Lavardin IS Reference or IT - anyone heard?

Another boutique brand with very little bang for the buck.

"Another boutique brand with very little bang for the buck".
Any evidence for that?, experience of using it in your system? I agree it is'nt the most powerful
amp out there, but anyone can build a 300watt SS amp on the cheap, the question is, would you want to listen to it. The Lavardin appears to have none of the SS grain that people talk about. It is fast, dynamic and detailed. The only other amp that sounded as good was my old Pass Labs Aleph 3. To me the IT sounds as good, though different, to a quality SET at twice the cost. Many other users and dealers will give a similar report. Perhaps we are all deluded, but I am in the camp that believes Lavardin make some quite special amps.

I own a Lavardin IT and is overwhelming happy with it. I match it with Jean Marie Reynaud`s Orfeo speakers, and it`s a great match. So im in for the french sound, as you can tell. The IT just deliver such great musical joy hour after hour, it will get you want to dust your old records off and just listening for many great hours. I suggest when or if you buying this great amplifier you go with the Lavardin cables or Acoustic Zen cables. That works fine with my set-up. I`m using the AZ Satori Shotgun for my speakers, and the AZ Silver Ref II between my Rega Saturn CD and IT, the Lavardin cable between my Rega Eos Riaa and the IT, with great results.....Iv`e had tried a lot of different cables, but keep returning to the AZ cables. Cables wich cost 3 times more has been used in my system, but the AZ beats them all.

I had the pleasure of owning Lavardin IT few years back. Maybe it was a system mismatch or cabling mismatch, I could never get it to sound right.
It was a disappointment for me but nonetheless it was a good experience having it.
I sold it a few months later.

Lavardin IS Ref: quite finicky about cabling, power cord, grounding, shelf...but when dialed in, startlingly (in a good way) lifelike. Very efficient alternative to tubes, barely warm to the touch. Clean top, liquid mids, solid bottom. Involving, enjoyable, just sounds real.