NAD 3020 best selling amplifier of all time (1980),Why?/what does it sound like .

Here I review the NAD 3020 amplifier from 1980 20 watts per ch
source Arcam alpha CD player .
Speakers B and W DM 4s plus monitor audio MA4 also Rogers Ls35a .
turntable Sansui 222 plus Thorens td150 with SME arm .

[@kylemacarthur3177]

I owned a Pioneer Sx-3700, and while I liked the full and bassy sound, it lacked "something." I replaced it with a NAD 3020, and was instantly blown away. You're absolutely right: You start listening to the detail and you understand what the engineers and producers were thinking when they laid down the track... You understand the subtle microphone details, and you start to pick up instruments that had been lost in the bass. A perfect example for me is "Delta" by Crosby, Stills and Nash, off their "Daylight Again" album. You hear the echo of Crosby's voice and it reveals the air of the studio. You then hear the harmonies come in, followed by a distant and muted snare drum. And then the chorus of background singers kicks in... Wow. That's why I love my NAD 3020. Every once in a while I think about upgrading. And then I ask myself: "Why? You love this thing!!"

[@stereoreviewx]

Nice sound description my friend and yes and upgrade so-called will probably end in disappointment K

[@RUfromthe40s]

that also can be a problem with the speakers you had at the time, but i agree with you, pioneer till 79 was a great brand after in 1980 the sound become ok not excelent ,the SX-3700 is a good example of that ,NAD had the same problem but some decreased more than others, i had a similar problem with some 80´s pioneer speakers ,allthough everyone i knew said it was the best sounding system, only after putting on top some Technics SB-F3(excelent speakers for direct listening, but might not sound that good with expensive modern amplifiers said to be good, wich aren´t) i notice some sounds that weren´t there in some Lp´s , i remenber reading about this speakers and someone saying that were the 8 ohms speakers that put to shame some 4 ohms speakers, and i never stoped using them, if someone says that they have no bass , the only problem is having a really bad amplifier, no matter if it cost a fortune.(that happens a lot today)

[@griffith4830]

Lovely review. So true. Still have mine from 1980. Have had many Amps since that are just not as musical. Iconic piece

[@howardleah8401]

That's the biz - it's part of the furniture!

[@nwr99nwr99]

Takes me back to the mid 80's and my 1st set up- NAD 3020i, Dual CS505 mkII, Mordaunt Short ms25ti's, NAD cassette deck and a lovely sounding Leak tuner from the 60's. Can the sheer joy and revelation of hearing your record collection for the first time on a decent set up ever be matched? Probably not.

[@vimfuego8827]

Excellent comment !

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@vimfuego8827 today ,most certainly ,YES

[@cmdreffietrinket]

I have a 3020i that I have owned since 1990. It’s going in the pine box with me when my time comes. 👍

[@joeysarmiento1925]

Finding a great sound for not a lot of money... that's a nice mission for audio guys like us.

[@CM-dw3gh]

Has anyone had to clean theyres internally? I've recently bought 1 off a lady that hasn't been played in 4 years. First time cranking it up there was a horrible loud crackle (from what I've read this could be dust in the volume pot). The sound coming through the speakers was dreadful, like it was coming from those little speakers you get for mobile phones but with no bass. Very tinny sound. Had to turn it off as I was concerned with damaging the voice coils on speakers. Bought some deoxit and air sprays so I'm hoping removing the dust is the best I can do at this point. Any advise would be great..

[@simeonbanner6204]

Fantastic review. My later father had the 7020 receiver which I think was the same basically. He had it with a big arial on the roof and huge old Mordant Short speakers. Always sounded really loud, deep and rich. There's a dude who repairs mission cyrus amps (you can find him online). He says you would pay maybe a £1000 to get such quality as the NAD here and the older amps. A guy in a hi-fi shop talked me all the brands or many got sold to some huge Taiwanese company a decade or more ago. My feeling with the NAD is the incredible build quality. Dad left it in the woods, in a shed. When he passed away or some years later I switched it on and it worked. Incredible and a tribute to those who made it and the designers.

[@jimozae]

I had this amp in 1991 and still my best amp today

[@johngriffin641]

The 3020's real strength was the phono stage where it easily outperformed anything near it's price range. With other sources the advantage was less clear IME but in it's day most sources were vinyl so it was entry level proper hi-fi.

[@volt7cooltangs701]

Can’t get enough Kelvin. Love your style, message and delivery man. Steeped in hifi knowledge & experience and hilarious too. Absolutely love the vids.

[@michaelhayes6118]

Due to this review I have purchased one in mint condition. Completely re-capped with high-end components. The sound is so good, my jaw dropped. Zero listening fatigue. It is in control of the music and delivers in all ranges. This is the amp I will use to compare others with. At the end of this month I may be getting the AU-317 (also due to Kelvin's review). Can't wait to recap that one and then compare these two giant-killers. But I hope Kelvin will do this for us as I lack his expertise in this regard. Love, love, love the 3020. Such a good buy.

[@stereoreviewx]

Great to hear that Michael Let us know what you think when you get the Sansui Cheers K

[@dennisheadley4408]

The NAD 3020 is a true classic. Within their power capability they still aren't that far surpassed by today's amps. NAD amps were always conservatively rated in regard to power output. Good review of an worthy product that started a lot of people on their audiophile journey. Thanks from Phoenix, AZ.

[@Redstickler1000]

After leaving Uni in 1980 and before getting a job in my field of study, I worked for Rush Hi-Fi in Romford and Chelmsford and sold a ton of these NAD 3020s. They were an incredibly popular budget amp and extremely good value for money. Would love to hear one of these again. Nice one Kelvin.

[@nathanas64]

Outstanding review! Not just one of the best selling amps but truly a revolutionary amp if I dare say. My all time favorite ! Spent many enjoyable hours listening to this masterpiece with friends ! Designed in the UK too!

[@stevedundee866]

NAD 3020 was my first amp. Something very special about it. Wish I still had it !

[@thomasstone1363]

Get yourself another :) I have a 3020 in one room and a 302 in another. Wonderful, wonderful listening experience

[@plooopymops]

@@thomasstone1363 If you could only have one, what would it be? The 3020 or the 302?

[@thomasstone1363]

@@plooopymops The 3020 is more "fun". I have my 302 set up with more analytical speakers and it's where I do most of my critical listening (I'm a composer so do a fair bit of that). So for my purposes if I could only have one it would be the 302.

[@fernandogomes4348]

I bought a 3240 brand new in1989. I used it day in day out since then. Speakers have come and gone but the nad always stayed. Recently l upgraded 14 caps (nothing lasts forever)and hooked it to my new R3's. A second hand Dual cs 5000 provides the analog source and Sony ns900v (sacd) for digital. Bliss for little money. The c 350 dlrs l spent couldn't buy me nothing close to it. With 40w/channel and 6db of headroom this amp still delivers. NAD owners rejoice! Cheers. Fernando in Canada 👍

[@dbdigital57]

In the US, we called this equipment by the letters NAD regather than “nad” as it was an abbreviation for New Acoustic Dimension. I didn’t know it was so popular in sales worldwide. It was the best “bang for the buck (pound)” by far. Their design with +3db of Dynamic Headroom in the amp helped it punch well above its stated rating and helped it to handle down to 2 ohm loads (that and a great power transformer). I appreciated your saying how good the preamp is for plugging into a higher wattage amp if needed. I have used the 3140 (40 watts/channel) since it came out. You could even bridge the channels and use a separate 2140 amp only whereby each unit fed one speaker.

[@Martyntd5]

British company mate, it's nad, not en-ay-dee.

[@colinshimmin3163]

I brought a 2nd hand one of these just to try. Wow what a performer for the price. I'm running Expensive Martin Logan speakers and this amp drove them with ease. I've now had it professionaly upgraded and all the cheap parts replaced with modern (better) parts and its now stonkin. It's now in my main system. All I can say is buy one! You will not be disappointed!! You can even use it as a separate preamplifier if required.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yeah it’s just a great thing isn’t it

[@MrPINKFL0YD]

Bought one of these from Richer Sounds in Liverpool back in the day. Fantastic amp.

[@doonray]

There is something a bit special about the little old NAD 3020. I found it takes a few hours of run time to start sounding it's best. Had it running from a tube DAC (MF tubalog). Great combo! What actually surprised me the most, was just how much power and impact it had in the bass. I've heard its sound described as 'warm and dark' and I think that's pretty accurate. I paired it with Mission LX-2s which seemed a very happy combo!

[@kais2345]

I was fortunate enough to pick up a silver fascia 3020 second hand for $150aud after a previous hand-me-down Sony amp was having channel issues. This was about ten years ago, when I was in my early 20's at uni, no car etc. So I took the 1.5 hour public transport ride out to the rich side of town with a big ruck sack and met the older gentleman who was selling the amp. He said he was changing out all the audio in his mansion-like house to bluetooth so didn't need his old audio equipment anymore (even at the time I wanted to talk him out of it..). It dawned on me when he handed me the manual and accompanying tuner that I was quite literally getting the amp second hand! I'm honestly surprised he let me take it when I showed him how I was getting it home, bundled up into a big sack. Ten years later it is still running great, although I doubt it's had a recap/service in its 40 years, so I'm looking into that now. Funnily enough, I'm waiting for a 3020i to arrive to completely replace the old Sony that I've been using as a party backup, I got sick of hitting it so both channels would play!

[@NatMart9394]

In 1982 I decided on the little Naim Nait. I used it for over 25 years, It was soooo sweet. Wish I still had it.

[@howardleah8401]

I came in late for the 3020 - about 7 yrs ago. A really good just serviced one, and it was magnificent from the word go. Practical workman like stereo but also simple and straight forward. Big sound, plenty of power, and all very wonderful imaging, clarity and none of that distortion when driven hard - still tight and delivering brightly. I don't yearn for anything more!

[@stereoreviewx]

Yeah give give you a good feeling that amp contentment

[@MickPsyphon]

I agree completely! The NAD 3020 punched way above it's waist. Superb piece of equipment!

[@tenjake.]

Bone apple tea 🙃

[@SplurgeFrugal]

Wow! This review takes me back to the Golden Age of Audio. The NAD 3020 was a real audio rock star and the first amp I purchased that made a real difference in how good my system (at that time) sounded.

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

I used to read a lot of electronics mags at the time which had authors who were involved in the design of many famous British Hi-fi systems. You would often get the latest theories they were working with. To point out that which is relevant to what you say, they established that the human ear can pick up detail down to -160db and until that time the measuring equipment could not go down that far so you were working blind. Where the tests showed no difference between two amps in distortion and listening tests said there was, they later spotted the difference with better test equipment, so the audio manufacturers who designed on what the ear preferred were the more technically correct. Another reason why the punter was fooled was that distortion was often measured with a 1 kHz sine wave. If the job of the amplifier was to amplify this signal then with copious negative feedback you could reproduce to as small as you wanted. The trouble was this was not the case with more complicated signals where increasing negative feedback would introduce its own kind of distortion. Distortion comes in two types: harmonic and anharmonic . A harmonic distortion will sound musical, where anharmonic distortion is nasty to the ears. Anyway the trick was to use as little feedback as possible and use an amplifier stage which is most linear in the first place. This is why people preferred class A because it is more linear before applying feedback. Then I suppose there are the physical imperfections in capacitors which make them deviate from the perfect theoretical model of a capacitor. Some capacitors "sounded" better than others!.

[@trout211]

"NAD is an abbreviation for New Acoustic Dimension. The company was founded in London, England, in 1972 by Dr. Martin L. Borish, an electrical engineer with a PhD in physics. Its most famous product is the late-1970s NAD 3020, an integrated amplifier designed by Bjørn Erik Edvardsen, which was highly regarded by various magazines in Britain." - Wikipedia

[@quantum5652]

I just bought an old good condition example from a local audio engineer last week. Inside it has nice Motorola transistors. Great unit, really enjoying it!

[@WalterWhite-pr1qs]

Hi, what's nice about the transistors? I found the Motorola's are a bit rude

[@corkystclair7475]

I've got a NAD 3125 that never fails to impress me. For some reason matching it with KEF Q-30's is a magical combination. I've had much bigger, more expensive, higher end speakers running with it, and nothing sounds as good as this combo. I'd love to hear it with a pair of KEF LS-50's.

[@stereoreviewx]

My personal guess is that the LS 50s only sound good with powerful very impressive amplification I generally just feel those speakers are overrated and hyped

[@gv-can4718]

The single best description I’ve ever heard about this amp, ever. I’ve had one 25+ yrs (an early ‘80s) and your example is best described with the tune from Elvin Jones - On The Mountain & the track Smoke in the Sun. Snare, cymbals & legato. 😎🤟

[@spandel100]

This description could also describe the Arcam Alpha 7 which I have owned since the 90's.Silky smooth detailed realism.I have tried numerous amps over the years and always went back to my Arcam.

[@peterhrtg]

Same is true for the FMJ A32, which is a truly magical Arcam amp. Rather too expensive for “bargain basement” status, alas. OTOH, when the output caps. failed, Arcam fixed it and fully recalibrated it, no messing. Sounds amazing, even now, after decades of use. In the 80’s I couldn’t afford Arcam; luckily, things change...

[@richardmanning4090]

Hi Kelvin, I always look forward to your enjoyable reviews and this one was no exception, well up to your usual high standard. I remember the 3020 fondly having owned one at one time, along with everybody else so it would seem. The Nad did sterling service until a channel blew during a party, some moron reenacting spinal tap, proving the amp went all the way up to eleven - it didn’t! I ended up upgrading with something that I convinced myself was “better”. Probably not true, there’s a lot of kidology in hifi, not least kidding yourself. Wish you and the channel well.

[@keplermission4947]

NAD 3020 was the best selling piece of Hi-Fi of all time ... BUT ... it wasn't the best sounding of all time. Based on another British amplifier from the brand that made the NAD 5040 turntable for Martin Borish, they both had a very lightweight, brash sound, no 'power', only 20 feeble watts from a tiny power supply. But they were good for the music of their day, Punk Rock, The Sex Pistols and you know, Johnny Rotten. NAD 3020 was Jolly Rotten but none of their owners cared to know. They thought that their Russian Fiat-based Lada cars were the best on the road. The NAD owners were peasants and loved their lifestyles.

[@montynorth3009]

This amp was phenomenally detailed and uncolored for such an affordable price. The phono preamp used discrete transistors.

[@AmazonasBiotop]

Wow. Discrete components that sounds great!

[@joeygonzo]

@@AmazonasBiotop Onkyo was full discrete too

[@sarkybugger5009]

Bought mine back in 1982 for £89.95, along with a Dual CS505 and a pair of Acoustic Research AR18S. It's still running smooth, but with a Thorens TD165 at the front, and a pair of Linn Index speakers hanging out the back. There are a couple of crackles on the volume pot, but I can't be arsed to sort it out. A couple of spins, and it settles down. Great little amp, and I've owned _bigger and better_ ones. This is the one I have kept.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

I run a 7020e (basically a 3020 with a digital tuner) It's currently my daily driver paired with PSB imagines. I used to run a seperate phono pre but for tidyness sake I now use the built in phono and I don't hear a difference. Great amps, i won't be changing it until it starts giving me problems

[@hugobloemers4425]

Good thing we hear it on this channel. If Techmoan would have done this video, this amp would be now selling for Garrard 301 money.

[@isaacbell2426]

Dug out an old system for my grandson. Nad 3020/2140 power amp/pioneer pl12 through goodmans double maxims. Absolutely stunning sound! Great starter for 21 year old just starting out into the world of HIFI.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes sounds good

[@marinadonida410]

Regarding the "rolled off" top end. Switch the jumpers on the back from "normal" to "Lab" inputs. This bypasses filters designed to bandwidth limit and stabilize the amp when used with certain "fast" phono cartridges that can (when unfiltered) generate transient intermodulation effects imparting an abrasive quality to the treble. It also filters subsonic frequencies found in record warps common in the day. The "Lab" mode when played with good, undemanding sources you should notice an opening up of the very top octave. I run my 3020 with B&W DM4s and prefer it in "normal" mode as it helps to ameliorate the DM4's somewhat over etched top end.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes thanks somewhere in my brain I didn’t know that once Cheers K

[@soloM81]

@@stereoreviewx question do you know of any amps or stereo receivers that have q-sound?

[@avjake]

This pre-amp section and the 2200 power amp was the killer setup back in the day.

[@shibubasheer]

I have recently started using a NAD C 162 and your feedback is similar to what I heard with this preamp. It has a full rich sound.

[@drmoss_ca]

Bought mine in 1982, along with the 4020 tuner and a cassette deck which later failed. First two still work fine!

[@tweakerman]

I had the nad 3020e I purchased it around 1987, from Hi Fi City in Watford, I loved that budget amp, great video👍

[@1mctous]

It sold for $200 in the US. I bought one in 1981 and really enjoyed it, mainly through the MM phono stage. The preamp is the star of the show; I added more power with an Adcom GFA-545 and also got more clarity.

[@matsolof7946]

Nice to hear your review, and how you describe the special character of the amp. I’m doing a “restoration” of an old NAD 3020, the first revision predecessor of the A and B models. Complete cleanup, replacing all electrolytics by new high-quality types, re-cabling which was messy from manufacturer. Also corrected minor design, and manufacturing flaws. Since I work as an electronics designer, I’ve gone through the circuits, and done SPICE simulations of some. Especially interesting to hear what you say about the midrange, cause of the design of the tone controls (set in the middle), there is a “hump” on about 400Hz. On the output stage transistors, designer omitted the usual emitter resistors, probably to further ensure low output resistance, important in bass response band which requires high power. However, this leads to poor temperature stability, and my amp anyway, runs in pure class-B probably garbles the high range. What you hear, corresponds well to my observations of the circuits.

[@tiadanama1998]

So how did it turned out?

[@TheDjcarlos67]

I bought a 3020e in lockdown for £50. Have to say that it lived up to the hype. Drives all sorts of speakers really well and never feels like a lack of power despite the specs. Now running a Quad 34 / 405-2 combo but I could easily live with the NAD🎶🎵

[@stereoreviewx]

you could also try the pre amp section of the NAD

[@mitchlee2961]

Just repaired one. Went to the trouble because vocals sounded right. Very solid and with a magic texture that tells the story of THIS EXACT VOICE. A Bit like my Sansui 661 or 551 but maybe less lovely and more accurate. Not as sweet as Sansui 221, but much more solid. These amps are so enjoyable! Addictive. I just sit and smile. Especially with the RCA Living Stereo discs from the day. Together = double magic! Thanks for sharing your experience. Helpful.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes I would agree with you completely I like my Sansui 331 best the only one I haven’t got is the 221

[@cannawpz]

Hi guys, I always dreaming about good quality amp. Finally after 30 years I bought NAD 3240PE but I sound bad. After that I invested in the sansui 221. It sounds great but too bassy with loudness. It would be great if you Kevin compare the amps sansui and NAD 20 series. Is possible?

[@stue5257]

Have s 3020 amp and 4020A tuner in my kitchen , 40 years old and fully functional . Love the minimal design .

[@155bazza]

I sold my 4020A tuner recently, it still worked beautifully.

[@kylerodgers4160]

I have a NAD 3220 and love it! I use it with my technics turntable and Sennhieser phones and it’s great little corner system while sitting at a desk.

[@FlaviusMaximus1967]

I had one! Replaced my Pioneer SX780. Great sound, replaced it with a homemade tube SET.

[@edwilliams3321]

Yup, still using mine. I have a Chinese valve preamp connected and use the NAD as a power amp by removing jumpers at rear. I did this as an experiment but it sounds so great I left it that way. Just sounds sweet and open with my Klipsch speakers and an old Yamaha subwoofer. All a bit Heath Robinson but it sounds really good to my ears.

[@kidoctane]

Bought mine in 1981, still have it, still gets used almost daily. Needs a service every decade or so. lt was part of the HiFi "System" l purchased at the time. l have replaced every component of that system, a few times over. But l have never felt the need to "upgrade" the NAD. It's currently driving a set of speakers that we paid 10x the price of the NAD.

[@26Jorgeb]

Hi Kelvin! You really got me sold on this one.I think I just might buy one for myself! Thanks for the very informative video!Keep them coming.

[@stevesmith3990]

I had one of these in the early 80's, wish I'd kept it. I do still have the 4020 tuner though, in perfect condition!

[@stevesmith3990]

Update, 2 years later I got one that has been fully restored and looks brand new, I'm a happy camper!

[@Chris-nd5se]

Love your enthusiasm. Looking forward to the next video.

[@richardharding6099]

There is plenty more work to do, please come back. We miss you.

[@stereoreviewx]

Ok

[@DKHD176]

Just got mine re-capped after a few years sitting broken on a shelf. I had forgotten how great this amp sounds. It relegated its much more modern replacement to a closet. It was an easy decision, as the difference wasn't even close. I'm sure there are better new amps, but they're out of my price range.

[@matereo]

I had most of them.. The first two versions of the 3020 was a nice amp for the money. The best one of the rest, of the later variants and that i had as one of my amps then and kept for many years is the 3225 pe. I had it setup with a pair of JPW AP2 speakers and a Manticore mantra TT with musician arm and a Goldring 1040. It was like going to an amusement park each time i sat down in front of that and played records back then. Not many times did i have more fun.

[@Harjawaldar]

I bought quite an expensive NAD CD-player because I like to own albums physically and buy one every now and then. I didn't expect to get mindblown by the sound quality. You hear the drums so much clearer and the room reverb is also excellent. Also the panning - where every instrument/voice is, is much clearer. I have some albums from HDtracks in 24bit, 192khz that also sound this good, but damn, I didn't expect CDs to sound nearly as good as this.

[@stereoreviewx]

I had literally a £7000 CD player and it shocked me how much information was actually on a CD

[@paultwin4793]

I used to own a 3020A many moons ago , paid £80 secondhand ... lovely little amp.

[@dougedwardsyachts]

I always craved one of these as a schoolboy in the early 80's. When I went to college I bought a system (Dual CS505 deluxe, Rotel RA820BX, AR18BX). I'd agonised over the NAD 3020 but ended up getting the Rotel. I was happy with my system from Sevenoaks HiFi. I was never happy with the AR18BX speakers and ended up buying Royd Minstrels ten years later along with a Goldring GX1010 cartridge and a NAD CD player. More recently I bought a NAD C320 amp and actually can't see much difference to the Rotel. I've also got Royd Abbots and enjoy them too.

[@humanchannel1569]

this gentleman is the wizard or Gandalf off the Vintage audio world .learning alot from his reviews. am just waiting to here The One Vintage amp to rule them all.

[@SpyGuyUK]

Hi, Has anyone compared both the NAD 3020 and the Sansui AU 317 both of which Kelvin has reviewed to see which is best? Anyone know what the letters stand for after the NAD 3020 that usually say A, B, E or I? Great review Kelvin. Thanks.

[@stereoreviewx]

I would go for Sansui only because it always delivers with any Speaker

[@SpyGuyUK]

@@stereoreviewx I like the look of the Sansui better too. I have a hidden gem 💎of an amp that I think you would like. It's the Yamaha A-420 Amplifier which I got in 1986 and I am still using. It has the natural sound before the synthetic sound that came in after 1990. It also goes well with most speakers too!

[@mohankrishnasamy1456]

Have a working one in 2020. Great amplifier

[@imp6990]

Hi Kevin! Nice review like always. Please tell me because i'm confused. Is there any sound diference between 3020B and 3020E version? Thank you

[@24bellers20]

Still got one boxed in my loft with some MIssion 730 speakers and Sansui sr 222. I’m going to get them out and try them. Glad I found this channel.😁 I’ll compare the pre with my Kairn. Worth a shot.

[@stereoreviewx]

730 you mean big ones this all sounds great

[@24bellers20]

@@stereoreviewx They were 751 bookshelf ones when I got them out. After all these years the only thing that’s a bit iffy is the drive belt on the 222. A tiny bit of slippage. I had forgotten how good that old system sounded. My son is claiming it. The receipts were still in the boxes. Moorgate acoustics. 😁

[@richardburnett8595]

This was a good review mate . haven't seen any thing from you for time hopefully you are good

[@007EnglishAcademy]

I had a NAD3020 - a Rega Planar 3 and Mission 700 speakers - the best sound for the money possible - I loved that setup and regret selling.

[@mrradman2986]

Absolutely classic early 80s budget set up. My partner inherited some cash as a student and nearly got the NAD but ended up with the Creek 4040 with Rega Planar 3 and Castle Clyde speakers. Linn Kanns were a bit out of budget. Still have the Creek and the Rega.

[@davidperrott4502]

My system was stolen so many years ago back in the late 80s that exact same pre-and 2140 power amp combo, It was amazing.

[@lucaand]

My brother found this amp in the rubbish dump (unbelievable!) and brought it home. I unplugged my Sansui G-3500, that I thought was the best with my KEFs 103.2, but once the NAD 3020 was plugged in to the KEFs the sound was amazing. I think I found nirvana, at last....or at least I hope. BTW, great review. Ciao from your Italian fans.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yeah there’s something so involving about the Nad

[@d.beaumont9157]

I had one for years. Coupled with my pro-ject turntable, good set up without breaking the bank.

[@Megacitizen1]

Got mine in 84 still have it, superb. Originally Nad 3020, Kef Cod II speakers and a Dual 505 turntable. Still have the amp and speakers!

[@Megacitizen1]

Sounds brilliant still, using with a new Tibo T1435 CD player after my JVC needs some tlc

[@awlonghurst]

I bought a brand new NAD 3020B in 1985 and I loved it. I kept it for 20 years. In the end it was only when I fixed a friend's Marantz SE amplifier I auditioned the two amplifiers side by side that I realised what I missing. The NAD is a lovely amplifier, solidly built and robust, with a lovely tone that particularly flatters vocals. But... When I heard the newer Marantz next to it I felt as if I'd had my ears syringed, the treble was so much clearer and detailed. I thought perhaps the interconnects needed cleaning and the potentiometers internally. I even reflowed some of the larger soldered connections inside it. It improved the clarity a bit but still compared to the much more expensive and newer Marantz it still sounded veiled in the high frequencies. I went out and bought the Ken Ishiwata signature version of my friend's Marantz amp and I never regretted it. The NAD was nevertheless an excellent piece of HiFI and served me well but IMHO the Marantz I replaced it with trounced it in terms of quality of sound, faithful reproduction and detail. The NAD 3020B was often paired with somewhat bright/brittle bookshelf speakers (Mission 707s I think) and the easy going nature of the NAD, it's rolled off treble and the high sensitivity of those Mission speakers, made them an excellent match together.

[@stevezeidman7224]

Hello, cheers from Raleigh NC, USA. I just got to this video and don’t know if you’ll see this. I really enjoy your unpretentious down to earth reviews. Since the virus I’m watching all about HiFi and you do a fine job. I had one of those 3020 integrated amps. I used the pre section more than the amp as it didn’t push my ADS speakers that well. It went into a Crown DC300. Sounded great. I currently have a NAD 302, a little younger but very similar. Mine has gotten a bit edgy up top so I think it may need service. I see how much you like Japanese receivers. I just picked up a Sherwood S-7100a. It’s very mint looking and a real sleeper. It has a great deal of bass and a nice warm sound. I paid $80. I feel like it’s a steal. Since this virus has hit prices on vintage gear here has skyrocketed. Other lesser deserving items are $200 and up on eBay.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes the prices are getting too high I would say I mean not if it’s a good thing but some of them aren’t. Cheers from London K

[@stevezeidman7224]

Thanks for reply. After your Sansui video I went looking for 221-331 but they were mostly junk for lots of doe rae mee. I’m going to keep looking though. I’m 67 and lived through the pinnacle of the 70s receiver wars. There’s nothing like the style of that period.

[@TrygveJohannSørensen]

Great video! Big nad fan. I have both the nad t747 and nad c356bee. I use them in like a split combo. When in surround i run c356bee as a poweramp throug t747, and when in aux pure stereo straight from c356bee. And the sound the two amps deliver are on two other planets. Dont get me wrong, as a surround reciever the nad t747 is amazing. Sound quality over many other recievers.. but when i did buy the 356bee i instant heard the warm, deep yet light bass, the midrange vocals was like. When i close my eyes its like the artist breathes in my face 45cm from my nose. Its a whole other experience. Bjørn Erik Edvardsen was truly an amazing engineer. And fun fact, a fellow norwegian 🎉 And for those wondering Setup is Dali mentor 2 front (c356bee) Dali mentor vokal Dali zensor 1 side and rear 2x Dali ikon sub mk2 Van den hul cs122 hybrid cable all round Van den hul magnum front Nad c356bee Nad t747

[@boogiewoogie9770]

I currently use a NAD 314 which is a similar model as preamp into a Talk Electronics Storm 1 which is also an integrated. Both amps were dirt cheap and it works a treat! Strange combination but wow what a sound!

[@billywindsock9597]

Had one of those, 3020A, with the led's that played along to the music! Loved it. Replaced it with an Audiolab 8000A. Both were absolute quality products.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes both of those are class I agree

[@lukaszx5271]

Fantastic canal! Please review my beloved audiolab 8000a. Another classic and amp that is hard to beat this days by its competitors.

[@nicholas6823]

The Audiolab was one of a string of amps I “upgraded” to after the Nad. I ended up hating the Audiolab! Thinking back, in the CD era of the mid 80s it all sounded so harsh and clinical after the magical sound of the Nad. I had to retrieve the Nad from my sister! I too would be very interested to hear what Kelvin thinks about the Audiolab. Got rid of mine years ago. With the right gear it probably is a good amp.

[@Timtherunner]

I'm looking to see if you've reviewed the Pioneer A400 . Can't find on your Chanel but may have missed it. Love your work

[@stereoreviewx]

I haven’t did a pioneer silver front from the 70s didn’t like it much, but you have to say it was the vintage sound always found pioneer the base with soft

[@Timtherunner]

I'm sure you've heard about the A400 . I have it and have tried different Amps but can't find anything close to it in dynamic range openness with sheer speed and punch. Maybe not the most relaxed but I think you'd have to spend a lot more to get anything close. Just curious as you seemed to have covered most things

[@nicholas6823]

I have always held this nad in high regard. Of all the amps I ever had through the years, it was my favourite and my first back in 1981 aged 15. The others, like the audiolab 8000a in the end left me cold, whereas the nad was just more enjoyable. Last year I got hold of a refurbished nad and have been enjoying it. However, I was recently given a huge sansui qrx6500, which is a quad receiver. I have been using it as a two channel amp. I actually really like it. It is quite muscular and somewhat tubey sounding and has a bigger, fatter bass than the nad. In 1973 is cost $750, so it was quite expensive and it sounds like it. I presume the sansui receivers Kelvin enjoys so much, must share a lot of the same design elements within.

[@chrisclose7793]

I run a yamaha ax396 amp with B&W dm602s and I find that combination can produce a delicate sound with classical and jazz to real wham bam thank you mam with rock and pop music

[@bradleydurbin6784]

Speaking of old components. I also have a Scott 325r receiver 20 Watt per channel. It came out in 1978 it was once my next door neighbors and I came into pocesssion of it when he died. It's driving a old pair of audioanalyst speakers and a pair of Polk audio book shelf speakers. The sound is great and 20 Watt's is plenty of power for these speakers. Back then receivers were more conservatively rated don't get fixated on Watt's per channel.

[@stereoreviewx]

I agree the watts rabbit hole can lead you astray Cheers K

[@ianliston-smith7921]

I have the 3020A amp I bought in around 1982 and use it with my Chartwell LS3/5a speakers! Great amp and thanks for the review. Have you checked out the Wadar stereo valve amp designed by the late Gerry Wells? I built one and wrote up an article for the BVWS Bulletin. He made them, but they were quite variable in quality. Nothing special, but it would be great to have it properly assessed!

[@johncooper6246]

Think it was 1981 at a party in Toronto and this amp blew my mind. So clean spinning vinyl and asked the host if he would consider selling. Anyway, still haven't bought one and should before I die.

[@socksumi]

I've been using an original 1979 all discrete NAD 3020 for 14 years in my bedroom system. After a power supply breakdown I had it given a major overhaul including a poly cap upgrade a while back. Yhe thing is still my go to piece for affordable gear. Wished it had tone defeat and a mono switch but you can't have everything. BTW... it drives my B&W DM-4s with ease. What a combo.

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes I use that combo very nice with the Diem fours I mean

[@MrSketchydave69]

I had a 3020e back in the 80's... wish I still had it....traded it in for an A&R A60 that eventually blew up on me....

[@viktor928]

I just bought the newer NAD D3020 v2 …after a one year listening to the NAD 3020 series 20. Wow…….or not… My brain still cannot comprehend, the differences and they’re quite a few. Do I like it or not? Is it better or not? I know I will need more time to listen to the new NAD D- class to draw my full conclusion. I have both Infinity alpha 50 speakers bi-wired, with subwoofer. And I feel the old one it’s more musical… Sorry not really good describing sound. What do you think?

[@Jean-ix7lu]

NAD 3020..... Mine is from the 80's....Never been refurbished...Until weeks ago :-) I did a re-cap + - 20. Pluged back the beast today's afternoon. What a treat. It runs cooler, this thing has amazing headroom , well balance,tight basses(Bass-kick), it's sound's like when i bought it...Sweet amp. I run throught a pair of Bose speakers.

[@stereoreviewx]

Very nice!

[@kennekam]

What modern budget amp would you recommend to a young enthusiast? In my day it would have been the 3020 with a pair of AR7s and something like a used Thorens 150 or Rega or even a Connoisseur turn table kit.

[@ibleebinU]

NAD products ruled for that period and then some. I have the 1300 preamp / 214 amp and they punch way above their price point.

[@williamwong5627]

I am not a hifi expert or even anywhere near it. But I love music and electronics. I got started when my brother brought home a copy of Wireless World magazine. All those advertisment of valve (tube) equipment hooked me all night. Transistors were not in fashion yet. So getting older, I jumped into Electronics. Then came the Television magazines in school library and I started to copy the circuits featured. EF86, ECC83, EL84 and EZ81 later and I had an amplifier. Of course, a lots of drilling and soldering too. Since then, I had repaired numerous amplifiers. Both tube and solid state. How did all sound like? The truth is ALL amplifiers work exactly the same way. Amplify. More $$$ means better quality but sounds ???. In the end, it is your EARS that decide what is good sound. I had spent a fair amount money for the "Quest For Perfect Sound". On reflection, it was a stupid idea. Please stop that itch to upgrade unless you are sick of the sound. So just sit back, relax and enjoy the music. But not the equipment, please.

[@buddyjenkins7188]

I had a NAD 3020 in the early 1980's and used it with a Nakamichi cassette deck into some Cerwin Vega Speakers. Those were great times.

[@155bazza]

I had/have the NAD 1020 pre amp mated to a Crimson Electrik 520 Power amp, lovely combo

[@benjr4931]

Do you think it would sound nice if I connect a high quality dj-mixer into the aux input? And use the dj-mixer as a preamplifier

[@stereoreviewx]

gonna doubt it

[@slartybartfast1]

The Yamaha A420 was my budget amp with a modified pair of Warfdale W50's. My friend had the NAD and it was a great wee amp.

[@greymurdock2]

I really enjoy your videos. Thanks for reviewing vintage audio!

[@slowpawstevet3676]

The 3130 sounds pretty good as well, the 3020 sounds very good as a preamp for a more powerful modern NAD amp as Kelvin suggests.

[@mikeiver]

Growing up this amp fed a pair of Mission 700 speakers or my Kyogo Stax SR Lambda Pro headphones, Fing fantastic sound. The Phono preamp was a great match to my modified Thorns turntable with a good Grado MM cartridge. Played records into my Harmon Kardon TD491 and made tapes to listen to and keep the ware out of my records. EVERYTHING sounded great thru this amp! Still have it but needs a recap. This makes me want to make up a list and get the parts on order.

[@PlaybackMansion]

Excellent content as usual. I'd love to see a collaboration with you and Tarun from "A British Audiophile." It would be interesting to see you review stuff he's done already and vise-versa because you're more qualitative and he's more technical in his descriptions

[@allanpowell7208]

Tarun is a little bit "price no object" and he inclines towards small speakers for some reason. And besides he's young.

[@PlaybackMansion]

@@allanpowell7208 Those are reasons it would be interesting. Two different sensibilities like Siskel and Ebert

[@richardmanning4090]

Yes, very different approaches, Tarun only seems to wake up when the item to be reviewed is over £1000 whereas Kelvin, by his own admission, has never paid over £300 for anything. Agreed, any possibility of collaboration / overlap between the two would be fascinating.

[@keplermission4947]

No K did that collaboration with Ken Dodd. (He was one of the Diddy Men). kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHjSo2qQrqiUras K played 'Nigel Ponsonby-Smallpiece', and he's still going on about small Hi-Fi, Rogers LS3/5A, then there's Rogers LS3/5A and not forgetting, yes Rogers LS3/5A. I think K should hide questions in his long rambling videos and just see who answers them. But always nice to see another video from K. When you've seen one you've seen them all, but just like the BBC, the repeats are always welcome. Just like repeating a record over and over.

[@coenheydenrych154]

It's the first time I get the impression that you were not in a bad mood when you reviewed something.

[@fuckinellitsraymo]

Haha..

[@waybee5258]

I had the NAD amp . Preamp and tuner . Early 80s . With Vandersteen speakers . Coupled with a CD player and phonograph and casette .

[@nztv8589]

these sound fantastic with small bookshelf speakers. perfect for bedrooms and the like

[@stereoreviewx]

Yes I think you’re right