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View Full Version : Nad 3020A Amplifier what a cracker!!



dantheman91
18-10-2011, 19:31
Hi


bought this amplifier for a ? boxed and everything in near mint condition and im loving the sound it produces a retro CLASSIC. anything you chuck at it it plays it this is a keeper paired with a pair of wharfedale diamond V'S

:cool:

Dan

Dingdong
18-10-2011, 20:16
Nice one. I think those older amps seem underrated.
I sold an old Arcam Alpha to someone recently who was so happy with it he used it instead of his Quad II's.

dantheman91
18-10-2011, 20:27
oh dear instead of quad 11's must be good thats mad

Rare Bird
18-10-2011, 20:32
Whats mad about that?

Dingdong
18-10-2011, 20:59
I've never heard Quad II's myself. I think he went on to find himself an A60 shortly after. Seemed to be as happy as Larry.

DSJR
19-10-2011, 07:27
What's underrated about a 3020A? It was a classic design the minute it was launched and although there's a slight "cuddliness" about the sonics, it really could put many more expensive amps severely to shame! Perfect with little speakers and those Diamond V's (are these the ones Alex bought for £8 recently or was it the IV?) should be ideal.

As with all thirty year old amps, check the caps for bulges and the state of the soldering around the sockets.


The ancestor to the 3020 series was the NAD Model 60 and this was a goodie as well - lovely big blue meters. This became the 3030 (which may have evolved into the 3140, I can't remember)

StanleyB
19-10-2011, 11:21
The 3020 was possibly the most popular integrated amp over several years during the mid to late 80's. It was well designed, but the 29/55/3055 output transistors were prone to failure, which I put down to the small heatsink used.
So don't play it at full blast for hours on end...

DSJR
19-10-2011, 12:13
The very early batches of 3020 weren't reliable at all, but after a few months there was a re-design of the layout and things significantly calmed down after that. Certainly, the HB1's and Mission 770's we often sold them with, didn't seem to stress them too hard, although Stan is correct about these venerable old output transistors. the sibling 7020 receiver was great too, but some tended to blow their mains transformer sadly..

I must admit that by the mid 80's, we were selling far more Creek 4040's and 4140's - locally made to us, and better for our needs by this time :)

worthingpagan
19-10-2011, 15:28
I had one of these a good few years ago, I thought it was well over-rated, sounded fairly ordinary to me. Recently owned a nad c315 which was very good in comparison

dantheman91
19-10-2011, 17:36
Hi

i bought 2 pairs of diamond v's for a £5 and the nad was a £5 now its amazing what a £10 worth of system can sound like

Dan

Reid Malenfant
19-10-2011, 17:52
The thing with the 3020 wasn't it's pretty lowly output power into an 8 ohm speaker (20W), but it's incredibly juicy power supply ;) While lots of bigger amps struggled to power low impedance speakers, the NAD wouldn't bat an eyelid. It could supply loads of current, though as has been pointed out it didn't help in the longevity department :rolleyes:

Rare Bird
19-10-2011, 21:56
The ancestor to the 3020 series was the NAD Model 60 and this was a goodie as well - lovely big blue meters. This became the 3030 (which may have evolved into the 3140, I can't remember)

Dave you missed the Model 90 & Model 200 amps ;)

DSJR
20-10-2011, 08:35
I may remember the 90, come to think of it, but around this time, we "discovered" the heaven and hell of bolt-up Naim and Linn by this time, as well as the better Jap integrateds from Luxman, Technics, Sansui et al and NAD were sidelined for a while until HiFi Markets took the brand over...

StanleyB
20-10-2011, 09:30
Dave you missed the Model 90 & Model 200 amps ;)
You sure you don't mean the model 2200 power amps?

Rare Bird
20-10-2011, 10:17
You sure you don't mean the model 2200 power amps?

Nop the model 200 Intergrated ;)

DSJR
20-10-2011, 13:12
:stalks: Ooooohhh, I don't remember that one at all...


Any pics of the Model 60 Andr'e?

Rare Bird
20-10-2011, 13:20
:stalks: Ooooohhh, I don't remember that one at all...



:eyebrows: You wont remember the Model '300' Reciever then :)




Any pics of the Model '60' Andr'e?

I posted a pic of my Model '60' earlier in the year, can't find the pic. I remember you remarking you thought it good at the time.

DSJR
20-10-2011, 20:57
I remember the receiver - just....

chrism
21-10-2011, 08:30
I remember the receiver - just....

Cripes you lads are getting on a bit! Not certain that anyone under 45 would have even heard a 3020 ;)

Regards

Rare Bird
21-10-2011, 11:51
I remember the receiver - just....

'120'/'140'/'160' you mean..Best looking reciever ever imho

DSJR
21-10-2011, 11:53
I am old! HiFi Dave is even older :ner:

Yeah Andr'e, you're quite right - it was thirty five years ago you know and I can't vivdly remember everything I saw, sold and used back then ;)

chrism
21-10-2011, 12:20
I am old! HiFi Dave is even older :ner:

Poor old HiFi Dave!

Confession, I bought a new one in 1979 with a Dual CS505 I think and it gave way to a brand new 42/110 (£490.00) from Sheffield Audio Centre in 1983. Now that's old.

Rare Bird
21-10-2011, 14:28
Poor old HiFi Dave!

Confession, I bought a new one in 1979 with a Dual CS505 I think and it gave way to a brand new 42/110 (£490.00) from Sheffield Audio Centre in 1983. Now that's old.

My mate bought a Rega Planar 3 from the Sheff Audio Centre in the early 80's. We had Moorgate Acoustics at Westgate chambers (bottom of ship hill) in Rotherham, i used to buy all my clobber from there back then

dantheman91
30-07-2017, 17:12
Thread Resurrection :) :eek:

Update as you know may know i was given a 3020A with some other gear i bought was only about 3 weeks ago i looked in the wardrobe and saw it was their and thought i had to get it going so sent off for a service - New fuse holders , Pot clean , Bias reset have the invoice somewhere . £28 total not bad for the old girl - this one is going in the collection a very clean example i must say.:)

Wakefield Turntables
30-07-2017, 18:11
Yep I purchased a nice clean example of a 3020B from AOS and it now powers the other 1/2s system.

spendorman
30-07-2017, 18:52
I have a Proton 520 and 3130, sort of related models, pretty good.

Minstrel SE
14-08-2017, 16:37
I heard my Uncles 3020A and thought that sounds very nice through his AR 18s?

It was a popular buy at the time through that group of Hifi dealers that formed an advertising collective. Dual Nad and ARs were shifting units. Is it one of the best selling amps of all time or something.

In general terms warm cuddly but with that sense of openness and handling like plenty of current on tap...like it found it easy and wasnt really an amplifier....thats a good quality

It even managed to make a Bucks Fizz land of make believe single sound attractive so it was doing something Right :D

I was tempted but Ive been told that later models are a better buy for retro purchases. The 3020A is generally priced higher than I really want to pay. Im still tempted as a restoration project though

Macca
14-08-2017, 17:34
I would say get an 'A' a 'B' or an 'i' to restore. What's the point of restoring a more recent one?

The later models are still good though. Heard an all NAD system with their little speakers in London a couple of years back. That was the early 2000s stuff 'Bee' or something similar. Was shocked at how good it was. Clean, sweet, crisp, really enjoyed listening to it.

Minstrel SE
14-08-2017, 18:59
I would say get an 'A' a 'B' or an 'i' to restore. What's the point of restoring a more recent one?

The later models are still good though. Heard an all NAD system with their little speakers in London a couple of years back. That was the early 2000s stuff 'Bee' or something similar. Was shocked at how good it was. Clean, sweet, crisp, really enjoyed listening to it.

I didnt word that well. I mean an A, B or an I. I dont mean anything more recent than that.

I had a chance of picking up a 320 Bee for £6...however it had all the cosmetic signs of being very heavily and roughly used in a trade environment. It was well the wrong side of being cosmetically acceptable to me. I could have sprayed the front panel over but I wasnt in the mood at the time. My mistake really as I would liked to have given it a test for the price of fish and chips

When will a D3020 become vintage? :D