Trade: Tone Publications
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Posts: 63
Any love for Lavardin?
I just got one of these in for review and it's pretty spectacular.
Very minimalist design, 48wpc and very grain free, open sound.
Anyone here had any luck? I'm figuring that because it's from France,
there's a better chance of it being there than here in the USA...
Senior Member
Location: Paris, France
Posts: 790
I'm Peter.
The lavardin has always fascinated me. But the deal breaker has always been the strictly no remote control policy of lavardin. I like having RC. lavardin worked on a RC for there products but gave up, because they say it degraded the sound too much.
Intel NUC/Chevron Audio NDF16 dac/Amptastic Mini-1/Audium Comp 5
Mains Block: Custom-HiFi-Cables PowerBlack Distribution Block (with super conditioner).
Connected with Reference Fidelity Components Super Neptunes and Speaker Cables.
Powered by Custom-HiFi-Cables DC2 psus
Gone, but not forgotten
Location: Central England
Posts: 2,932
Peter,
They are quite right. My no-hold-barred-Spectral (a touch under 5k and even that is sans remote)-trouncing pre from Anthony is remote-free and it is superb.
The best volume pots/attenuators out there don't compromise with fripperies like remote at all.
The very best pre I've ever heard with remote was Anthony's Soul Mate. He told me whart it would cost to add remote just for the bits and it's quite scary really.
On a SPPV-basis you just have to lose the remote.
Trade: Tone Publications
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Posts: 63
Understand, but I have to say this Lavardin is good enough that I can get off the couch and change volume! Very nice piece of kit indeed! I wish they made a phono preamp!
Senior Member
Location: Paris, France
Posts: 790
I'm Peter.
They used to, have they stopped ?Originally Posted by TONEPUB
Intel NUC/Chevron Audio NDF16 dac/Amptastic Mini-1/Audium Comp 5
Mains Block: Custom-HiFi-Cables PowerBlack Distribution Block (with super conditioner).
Connected with Reference Fidelity Components Super Neptunes and Speaker Cables.
Powered by Custom-HiFi-Cables DC2 psus
Senior Member
Location: Norwich
Posts: 1,064
I'm Mike.
The LAVARDIN phono stage I auditioned at home in the very late nineties was very good indeed, and better than two similarly priced alternatives at the time.
Believe it was offered for about £1,500 at that juncture.
Senior Member
Location: gone
Posts: 11,519
I'm gone.
Back in the days when I had Avantgarde Uno speakers (stupidly efficient at 102dB/W) I bought a Lavardin IS Reference amp. It didn't sound very special to me and was very hissy thru the ultra-efficent speakers. I swapped it for a Lavardin IT. Aha - now that was genuinely superior sound quality! Very special. And the hiss level was lower, but after a month or so I decided the hiss was still just too much. so I sold the amp on.
I'd certainly give the IT another try with more 'sensible' speakers sometime - are they still lacking remote controls? That might be a problem for me.
.
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