AMS 35I-Lavardin IT

[Macspur]

Hi all,
The dealer from whom I bought my Harbeth's from is dropping off some taller stands for me next week, so thought I'd take the opportunity to demo these two amps.
After all I've read from Cno re the MF really can't wait to hear it... any idea what I can expect from the Lavardin?
Just hope I'm still satisfied with my Sugden afterwards!

 

[acalex]

Are you planning to upgrade?
Well...if you like your beautiful amp, you can't love the AMS35! It is a great amp, a pleasure to listen to. Very fast, dynamic and detailed but still very musical. Great bass and an absolute control in every situation.

Be careful...it is very addictive!

 

[Macspur]

No plans to change at the mo... and I know Acalex... it's a dangerous game!

 

[CnoEvil]

I think it's great that these more unusual, wonderful sounding amps, are getting a mention.

The Lavardin is one of the very few non class A amps that I like. In fact when looking for a good 2 channel amp, it was on my (very short) shortlist....it might even take the award for giving the best sound for your pound.

The reason that I didn't go with it, was that it was felt that it didn't have enough current to properly drive my Kef Reference....the dealer in Dublin (Clooney Audio) was very open and honest about this. The Lavardin IT almost doubles its power into 2 Ohms, whereas the AMS35i quadruples its power into 2 Ohms.

I would say that there must be something to their claim of eliminating "memory distortion". It has many of the qualities of a good class A / tube amp. It seems to give such insight with its musical communication of every nuance, that it just removes the barriers between you and the music. It is delicate, accurate, detailed and neutral, without ever falling prey to the harsh edginess that SS amps can fall prey to.....its just a compelling listening experience (without draining the grid).

It won't be as lush and magically romantic as a Jardis; and compared to the AMS35i, it won't be quite as full bodied, with as liquid a treble and incredible bass.

It will sound incredible with speakers like Living Voice, Harbeth and Diapason....it has so little nasties in the way of distortion, that it loves revealing, musical speakers, which pass on this remarkable trait.

As you can see, I'm a fan, but if I had to guess, I suspect you will slightly prefer the MF, as it is similar to the Sugden, with more of everything.

I will be fascinated to hear what you (and Acalex) think....though you are playing with fire my friend. :read:

 

[acalex]

I think it's great that these more unusual, wonderful sounding amps, are getting a mention. The Lavardin is one of the very few non class A amps that I like. In fact when looking for a good 2 channel amp, it was on my (very short) shortlist....it might even take the award for giving the best sound for your pound. The reason that I didn't go with it, was that it was felt that it didn't have enough current to properly drive my Kef Reference....the dealer in Dublin (Clooney Audio) was very open and honest about this. The Lavardin IT almost doubles its power into 2 Ohms, whereas the AMS35i quadruples its power into 2 Ohms. I would say that there must be something to their claim of eliminating "memory distortion". It has many of the qualities of a good class A / tube amp. It seems to give such insight with its musical communication of every nuance, that it just removes the barriers between you and the music. It is delicate, accurate, detailed and neutral, without ever falling prey to the harsh edginess that SS amps can fall prey to.....its just a compelling listening experience (without draining the grid). It won't be as lush and magically romantic as a Jardis; and compared to the AMS35i, it won't be quite as full bodied, with as liquid a treble and incredible bass. It will sound incredible with speakers like Living Voice, Harbeth and Diapason....it has so little nasties in the way of distortion, that it loves revealing, musical speakers, which pass on this remarkable trait. As you can see, I'm a fan, but if I had to guess, I suspect you will slightly prefer the MF, as it is similar to the Sugden, with more of everything. I will be fascinated to hear what you (and Acalex) think....though you are playing with fire my friend. :read:

Ah, it's always so nice to read Cno describing the amps he likes! Really nice reading.

I am listening to the Lavardin + Living Voice and Clearuadio Performance TT this weekend or next Friday for sure. I am getting now very curios to hear what this "little" beautiful amp can do...

 

[CnoEvil]

Ah, it's always so nice to read Cno describing the amps he likes! Really nice reading.

I am listening to the Lavardin + Living Voice and Clearuadio Performance TT this weekend or next Friday for sure. I am getting now very curios to hear what this "little" beautiful amp can do...

Kind of you to say so, but I'm always a little nervy describing what I've heard (especially if it wasn't for long, or was a while back), and even worse, anticipating someone else's reaction.....there is also the distinct possibility, that I'm talking a load of b*!!ox. :roll:

 

[plastic penguin]

I think it's great that these more unusual, wonderful sounding amps, are getting a mention. The Lavardin is one of the very few non class A amps that I like. In fact when looking for a good 2 channel amp, it was on my (very short) shortlist....it might even take the award for giving the best sound for your pound. The reason that I didn't go with it, was that it was felt that it didn't have enough current to properly drive my Kef Reference....the dealer in Dublin (Clooney Audio) was very open and honest about this. The Lavardin IT almost doubles its power into 2 Ohms, whereas the AMS35i quadruples its power into 2 Ohms. I would say that there must be something to their claim of eliminating "memory distortion". It has many of the qualities of a good class A / tube amp. It seems to give such insight with its musical communication of every nuance, that it just removes the barriers between you and the music. It is delicate, accurate, detailed and neutral, without ever falling prey to the harsh edginess that SS amps can fall prey to.....its just a compelling listening experience (without draining the grid). It won't be as lush and magically romantic as a Jardis; and compared to the AMS35i, it won't be quite as full bodied, with as liquid a treble and incredible bass. It will sound incredible with speakers like Living Voice, Harbeth and Diapason....it has so little nasties in the way of distortion, that it loves revealing, musical speakers, which pass on this remarkable trait. As you can see, I'm a fan, but if I had to guess, I suspect you will slightly prefer the MF, as it is similar to the Sugden, with more of everything. I will be fascinated to hear what you (and Acalex) think....though you are playing with fire my friend. :read:

I totally and catagorically agree about the lesser known brands. All too often they can, and are, overlooked, however, my main (only) gripe about these unknowners is the lack of availability. Outlets/dealers need to grasp the nettle and demand a dem to see whether they can accomodate these smaller companies. Unless this changes, they will always stay on the fringes.

 

[CnoEvil]

I totally and catagorically agree about the lesser known brands. All too often they can, and are, overlooked, however, my main (only) gripe about these unknowners is the lack of availability. Outlets/dealers need to grasp the nettle and demand a dem to see whether they can accomodate these smaller companies. Unless this changes, they will always stay on the fringes.

There is also the problem, that you need to have heard of them first, before you can look them up (obviously)......but if you always make a point of checking their site for dealers, you can often find they have someone within reach.

You may think you are hard done by, but in Ireland there are far fewer dealers, and it's almost impossible to hear what you want, in one place. The ones that I deal with are all excellent, but the potential market is relatively small, and like everywhere else, the recession has bitten deep. One place I use, got a lot of its business from installing multi-room systems in luxury blocks of flats..well that hit a brick wall (cringe worthy pun intended!).

I'm pretty fanatical about getting the sound I like, which means I would travel anywhere within Ireland to get what I wanted (if it wasn't available at my usual dealers)....but I'm nuts! :twisted:

 

[plastic penguin]

I totally and catagorically agree about the lesser known brands. All too often they can, and are, overlooked, however, my main (only) gripe about these unknowners is the lack of availability. Outlets/dealers need to grasp the nettle and demand a dem to see whether they can accomodate these smaller companies. Unless this changes, they will always stay on the fringes.

There is also the problem, that you need to have heard of them first, before you can look them up (obviously)......but if you always make a point of checking their site for dealers, you can often find they have someone within reach. You may think you are hard done by, but in Ireland there are far fewer dealers, and it's almost impossible to hear what you want, in one place. The ones that I deal with are all excellent, but the potential market is relatively small, and like everywhere else, the recession has bitten deep. One place I use, got a lot of its business from installing multi-room systems in luxury blocks of flats..well that hit a brick wall (cringe worthy pun intended!). I'm pretty fanatical about getting the sound I like, which means I would travel anywhere within Ireland to get what I wanted (if it wasn't available at my usual dealers)....but I'm nuts! :twisted:

This is the whole point. Before you came along I'd never heard these makes (Peachtree, Lavardin etc etc), and when I've approached one or two dealers and mentioned these brands, they've just shaken their heads.

Somehow this monopoly (if not for a better word) needs to be broken by these smaller names. Like Magnapans, there's one outlet in S London and one in Dorset. That's a fat lot of use if you live in Newcastle or the Midlands.

We're not hard done by, but it is frustrating when you mention a certain make and I know I've more chance of climbing mount Everest than auditioning one of these fringe makes. Also, over a period of time, if more and more dealers take these on board, this'll mean keener prices. It won't happen overnight, but hey, one has to start somewhere.

I'm off to the greenhouse to grow little acorns...

 

[Macspur]

I totally and catagorically agree about the lesser known brands. All too often they can, and are, overlooked, however, my main (only) gripe about these unknowners is the lack of availability. Outlets/dealers need to grasp the nettle and demand a dem to see whether they can accomodate these smaller companies. Unless this changes, they will always stay on the fringes.

There is also the problem, that you need to have heard of them first, before you can look them up (obviously)......but if you always make a point of checking their site for dealers, you can often find they have someone within reach. You may think you are hard done by, but in Ireland there are far fewer dealers, and it's almost impossible to hear what you want, in one place. The ones that I deal with are all excellent, but the potential market is relatively small, and like everywhere else, the recession has bitten deep. One place I use, got a lot of its business from installing multi-room systems in luxury blocks of flats..well that hit a brick wall (cringe worthy pun intended!). I'm pretty fanatical about getting the sound I like, which means I would travel anywhere within Ireland to get what I wanted (if it wasn't available at my usual dealers)....but I'm nuts! :twisted:

This is the whole point. Before you came along I'd never heard these makes (Peachtree, Lavardin etc etc), and when I've approached one or two dealers and mentioned these brands, they've just shaken their heads.

Somehow this monopoly (if not for a better word) needs to be broken by these smaller names. Like Magnapans, there's one outlet in S London and one in Dorset. That's a fat lot of use if you live in Newcastle or the Midlands.

We're not hard done by, but it is frustrating when you mention a certain make and I know I've more chance of climbing mount Everest than auditioning one of these fringe makes. Also, over a period of time, if more and more dealers take these on board, this'll mean keener prices. It won't happen overnight, but hey, one has to start somewhere.

I'm off to the greenhouse to grow little acorns...

Forgive me if I'm wrong PP, thought you lived in the south east somewhere... if so, try Guildford Audio.

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

I had a chance to listen to Lavardin IT-15 briefly at a hi-fi show in Dublin. Lavardin was on my shortlist as well so I was very curious to hear how it sounds. and it is fast (in a good sense of the word), musical and fluid. despite being fast it doesn't sound uptight. contrary, the speed makes it sound relax and unforced as the natural attack and decay of instruments is well maintained. it also is very "black". the soundstage is deep and there is no hint of grain of any sort in the background. it's like staring at deepless void. however, my and my GF's impression was also that we don't miss anything of that at home . and that's an entry level amp from Pathos we have. I red an opinion on another forum form a guy who had Lavardin IT and Pathos Inpol2 that he finds Pathos more refined. annoying thing about those amps is both need very careful matching of speakers. anything dropping below 5 Ohms is definitely not welcome. but Harbeths should be OK in this department.

 

[plastic penguin]

I totally and catagorically agree about the lesser known brands. All too often they can, and are, overlooked, however, my main (only) gripe about these unknowners is the lack of availability. Outlets/dealers need to grasp the nettle and demand a dem to see whether they can accomodate these smaller companies. Unless this changes, they will always stay on the fringes.

There is also the problem, that you need to have heard of them first, before you can look them up (obviously)......but if you always make a point of checking their site for dealers, you can often find they have someone within reach. You may think you are hard done by, but in Ireland there are far fewer dealers, and it's almost impossible to hear what you want, in one place. The ones that I deal with are all excellent, but the potential market is relatively small, and like everywhere else, the recession has bitten deep. One place I use, got a lot of its business from installing multi-room systems in luxury blocks of flats..well that hit a brick wall (cringe worthy pun intended!). I'm pretty fanatical about getting the sound I like, which means I would travel anywhere within Ireland to get what I wanted (if it wasn't available at my usual dealers)....but I'm nuts! :twisted:

This is the whole point. Before you came along I'd never heard these makes (Peachtree, Lavardin etc etc), and when I've approached one or two dealers and mentioned these brands, they've just shaken their heads.

Somehow this monopoly (if not for a better word) needs to be broken by these smaller names. Like Magnapans, there's one outlet in S London and one in Dorset. That's a fat lot of use if you live in Newcastle or the Midlands.

We're not hard done by, but it is frustrating when you mention a certain make and I know I've more chance of climbing mount Everest than auditioning one of these fringe makes. Also, over a period of time, if more and more dealers take these on board, this'll mean keener prices. It won't happen overnight, but hey, one has to start somewhere.

I'm off to the greenhouse to grow little acorns...

Forgive me if I'm wrong PP, thought you lived in the south east somewhere... if so, try Guildford Audio.

I do and did. But if you read my post again you'll notice that I commented on those who live in the north and the lack dealers who stock these lesser makes.

 

[CnoEvil]

annoying thing about those amps is both need very careful matching of speakers. anything dropping below 5 Ohms is definitely not welcome. but Harbeths should be OK in this department.

This certainly rings true with the dealers advice to me, as the Kef Ref's impedance drop to 3.2 Ohms.

If you don't mind me asking, what speakers did you hear it with?

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

If you don't mind me asking, what speakers did you hear it with?

I don't. it was french Lecontoure Mobile 160.

 

[CnoEvil]

If you don't mind me asking, what speakers did you hear it with?

I don't. it was french Lecontoure Mobile 160.

Cheers Oldric, glad I asked! :?

That's too fringe, even for me. :O

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

Cheers Oldric, glad I asked! :? That's too fringe, even for me. :O

no probs . I could swear I came across this brand when I was researching Lavardin amps. maybe the same store was stocking those two brands? anyway, when I saw them in the flesh it was already a known view for me.

 

[John Duncan]

I seem to recall the WHF review at the time was extremely effusive. It was in whatever passed for the Temptations section at the time, and it made me want one...

 

[BenLaw]

I seem to recall the WHF review at the time was extremely effusive. It was in whatever passed for the Temptations section at the time, and it made me want one...

Indeed, same here. If PP hadn't heard of Lavardin and Peachtree before reading on the forums, I think he needs to read his WHF more carefully!

 

[plastic penguin]

I seem to recall the WHF review at the time was extremely effusive. It was in whatever passed for the Temptations section at the time, and it made me want one...

Indeed, same here. If PP hadn't heard of Lavardin and Peachtree before reading on the forums, I think he needs to read his WHF more carefully!

I do, virtually every month. Still have all the mags, but can't remember every item going back to Jan 2004, unless, of course, I metaphorically trip over THE mag. This happened recently when I looked in one and found a review for B&W CM1s, ironically, there was a post about CM1 reviews...

 

[Richard Allen]

For information on Levardin, Magneplanar and the like, call Midland Audio Exchange Monday to Friday. John Roberts is the distributor for Levardin in this country I believe. His number is 01562 731100. If in doubt, Google him. He's based in Belbroughton, Worcestershire. The Midlands!!!.

 

[John Duncan]

Though after some googlage, I suspect it was the IS that was reviewed. Banged on about it having the best phono stage ever or something...

 

[Macspur]

Hi,

Well the guys kindly brought the taller stands round... perfect.

However, they weren't able to bring the MF amp, although they did bring the Lavardin plus a Krell Evolution 505 SACD and that's where the pressure mounts!

The Krell is a way superior machine to my Naim... greater separation, depth and texture and that was before using XLR. When they were used everything became more realistic and for the first time I heard the blackness between instruments, must admit thought that was a load of hogwash till now.

The Lavardin is a beautiful amp, the music becomes liquid clear and vocals are given a slight echo effect, probably a misleading description, but don't really know how else to put into words.

I still want to hear the AMS and am hoping that will be next week, but to be honest a new CDP is really my priority... it's no good, just have to buy a ticket tonight!