Anyone compare Lavardin with Sugden?

Hi Eril,

A Lavardin Is ref owner told me that he had the Sugden at home next to the IS Ref. The Sugden was no competitor for the Is Ref. He returned the Sugden imediately. It was, compared to the IS Ref, dull, slow and not open.
I am also going to by a Lavardin. It will be the latest IT. I am a tube owner ( Graaf GM200 en 13.5II) and the Lavardin is the only non tube amp that I like.

I have heard both, but not at the same time and use the Lavardin IT. I would say you can't go wrong with either. The Sugden is class A as you know, detailed and on the warm side of neutral. Lavardin is probably more detailed but not cold and clinical, faster too.. I understand the reference is a big step up from the basic IS.. The Audio Note speakers are high sensitivity and can cope with the low output of both amps , which are in the 30 watt range I believe. Audio Note are built with tubes in mind of course and you may get a better overall result with a tube amp

Bob, do you have a link for this ATI amp? It sounds interesting. Thanks

You might want to consider the Audio Note OTO SE integrated with your AN/J's. A lot of people seem to like that combination. The OTO SE's 10 wpc should be just fine in a room that size. I happen to use an Audio Note M1 pre and P2 SE amp (18 wpc) combo in a room a bit smaller than yours. I originally bought my gear for a much larger room where I used it for several years, but for a smaller room in mind I would have gone with the OTO SE.