tour millimetre binding posts. No tape loop, no pre-out and definitely no remote control!
Set-up couldn't be easier, as long as you follow a few simple rules. Both units should be supported on wooden shelves (not glass!), and fed using their own interconnect cables. The PO stays permanently powered, but the IT can be switched off. It really does only take a few minutes to sound its best, Both units should be used with their supplied power leads, not after market 'upgrades', and speaker leads should be connected at right angles to the binding posts. I will admit to a degree of suspicion when I heard this list, but I've checked and verified each and every instruction. These guys clearly know their product inside out!

The Model IT is no power house, although its exceptional perfor-mance at low levels does compensate to an extent. See the interview for Lavardin's views on speaker matching. I've used it with a great many different speakers, but on the whole I think that a sensitivity of around 90dB is a good target.

The PO phono stage is dealer configurable for resistive and capacitive loading as well as gain (the changes involve soldered links). You get best sonic results earthing via a signal return a la Rega, but there's an earth post should you need it. Other than that, you get two front panel switches: one is the essential mute while the other is a high pass filter to take care of severe warps.

Inside, both units are neat, but there are a surprising number of components, especially given the clarity of the sound, and another indication that these units are far from run of the mill. Casework and control feel are both excellent without being over the top, and the overall effect is one of understated quality. Finish is any colour you like as long as it's black. The company also makes a cheaper S Series, each item being about half the price of its Reference counterpart.