shorewalker
Member
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2020
- Messages
- 8
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- 23
Hello. I'm a newcomer who has had basically the same system for 32 years. Yes, I am starting to think about upgrading more of it. I'd really welcome suggestions. But it's also possible I won't take them, because ... well, it's complicated.
Back in 1988 I bought a NAD 7020e and a pair of 8020e speakers. I considered it a starter rig that I would replace a few years down the track. The 8020es are front-ported 2-way bookshelves actually made by KEF. The 7020e is a sleeper, a 3020e with a no-drift tuner added; the late Martin Borish, long-time NAD MD, is said to have regarded it as the best thing the brand ever made. Count me as a believer: I replaced the NAD 7020e with a Cambridge Audio Azur 540R in my main listening room for a year, then listened carefully to the two of them side-by-side, and went back to the NAD.
I now feed the 7020e from a silent PC running MusicBee, and a Synology NAS full of FLACs and MP3s, via an Audioquest Dragonfly Black. I recently added a REL T2 subwoofer to the mix, connected via the Neutrik Speakon cable to the NAD's speaker terminals. It has made a real difference, dialled down low enough to almost disappear - until you turn it off. I also had the terrific Chromecast Audio plugged in for a while. It's impressive what you can feed an older amp.
My next obvious change is probably to move the speakers to the family room. I auditioned some replacements about 15 years ago, and didn't like any of them quite as much as the NADs I already owned. But now there are affordable KEFs (Q150s? 350s?) and secondhand Dynaudios (Emits? Excites?).
I should probably also find the 7020e's natural successor, maybe a secondhand Cambridge Audio CXA60 or a Marantz. But while the NAD may not have the world's best audio, it has proved remarkably adaptable and durable. I had the internals cleaned up last year by a specialist. And I'm so used to its sweet, warm sound that I suspect it's possible I won't like anything else.
Back in 1988 I bought a NAD 7020e and a pair of 8020e speakers. I considered it a starter rig that I would replace a few years down the track. The 8020es are front-ported 2-way bookshelves actually made by KEF. The 7020e is a sleeper, a 3020e with a no-drift tuner added; the late Martin Borish, long-time NAD MD, is said to have regarded it as the best thing the brand ever made. Count me as a believer: I replaced the NAD 7020e with a Cambridge Audio Azur 540R in my main listening room for a year, then listened carefully to the two of them side-by-side, and went back to the NAD.
I now feed the 7020e from a silent PC running MusicBee, and a Synology NAS full of FLACs and MP3s, via an Audioquest Dragonfly Black. I recently added a REL T2 subwoofer to the mix, connected via the Neutrik Speakon cable to the NAD's speaker terminals. It has made a real difference, dialled down low enough to almost disappear - until you turn it off. I also had the terrific Chromecast Audio plugged in for a while. It's impressive what you can feed an older amp.
My next obvious change is probably to move the speakers to the family room. I auditioned some replacements about 15 years ago, and didn't like any of them quite as much as the NADs I already owned. But now there are affordable KEFs (Q150s? 350s?) and secondhand Dynaudios (Emits? Excites?).
I should probably also find the 7020e's natural successor, maybe a secondhand Cambridge Audio CXA60 or a Marantz. But while the NAD may not have the world's best audio, it has proved remarkably adaptable and durable. I had the internals cleaned up last year by a specialist. And I'm so used to its sweet, warm sound that I suspect it's possible I won't like anything else.
