Old Nad amp and Nad cd needing speakers please help !

[Michael loves music]

I have a 20 year old Nad 3020e amp with a Nad 520 CD player I did have AR18 speakers but they have died I'm looking for a pair of speakers for a room 15 feet by 14 room I listen to electronic music omd Alphaville ultravox etc and classical . I look on ebay but the speaker choice is endless but their does look some bargains on there !! What speakers would be ideal for my music and are floorstanders best or speakers on stands ? Do they have to be at ear level when I sit down ? My old speakers were in a smaller room on wall brackets sound not too bad but now with parents gone into a care home ive moved into bigger room hence need your advice ! Replies most welcome many thanks indeed

[Martyn Miles]

I have a 20 year old Nad 3020e amp with a Nad 520 CD player I did have AR18 speakers but they have died I'm looking for a pair of speakers for a room 15 feet by 14 room I listen to electronic music omd Alphaville ultravox etc and classical . I look on ebay but the speaker choice is endless but their does look some bargains on there !! What speakers would be ideal for my music and are floorstanders best or speakers on stands ? Do they have to be at ear level when I sit down ? My old speakers were in a smaller room on wall brackets sound not too bad but now with parents gone into a care home ive moved into bigger room hence need your advice ! Replies most welcome many thanks indeed

You could do worse than a pair of Wharfedale Diamonds on stands. Those early ones are exceptionally good...

[Michael loves music]

I'm sure I've saw these on eBay with stands ? I have a richer sounds 7 miles away

[Michael loves music]

Any other brand of speaker to look out for budget £100

[synsei]

I may be able to help you out here Michael, you have a PM ;)

[Michael loves music]

Just hooked up a pair of mission M30 speakers sound very nice but can I do better ? Friend has given me them around 7 years old

[Kvaal]

Just hooked up a pair of mission M30 speakers sound very nice but can I do better ? Friend has given me them around 7 years old

Mission have made some of the best small speakers avilable. They are probably a good match for the amp. If you like them, you should keep them imo. Better give the amp a visit to service. Get new caps in the power supply. Will give it a lift, soundwise.

[Michael loves music]

Thankyou for the reply they do sound very nice ive looked online and they have good reviews

[dantheman91]

For the money you can't go far wrong to be honest i have never know mission to make a bad speaker. ignore the reviews and trust your ears if you like them who cares its producing music for you to enjoy without all the fuss of "HI-FI"

:D

[Michael loves music]

I've got the speakers on 2 dining chairs for now about 60 cm high I'm looking at atacama nexus 5i stands and gorilla gsm 100 stands which would be the best ? The atacama stands are for sale on our post office window with carpet spikes for £10 as new is this a bargain ? The gorilla stands height ajustable are £23 on Amazon delivered thankyou for your help

[sumday]

i would search out a pair of acoustic energy aegis evo 1s.
i had a pair on the end of a nad3120 not long back and they sounded mighty fine.
pretty small standmounted speakers but not too bass shy considering.
highly rated and available for under 70 quid now.

NIGE.

[Michael loves music]

After listening to Alphaville on the mission M30s I'm won over sound is so clear vocals syth drums very good indeed

[Macca]

Great amp and cd player so you won't go far wrong there. Either of the stands will do so it's up to you which ones you go for but they will improve the sound compared to sitting the speakers on chairs so well worthwhile. The NAD amp is not scared of putting out a bit of welly so you could go bigger and better on the speakers when you have got a bit more cash to chuck at it. But with speakers it is like asking 'which chocolate bar should I buy?' - there are loads out there both new and vintage that are worth considering, it's all down to personal taste and compatability with the room.

[Michael loves music]

Many thanks for the reply martin it does sound lovely and I wonder if buying bigger speakers could improve the sound at all but I love to look on ebay at the different speakers

[Macca]

I love to look on ebay at the different speakers

Yep me too. Fortunate I don't have a car to collect them in or I would have a lot of pairs of speakers :)

There are quite few members here who have owned dozens of the old classic speakers from the 70s through to the 80s who could advise you on what to look for that is worth having and what price to pay. Keep an eye on the 'Bargains on eBay' thread, some good speaker spots come up there quite often.

[struth]

My old TANNOY e11 speakers still amaze me tbh they've handled anything I put them to. Still look good too.

[Kvaal]

You english have a lot of different speaker brands to choose from. They are all well reputated here in Norway. I believe Michael have one set that is quite good. It cant be much bettered with choosing another set. Another set can have a different sound, but probably not better in every respect. The differences will be of academic interest mostly.

[Michael loves music]

You english have a lot of different speaker brands to choose from. They are all well reputated here in Norway. I believe Michael have one set that is quite good. It cant be much bettered with choosing another set. Another set can have a different sound, but probably not better in every respect. The differences will be of academic interest mostly.
Does size matter in a room 15 feet by 14 feet the mission M30 is quite small would a speaker 3 times the Size mean an ever better sound ??

[Kvaal]

Depends on what you mean with better. A speaker with a bigger enclosure will play deeper and have more sensitivity in the bass. You won't get a more clear sound overall, only the bass will be bettered.

Another way to better the sound is to have the capacitors in the power-supply changed. They need replacement after 30 years. Believe me, I have done it with my NAD 3020. You will get the stability and bass back like when the amp was new. The parts will cost about 10 - 20 £, and it's done in half an hour.

I love these old 3020 amps! They really sings!

[synsei]

Bigger does not necessarily mean better Michael although it can do, it depends on many factors such as the design of the cabinets and crossovers, the quality of the drive units, how they interact with the room and your equipment etc, etc, which is why I offered to bring my DM2's over so you could listen to them in your own system and listening room ;)

[Michael loves music]

Does this have to be done by a specialist ?

[Michael loves music]

Bigger does not necessarily mean better Michael although it can do, it depends on many factors such as the design of the cabinets and crossovers, the quality of the drive units, how they interact with the room and your equipment etc, etc, which is why I offered to bring my DM2's over so you could listen to them in your own system and listening room ;)
Many thanks but alas too big for the bedroom sorry

[Macca]

Does this have to be done by a specialist ?

Someone reasonable well versed in Electronic Engineering, yes. But if it sounds good as is then it is probably fine. Just keep your ear to the ground see if you can find a local electronics student or someone who will sort it for you for a tenner or thereabouts (plus parts) at some point down the line. Students are usually short of cash and happy to be exploited ;)

[Kvaal]

Does this have to be done by a specialist ?

No, only soldering skills and basic understanding of the components inside. Open the amp, find the two biggest caps inside, desolder and take them out. Remember the orientation of the + and - poles. Take a picture.

Take the caps to the retailer and get new ones with the same specs. Replace.

If the amp have been in regular use in its lifetime, you will hear a significant difference to the better. It is as important as the air-filter in a car.

[Michael loves music]

Many thanks for these replies it's very kind of you indeed even though the amp and cd are quite old they haven't been regular used as I do like holidays abroad often as I retired early due to accident ! The cd by Alphaville catching Rays on a giant which I got on release from Germany is perfection

[Michael loves music]

I've saw on ebay people are selling old nad tuners for around £5 this would match my amp and CD player but aren't they going to switch the fm signal off as we all go digital ???? Hence why these are so cheap ? I just listen to radio 1 and 2 now again Thankyou for your help

[shane]

I know I'm biased, but these would work well:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heybrook-HB1-Main-Stereo-Speakers-/121463844474?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item1c47cf2e7a

especially with these underneath:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heybrook-Hi-Fi-Speaker-stands-/121463844893?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Speaker_Stands_Bra ckets&hash=item1c47cf301d

[Kvaal]

Glad you like what I'm writing. This has been my interest for 45 years, and i'ts good practise in english as well. I'ts all fun.

There is no country to my knowledge that have switched off FM. I believe the politicians don't dare to do it because FM is so much used. Closing FM will fill the scrapyards with old radios, thats not good for the environment. There is no global standard for digital broadcasting yet, so it is risky to make a choice of standard. They chose DAB here for approx 20 years ago, with no success. Now they have moved over to DAB+, with no more success.

A NAD tuner at 5£ is a bargain, and it will suit your amp the best.

Shanes advise is good if you want new speakers. What a price for a pair of Heybrooks!

[Michael loves music]

So if I bought a nad tuner I could listen to fm radio 1 and 2 for years in the uk ? I like the nad grey style by the way is Nad built in China ? I no nothing about the Nad company any information most welcome

[Kvaal]

I guess you can find better informed people on DAB in the UK than me.

NAD started out in the early seventies as an in-house brand for electronics retailers. The company was rather unknown until the NAD 3020 (designed by a norwegian: Bjørn Erik Edvardsen, who has worked in the Dolby labs) amplifier got fame among audiophiles, offering hi-end audio at low cost. The company was located in London for many years, and is now owned by some canadian firm. You can find more about this on the internet, try Wiki.

The 3020 have a special sound that reminds of a tube amp, an it fits jazz/rock music the best. It has the most musically way of performance I know. I love it.

[Macca]

The FM switch off was set for 2015 but that is now cancelled and is 'pencilled in' for 2020 but I daresay it won't happen then either. So a five quid tuner is worth it ;)

I know NAD used to be built in Taiwan, no idea where they make the current range, mainland China I guess.

[slate]

You can find a bit of their history here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAD_Electronics

And now a segway...:
NAD is quite known in these woods because of Peter Lyngdorf. When he founded HiFiKlubben in the 1970s NAD and Cerwin Vega was the first products he took in; and it has remained one of the brands.
HiFiKlubben spread and opened stores in several places in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Back then much was done as mail orders, you could get their catalog in the form of a newspaper.
So when NAD ran into Financial trouble in 1990, the AudioNord (mothercompany of HiFiKlubben) bought NAD.

Speaking of Peter Lyngdorf, here are some other things he have been involved in:
- founded DALI http://www.dali-speakers.com (http://www.dali-speakers.com/en-US/About-us-1.aspx)
- Gryphon Audio (http://www.gryphon-audio.dk) were he also stepped in to secure them financially
- Snell Acoustics.. not sure why, but he owned the company for some years

He also initiated pioneer research in digital amplification and room correction that produced the world's first digital amplifier in 1996, led to the founding of TacT Audio ApS
Today he continues this work in http://www.lyngdorf.com/

[Kvaal]

The early series of the 3020 was built in UK, as well as the 7020 (3020 with built-in radio). Super amp with a very good tuner inside.

Back to the capasitors: They are said to last approx 15 years of daily use. There is something to gain for little spending.

[Michael loves music]

Nad tuner reviews very good indeed

[Michael loves music]

Found my old nad remote for the nad 520 CD player strange it doesn't have a volume button but works fine with new Duracell batteries

[Kvaal]

You`ve got a good set for music there. Despite the age on the amp it is well worth to take care of.

[Kvaal]

Good dac-chip in the cdp. Burr Brown pcm 1710, almost identical to the dac-chip in the famous Beresford 7510 dac. I guess it all plays wery well.

[Michael loves music]

It plays very well indeed I'm keeping mission M30s sound lovely on my Atacama stands with blu tak under each corner