NAD 3020 Integrated Amplifiers

NAD 3020 Integrated Amplifiers 

DESCRIPTION

20 Watt Integrated Amplifier (1978-1983)

USER REVIEWS

Showing 41-50 of 65  
[Jan 02, 2003]
horvatbela
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Everything, really.

Weakness:

If you have a good CD-Player and good front speakers, nothing really.

I bought this incredible amplifier about 2-3 years ago and I wondered how can it work perfectly after 18-20 years. And I wondered that it's sound quality is very good. (I had before a poor quality SONY amplifier, it is an assembly line product, you know). So the NAD 3020 has very warm, very soft and very very natural sound (especially after half an hour, when it warms up). All kind of music sounds on it, especially the classics, acoustics and soft rock musics. I think it contents the cannyest taste too. If you want to buy one, you will surely find it, because it was best-seller, there are many-many piece of them around the world. That's all. :)

Similar Products Used:

- - -

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 02, 2003]
John
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Everything, really.

Weakness:

If you have a good CD-Player and good front speakers, nothing really.

I bought this incredible amplifier about 2-3 years ago and I wondered how can it work perfectly after 18-20 years. And I wondered that it's sound quality is very good. (I had before a poor quality SONY amplifier, it is an assembly line product, you know). So the NAD 3020 has very warm, very soft and very very natural sound (especially after half an hour, when it warms up). All kind of music sounds on it, especially the classics, acoustics and soft rock musics. I think it contents the cannyest taste too. If you want to buy one, you will surely find it, because it was best-seller, there are many-many piece of them around the world. That's all. :)

Similar Products Used:

- - -

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 09, 2002]
revenger
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Fast, warm, transparent sound with wide sound stage. Eats any kind of music.It shows rather less from music than putting unnecessary artifacts in it.

Weakness:

At this price none.

After selling my Yamaha A-500 amp (which sounded warm and naturalistic), I bought a Marantz PM63 because its only advantage: the remote. (Yamaha had none. Yes, I was a loser. :-( ) Its cold, sterile, lifeless sound was really annoying me. After an advice of an experienced audiophile fried, previous week I tried the old NAD3020. After 1 hour warmup it sounded so good, that I've bought immediately. Its fast sound with that very good headroom at this price is really killing a lot of competitors! Now I use this amp with a Philips CD950 player connected with a solid copper interconnect. The speakers are handmade, but sound still good in this system.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha A-500, Marantz PM63

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 08, 2002]
tr1cky
AudioPhile

Strength:

Very tolerant of other equipment will bring out the best in what ever is connected. Just so musical and easy to listen to.

Weakness:

None

I bought my first 3020 many years ago , in fact when they became over popular and production standards where poor. So poor the amp and matching tuner were returned and I had an alternative set up. It is only years later I realise the error of my ways. Having borrowed one from a friend about a year ago I have now realised the potential of this understated gem. I eventually bought one as my friend would not part with his and wanted it back. Mine does put a hum through the speakers when first switched on , but after that it is just superb. The only amp I have used that is better was the Musical Fidelity A1 but how many of those do you see still working after 20 years. Must be the Best Buy of the century.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer A400, Cyrus 1, Musical Fidelity A1

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 02, 2002]
David Simpson
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Incredible headroom on the 20W rating. Very clean and very accurate for 99% plus on what you can actually hear and use. It plays much, much larger than 20 watts and has surprising punch for such a small piece. I've had one minor repair in 20 years of intermittent use. The base on one of the RCA connections worked loose after years of swapping cables and moving equipment on and off of this amp. It had low distortion for the time it was made and is pretty good even today (.02 or .03% THD with S/N in the 90db range as best I recall). Extraordinary value new...almost free used.

Weakness:

None of any significance. Given reasonable care, this thing will apparently last forever. But, be careful with the plastic buttons; you can't get new ones.

This integrated amplifier has been so reliable for so long I feel like I owe it a recommendation! I bought this small amplifier and a NAD 4150 tuner from a Birmingham, Alabama audio shop about 20 years ago. I mated them to some Klipsch LaScalas and still have these original pieces together with a CD and cassette deck in the children's playroom. I still listen to this set up at times and I'm still impressed by the amplifier. Over the years I've never felt like I got as much for my money in amplifiers (or speakers)as I did with this purchase. Other pieces come and go but the 3020 and the La Scala speakers are constants. (I'll probably have a coffin made out of the speaker cabinets some day) If you provide a decent input source and connect a pair of speakers that didn't originate as a Blue Light Special late one night in a K-Mart, you'll probably like the result. The 3020 is very simple and plain looking but surprisingly potent. Considering age and cost, it's a remarkable unit. You can certainly buy a better integrated amplifier; you just have to spend a lot more money to do it. If you can find one of these in good physical condition but it's noisy or intermittent in some of the switches, just take it to an audio technician and let them clean up the the switches. There wasn't much to go wrong with a 3020.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood, Yamaha, Onkyo Integra and other NAD (Looking for user reviews before buying a new NAD C370 brought me to this site today) I've favored NAD ever since buying the 3020.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 18, 2002]
Himanshu
Audio Enthusiast

DOES ANYONE HAS EVER USEDN NAD3240 PE, IF YES TEL ME WHATS BETETR 3020 OR 3240PE. IAM GETTING BOTH 2ND HAND plz email me at : yeshu26@hotmail.com

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 22, 2002]
Hamad Sheikh
AudioPhile

Strength:

Very good sound. Imporoved with replacement of input capacitors with Polypropyline ones.

Weakness:

None

Bought the 3020 at a Garage Sale. Shorted ALL the fuses with thick cable (not recommended for the light hearted). Replaced the Capacitors with Polypropyline ones. The Amps is very tight with excellent sound for all frequencies. Recently wired it for the USA (I love NAD for having a 110V input in the Transformer). It works great. I do vaccuum it sometimes to remove the dust. Otherwise it sits in my Audio cabinet with my Mission speakers spread in the room. Leave the Amp on for 1 hours for excellent sound. Now if there is anyone out there with the schematics for the Amp, please email me.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Feb 15, 2002]
dlarkin_dc
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Deep and wide soundstage. Tonally neutral. Excellent value for money if you come accress one.

Weakness:

Shy of upper-upper frequencies.

My 3020i has been in use as my main amp since I got it (£189 Irish) so here''s my experiences. The power rating of 25W per channel is a "NAD safe" estimate. I''d say you could count on it as performing like 40W per ch. for driving power. With the typical 100W 8ohm 90dB speaker in a small-medium room this is more than adequate. Compared to todays amps/recievers it is low on inputs, but they are all there, Tuner, Phono, Aux, Tape in/out. The CD player on the AUX works fine and it would be better matched with most newer players or older multibit. It gets better at the unit warms up after about 1hr. The build quality is very good. I had to convert mine from 230V to the US 110V recently and I was impressed by what I saw inside the box (my work involves analog electronic circuits) Now the important stuff, what''s it sound like. Well it''s not as detailed as newer, faster and pricier say $500-$1000 amps but it is extremely good. It has great tonal balance and transparency. The silence is very dark and accoustic/orchestral/ambient music sweet and mellow. It maintaints a deep and wide soundstage very well. It likes pop/rock/electronic equally well but without the pace and excitement you might like if your preferences run that way. I recently upgraded to a SACD player (222ES) and Paradigm speakers. The benefits with are clearly heard thru the 3020 and I am rewarded with a much more balanced sounding system and the 3020 appears a lot more neutral and less imposing. Just a hint of shyness of the upper frequencies. So all in it''s a very safe buy. It would be in good company with the $500 hi-fi amps today! Old System: DENON TU260 mkII Pioneer mid-fi CD Player B&W DM Bookshelfs (Ugh, what was I thinking?) New system: SONY CDP-222ES SACD Player Paradigm Reference Studio 60v2

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 16, 2000]
Brad
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sweet sounding, smooth, small unobtrusive size

Weakness:

weak bottom end, limited power

This is a pleasant piece of equipment. I purchased mine over 15 years ago and it's still going strong. I sold it and then bought it back years later.

This can be a great sounding amp; and offers the option of using the amp/preamp sections independantly. This could be a useful amp for someone playing with biamp'ing.

The amp is wonderfully detailed and very easy to listen to; and can astound you with the amount of dynamic range that it can produce. If you have efficient speakers (90db/1watt) and a modest room size you should be happy. If you are not using a powered sub; and you want earthshaking bass go elsewhere.

Similar Products Used:

Luxman LV-105, Onxyo Integrated Amp, Variety of Receivers, etc.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 25, 1999]
Ray
an Audiophile

I hope this works since a bunch of people have been asking for the linkto the 3020 modifications:

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/rchau/audio.html#2

regards,
Ray

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
Showing 41-50 of 65  

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