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Amplifier NAD 3020 measurements from Stereo Review: 1979

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DanielT

DanielT

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I'd take the HK any day of the week. No room? Then buy a bigger desk.
SMSL SH-8S headphone amplifier, US $ 229.99, seems good. Amir's summary:
" It is my pleasure to put the SMSL SH-8S on my recommended list."


But HK330B. An integrated amplifier with headphone jack. 20 W (okay no giant powerful amp), however pre out so used it as pure pre amp if more power is desired. Possibility to connect speakers.Phono and AUX input and so on.:)
Edit:
Of course you can plug in speakers. :)


HK330B was just one example among many. For example, let me say Yamaha, see attached picture, from the thread, #425:


 

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restorer-john

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I'd take the HK any day of the week. No room? Then buy a bigger desk.

Absolutely.

Not sure of how many times I've told these basement-dwelling, gaming-chair weiners to buy a bigger desk and put some real hifi on it.

And play some proper rock music. And. Get off my lawn. ;)
 
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DanielT

DanielT

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Absolutely.

Not sure of how many times I've told these basement-dwelling, gaming-chair weiners to buy a bigger desk and put some real hifi on it.

And play some proper rock music. And. Get off my lawn. ;)
Also weigh in, Vintage:
Advantage:
Buy and sell at about the same price (as long as it does not break)
Disadvantage:
No warranty
Performance after so many years?
May need servicing, recap and so on.

New amp:
Advantage:
Warranty available
Does not need (should not be needed) to be serviced, maintained, recap.
Disadvantage:
Value after purchases, as used?

Of course you have to weigh that for and disadvantages against each other. :)

Edit:
What I wrote now of course you know
and others who write in this thread. It's basic. It is mostly intended for others who read this thread.:)
 
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Mart68

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I have an HK 930, lovely old thing that would cost thousands if made today.

I did have it in a second system that was entirely 1970s vintage except for the stylus on the cartridge.


It pains me that I don't have a use for it anymore.
 

restorer-john

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I have an HK 930, lovely old thing that would cost thousands if made today.

I did have it in a second system that was entirely 1970s vintage except for the stylus on the cartridge.


It pains me that I don't have a use for it anymore.

The twin powered HKs were beautiful. Not just on the outside, but also the inside.

The 930 is a classic.
 

Vict0r

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I bought a second hand 3020 more than a decade ago. I think I paid $60. I still use it to this day, in a little cd rig in a corner of my office. :) No issues.

I took some photos of the internals. Sorry about the crappy quality. Pics were taken before I cleaned it up. This is 30+ years of grime, I think:

124772559_3883608084982672_3048375790805492122_n.jpg

124453800_3883608058316008_8002921857180616662_n.jpg


124635601_3883608068316007_644670377067678570_n.jpg
 
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Robin L

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I think it took about a year to blow up my first NAD 3020. Liked the sound, found the quality of manufacture below par. Got the receiver version later, didn't like the sound as much.

Folks mention classic Harman Kardon receivers, I've owned four different models in that series. The plum is the 430, low powered but dual powered, excellent receiver section, a tad overbuilt. The 330 is nice but the 430 is nicer, has the best sound quality overall of all their receivers, the higher powered models tending to sound a little coarse in comparison. However, their headphone outs are garbage compared to something like a Topping L30. But of all the lower cost receivers of that era, 1970's/1980's, the HK models were overall the best.
 

ivayvr

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I bought mine back in 1982 and it replaced the Sansui A40 or A60, don't remember what was the one I had. It was like lifting the curtain. That is how much better the NAD was! My brother bought his the next year after selling his Hafler 101 pre and Quad 405 power amp. He was using his till 1993 without any problems. I replaced mine in 1986 by another 20W amp Cyrus Mission 1, MK1. That was supposed to be "much better" and cool thing to have.
We never reached a level where 20W would be a limiting factor with either of the two.
I consider my 3020 the very first real HiFi unit I ever had and to this very day it makes me biased toward the brand.
 

A Surfer

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I owned and loved my NAD 3240PE integrated. Should have kept that little gem.
 
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I think it took about a year to blow up my first NAD 3020. Liked the sound, found the quality of manufacture below par. Got the receiver version later, didn't like the sound as much.

Folks mention classic Harman Kardon receivers, I've owned four different models in that series. The plum is the 430, low powered but dual powered, excellent receiver section, a tad overbuilt. The 330 is nice but the 430 is nicer, has the best sound quality overall of all their receivers, the higher powered models tending to sound a little coarse in comparison. However, their headphone outs are garbage compared to something like a Topping L30. But of all the lower cost receivers of that era, 1970's/1980's, the HK models were overall the best.
My brother still has his 3020, although not in regular use. He used it as just a preamp for a number of years and then retired it. We opened it up and cleaned it up a bit last year and it all still works. The one thing I remember about the NAD was that it sounded fine until you moved a control, then the noise level jumped. Construction quality was definitely to a price. Sort of like the 70's Advent receiver, nice circuit design, cheap hardware.
 

Blumlein 88

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I had one as a spare for many years. A friend wanted it, and I had an abundance of hifi so let him have it. I warned him about the phono input as he had never had LPs only CDs. I suggested he cover the inputs with tape or something, but whatever you do don't plug anything into them especially the CD player. CD NEVER goes to phono. I repeated it several times.

Somehow, a week later when he got around to hooking the 3020 into his system, he remembered me telling him don't put the CD anywhere except on the phono input. He was powering Altec A-7s scavenged from a local theater. Feeding the CD output to the phono input resulted in a terrible noise for about 2 seconds and silence I was told followed by smoke being let out. Fortunately it didn't harm the A7s at all. One beautiful 3020 was self destructed however. :(
 
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DanielT

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Sure, but why not, for the exhibitors who ONLY sell / market speakers ... those speakers together with .... NAD 3020.

It would be more impressive, I think at least ...:


Edit:
Seriously, low powerd amp, bought cheap, along with their luxury high end speakers. It should, if anything, show the potential in them?:)
If it sounds good, with fairly sensitive speakers, not too big a room .... though it might be a slippering sloping then? What comes next? Cheap cables?.:)

Can you watch that Youtube video? Erin Audio Corner, see attached picture.
 

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I owned and loved my NAD 3240PE integrated. Should have kept that little gem.
Buy one now.:)

Edit:
Think about service, any need for recap (maybe), cost of it and so on. As taken up in the thread. This is how good it can be then:

 
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pma

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Feeding the CD output to the phono input resulted in a terrible noise for about 2 seconds and silence I was told followed by smoke being let out.
Sorry, but this is an example of incompetence of the amp circuit designer. He must have considered such situation (input overvoltage), and the amp should have done nothing but clipping.
 
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DanielT

DanielT

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In any case. Anyone, anywhere can pretty quickly figure out the price of a used NAD 3020. If curiosity prevails. Buy one. Test. If you do not like it, sell it. Not harder than that.:)

Edit:
And because we are at ASR. Buy one, then invite your like-minded HiFi friends. Perform a blind test with the one with the amp you have.:)
Who knows what the result would be.:)
 

solderdude

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No not continuous.
The lack of emitter resistors allowed these amps to deliver the power (shortly, but music is dynamic) in 2ohm as well as in 4ohm and 8ohm.
Just not 2x the power as in 4ohm or 4x the power as in 8ohm.
It also meant these amps blew up regularly when OP devices overheated and had thermal runaway.
 
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DanielT

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No not continuous.
The lack of emitter resistors allowed these amps to deliver the power (shortly, but music is dynamic) in 2ohm as well as in 4ohm and 8ohm.
Just not 2x the power as in 4ohm or 4x the power as in 8ohm.
It also meant these amps blew up regularly when OP devices overheated and had thermal runaway.
Thanks Solderdude for the answer. It was as I suspected.:)
 
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