Nad 3020 vs Nad 3020a

[RoboCopper]

What is the difference between those two amps?
What is the sound difference too?
Which one is better to buy nowadays?

[Mr Nad]

I read about this recently. If I find the link, I'll post it.

From memory, the 3020 contained a design flaw in the circuitry that introduced some kind of feedback. Rather than impair the sound, this error actually seemed to enhance it :scratch:.

However, the 3020A corrected the error, and the sound did chance. Apparently the amp sounded clearer, but not as pleasing :doh:.

That's what I understand, at least.

I've searched for the article, but can't find it. I came across it when researching which amp I should upgrade to (I was looking for a new Nad!).

Lenny

[DSJR]

Nah... The 3020A had an MC input the previous one didn't...

The very early 3020's were terribly unreliable and any surviving ones would have been sorted decades ago. As production went on, the internals got a bit neater, but the warm hearted and slightly fruity sound remained - most endearing it was too. We only went the Creek route to start with because the latter was made just up the road and, after a few months getting to know Mike, he seemed to respond to what his little amp needed to do and worked on it accordingly..

Do please be aware that the 3020 series will be nearly thirty years old now and although the design became reliable, old components may have drifted off by now, depending on the use it's had.

The "audiophile" version, the 3120, which came minus tone controls, never gelled the way the stock model did, the supposedly cleaner sonics tending to "force" the music out in comparison I remember. With modern sources and speakers though, who knows...

[RoboCopper]

MC input could be eventually valuable in future.

What about sound wise? Which version is better?
Thanks

[dantheman91]

Hi


3020A is the best in my opinion

[RoboCopper]

Hi


3020A is the best in my opinion

Do you mean from all 3020 family or only between 3020 and 3020a?

[dantheman91]

Hi

between the 3020 and 3020Athe 3020A wins my vote . also the 3020I is pretty decent my mates got one.

Happy new year :cool:

Dan

[DSJR]

From a certain period, I'd personally suggest that the internals weren't hugely different, although the mid bass bump seemed to be tamed as production went on.

The MC setting on the 3020A may not be the quietest out there and possibly a touch unrefined, but I used one for years in my setup system and could easily hear small setup differences..

I have to say that if a Creek 4040 came along at similar price, I'd probably go with that one, as Creek apparently still service them should it be necessary and by 1982-83, the 4040 was a far better amp (for us at least), the NAD's sliding down the desirability scale until the late 80's models came along (I believe Chris Evans, ex A&R director and before he started Myryad, played a part in the design and/or tuning of these later models)..

[Wakefield Turntables]

im reading this thread and thinking :doh: I had chance to pick one of these neat little amps up for £30 and remember thinking at the time, am I paying too much??? :doh::doh::doh::doh: Looking on eBay they seem to sell for more. :doh:

[chelsea]

Don't know which is best,but i took a new 3020 back the day after i got it in the early 80's and got a A&R a60.
Far better amp although is was a couple of hundred compared to £90 for the nad.

[Reid Malenfant]

The thing with the 3020 was that it had a pretty large power supply for it's fairly lowly output power. Where so called 50W Japanese amps fell down driving difficult loads the NAD just didn't give a toss & simply supplied all the current the load needed :eyebrows:

Your 50W Jap amp with a compromised transformer & low capacitance couldn't tackle a reactive load, where as the NAD with it's 25 or 30W (8 ohm) was happy to even power severely reactive loads & deliver much more power than the Jap stuff could. They were even happy driving Linn Isobarics :)

[synsei]

Can I throw the NAD C series amps into the ring as well? I owned a C350 for a couple of years and it was a really gutsy amp. Mine didn't come with a phono stage but I ran a Thorens TD316/LINN LVX+/AT95 through a CA 540p into the NAD which was hooked up to a pair of Mission 773's and it all made a very agreeable noise. I paid 40 quid for my C350 off ebay ;)

[Canetoad]

I have a C350 and a C372 and they are both very good amps. I particularly like the drive of the C372.

[RoboCopper]

The NADs are attacking :)

C350 for £40 is really good price, cheaper than 3020, but probably better sounding.

[synsei]

It is a great amp Roberto especially if you like Rock or Dance music, although it doesn't sound shabby playing delicate material either. NAD conservatively rate the C350 at 50wpc but in the real world we're probably talking closer to 70wpc. It will also not be embarrassed being fed with music from quality sources way beyond its pricepoint, as I discovered when I set mine up to demo it with my current CDP for the guy who bought it from me ;)

[DSJR]

The 350 was just a tad "cloudy" when compared with its peers I found, but that's considerably better to listen to than a thin-toned disaster of old from the far east.. and the cost was extremely reasonable.

[jazzpiano]

I used to sell the old 3020s, and while they were frequently returned (cold solder joints, etc.) loved them as they sounded VERY musical (I'd like to get one and spend just a few bucks getting it 'rugidized' for a budget system). If you are familiar with James Boyk of Performance Recordings, I believe he likes a budget system of original 3020 w/ NHT 1.1loudspeakers.
While we're on NAD, anyone have thoughts on the 216 THX amps? - I got two for free from a friend who's always upgrading.

Best,
Barry

[Reid Malenfant]

While we're on NAD, anyone have thoughts on the 216 THX amps? - I got two for free from a friend who's always upgrading.

Best,
Barry
:lol: Ok so they aren't pretty but who gives a crap with 200W RMS per channel 8 ohms - you got the bargain of the century :D

They certainly sound rather good, very similar to the jazzed up looking versions which were the S series (I think :scratch:).

[dantheman91]

Back to the 3020I any good.

[spendorman]

I like the idea of using the 3020 as a pre only, think this applies only to the originals ones and the 3020i. The Proton 520 has this facility, and seems to be very similar to the 3030i.

I like the Proton 520 a lot (have three of them), NAD 3130 is pretty good too.

[dantheman91]

Picked up a 3020i today. excellent condition original box and cables.

[dantheman91]

The nad works fine. Just wondering if the wirr of the transformer is normal its not loud just wondering.

[dantheman91]

Edit where the previous owner had stacked cd player and turntable and gowd knows what else the cover had bent in touching the transformer. Bent the cover out.

[mmantra]

I was just too late on the scene to sell old 3020 amps but I did own a 3020B while at college.

I later got to compare this against the other models as trade ins.

IMHO, the 3020 series 20 was a little too soft and sported a poor finish.
The 3020A did improve the sound and seemed to have a little more drive, plus the finish was improved.
The 3020B had most noticeably cosmetic changes including binding posts, I was told there was also a few watts more available along with the odd circuit change here and there.

I thought the the 3130 was a blander offering but the 3155 put some guts back into the mix.

I was less keen on the 3020e and 3020i, maybe from a nostalgic standpoint. All the "PE" versions had higher failure rate.

Then the two odd balls, the 3140 and 3150. Sounded quite different to each other. The 3140s I've had in my hands were all faulty and looked quite scruffy. The 3150s were possibly my favourite of the old ranges, having a more "honest" sound than the rest.

[dantheman91]

Not forgetting the 3155 & 3020E guys.......Seems to be a the BEST designs to be fair.:eyebrows:

Caution waiting for the slagging of..........:rolleyes:

HAHAHA

[Martyn Miles]

Kenwood made a 3020 amplifier, presumably to try and jump on the bandwagon...