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Lavardin ITx20

Lavardin ITx20

Lavardin is a small French amplifier company that had a hit with its Model IT integrated amp a couple of decades ago and followed that some years later with the ITx… and the ITx 20 is the spiffy version of the latter that celebrates the former. The ITx 20 receives a series of upgrades to the circuit design and power supply over the ITx. But unlike almost every other company you could mention, this isn’t a ‘beefing up’ process; the ITx 20 retains the same 55W per channel power output and same four inputs of the ITx, which remains on the order books. They even look very similar from the outside. So similar, in fact, that only the back panel gives a clue to whether you are using an ITx or an ITx 20. So why is the standard ITx £6,900 and the ITx 20 £11,500? And why, if you were comparing the two side-by-side, would you immediately opt for the ITx 20?

As the name suggests, the ITx 20 is a celebration of 20 years of that original Model IT integrated amplifier. The Model IT was a quiet revolution in audio, due to it being the platform that gave us Lavardin’s ‘Memory Free’ technology. Lavardin suggests it has found a form of solid-state distortion it calls ‘memory distortion’; most measurement of audio amplifiers is performed using either an impulse or a steady-state waveform like a sine wave, but – argues Lavardin – this completely ignores real-world conditions, where music happens.

 

The Time Element

By not factoring in the time element in measurement and subsequently amplifier design, audio electronics can sound shrill and mechanical due to distortion due to prior electron flow patterns in silicon. This also suggests why people like the sound of valve designs because the electron flow is through a vacuum and therefore not subject to this ‘memory distortion’. By developing a solid-state circuit that compensates for and reduces this memory effect, the result is an amplifier with all the objective benefits of solid-state designs with the vivid, direct, less brash and more silky qualities normally the preserve of single-ended triode designs. Naturally, these are both proprietary technologies and the controversial nature of those ‘memory effect’ claims makes ‘Memory Free’ technology unique to Lavardin despite its suggestion that this is the biggest revelation in audio amplifier design in decades. However, Lavardin is also remarkably secretive about its circuit design, so it seems unlikely that we’ll see licensed versions of ‘Memory Free’ circuits elsewhere, and even extracting what’s changed between ITx and ITx 20 gets the ‘gnomic’ treatment. The changes are to the circuit and the power supply… what more do you need to know?

Lavadin ITx20

Think of it this way, the ITx 20 is effectively a ‘blueprinted’ version of the ITx; a no-compromise version of an amplifier already not big on compromise. Blueprinting is a way of race-tuning a car engine by building it to the exact design specifications and not the ‘wiggle room’ introduced to get a car on the road; it’s not simply double-checking the specifications. Blueprinting is popular with car companies competing in touring car and World Rally Car championships and was especially popular in the 1950s-1970s, when seemingly stock cars like Mini Coopers were capable of (at the time) insane performance due to incredibly carefully built engines. The changes between the ITx and ITx 20 are like the differences between driving a Mini Cooper S along the King’s Road in Swinging Sixties London, and Timo Mäkinen driving a Mini Cooper S to win the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally.

Given the sophisticated nature of the Memory Free technology deployed within both the ITx and ITx 20, that careful selection of components and power supply make a huge difference in the quality of the performance of the amplifier in ways that functionally define Lavardin’s sound.

Redefining terms

Lavardin amplifiers generally sound warm, smooth, and natural. This is no exception. In fact, what it does is redefine what those terms mean for solid-state audio electronics. I’d argue that the ITx 20 is less ‘warm’ sounding than its peers, and instead even more ‘natural’ sounding. This amplifier has frequency extension and treble drive; it’s not hiding the highs and not rolled off, it just doesn’t shout these frequencies until they need to be shouted about. The overall effect is supremely satisfying and entirely un-amp like (especially un-solid-state-like).

Stereo imaging is first rate, too. This is an amplifier that presents a sound far wider than the loudspeakers and very deep. You listen into a mix and on something like the Overture to The Pirates of Penzance [D’Oyly Carte, Decca], you are in a 3D recreation of a late 1950s theatre. OK, so this is a sublime Decca recording, but the Lavardin brings out the best from that album.

The ITx 20 plays at higher volumes well, but those wanting a home PA will either partner the Lavardin with super-efficient horns or look elsewhere. Strangely that isn’t a criticism when you listen, as the ITx 20 has a calming ability that moves you away from the ear-bending end of the volume dial, no matter your choice of music. Take ‘The Grudge’ from Tool’s outstanding Lateralus [Volcano]; this is a complex piece of progressive metal and is usually played loud. While the ITx 20 can play loud too, the Lavardin has this remarkable quality of presenting all the force and intensity of the track, but does so at listening levels that allow you to peel away more of the track than you can at ‘onslaught’ levels. It doesn’t change the metal-ness of the recording but invites questions about the track that just don’t get asked at higher levels. The result is even more admiration for Tool.

The ‘memory distortion’ thing is interesting. Lavardin has a very real point here. This isn’t an amplifier that ‘times’ well; it simply does that whole temporal thing like it’s the real world, with no imposition of timing or obvious sins of admission or commission on the sound. That will sit oddly with those who go looking for a beat in a system. Staying with Tool a while longer, this is a track that truly benefits from the Lavardin approach, steering clear of the aggressively bright sound that recording can sometimes produce in a system. I think this might be one of the key parts that separates the ITx 20 from its fellow Lavardin travellers; some models that do the ‘memory distortion’ thing can sound a touch laid-back rhythmically compared to the beat-masters, but here it’s like a whole raft of electronics between you and the music just got washed away. It’s extremely musically insightful.

Upside down

So, what are the downsides? The obvious one is the Lavardin ITx 20 is ultra-minimalist, although there are many who will see that as an ‘upside’. But having a remote control that simply raises and lowers the volume, having no balance control, home cinema pass-through, built-in DAC, and only four single-ended inputs makes for a sparse specification sheet for the money. Also, while those simple and functional loudspeaker terminals are likely there for a reason, we’re so used to beefier WBT-style connectors at this level you can’t help but notice them. The lack of clear identifier on the front panel will likely discourage those who want to show off a little, as aside from sonically and financially, the only real way you can tell the difference between the two ITx models is on the back panel… but I think if you are wanting to show off, Lavardin is probably not your first choice of amplifier anyway. This is for those who listen to a lot of music in live concerts and want to replicate that sound at home without all that brashly, bright, over-impressive zingy sound that doesn’t happen in the wild.

Lavardin ITx20 rear panel

Those who evaluate amplifiers like it’s a game of Top Trumps will never ‘grok’ Lavardin because a 55W, four-input amplifier that doesn’t even have a balance control doesn’t hit their spec buttons, and the presence of notionally the same product for thousands less will send them apoplectic. On the other hand, if you listen to the Lavardin ITx there is nothing remotely close to what it does… and the ITx 20 does it a lot better. If you want a valve amplifier but don’t want valves, listen to the Lavardin ITx. And if you like the ITx, only listen to the ITx 20 if you have that kind of money to hand. Because you just might not be satisfied with anything else.

Technical specifications

  • Type Two channel solid-state integrated amplifier
  • Inputs 4x RCA stereo single-ended pairs
  • Output 1x RCA stereo single-ended pair tape output, loudspeaker terminals
  • Input selection sealed relay, gold, silver and palladium alloy contacts
  • Power output 2× 55W into 8Ω
  • Output impedance Nominal 8Ω
  • Harmonic Distortion 0.001% @ maximum output
  • Finish Black or Red front panel
  • Dimensions (W×H×D) 43 × 34 × 13.5cm
  • Weight 12kg
  • Price £11,500

Manufacturer

Lavardin

lavardin.com

UK Distributor

Midland Audio Xchange

midlandaudiox-change.co.uk  

+44(0)1562 731100

 

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Tags: INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER LAVARDIN ITX20

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