FORDFIESTA
Well-known member
- Jun 20, 2008
- 4
- 0
- 18,520
The NAD 3020 and 3020a amps in my house still work fine after nearly 30 years . The 3020e I was given recently does have a hum coming from it but I'm sure that could be fixed if I could be bothered . Whether these products can be compared with what is produced today I couldn't say .
Nick
Nick
Wow! I've silver screen too, and if I went that high on the dial the police would be round - you must like it loud or your room is full of cushions !
Let us know what you find - interested to know how you can run it so high.
Let us know what you find - interested to know how you can run it so high.
its not that loud! i thought 8 o'clock would be a normal volume for most people? i think my flat's got quite good sound proofing between walls to be honest; i never hear any other music and i've never had any complaints, even watching movies pretty loud through surround sound.
the amp's still pretty hot most of the time, think i'll keep an eye on it and take it back if it starts switching itself off. sevenoaks gave me a 2 year warranty so i should be ok!
how are you finding the C545/C326 combo?
the amp's still pretty hot most of the time, think i'll keep an eye on it and take it back if it starts switching itself off. sevenoaks gave me a 2 year warranty so i should be ok!
how are you finding the C545/C326 combo?
Suppose if 8 o'clock equates to about 20% capacity, midnight is half-way at 50% and 100% is about 4 o'clock - we are playing at the same level - but mine is still barely warm.
I love the setup especially as I was unable to get a demo in the end and its the result of weeks of research! But for me its the first jump to a real hi-fi so I'm trying to get used to all the clarity and lack of droning bass that I've been used to. I've turned the bass tone up to encourage the 685's to run in - I heard as they loosen up you start to pull the tone back and finally switch it off.
I love the setup especially as I was unable to get a demo in the end and its the result of weeks of research! But for me its the first jump to a real hi-fi so I'm trying to get used to all the clarity and lack of droning bass that I've been used to. I've turned the bass tone up to encourage the 685's to run in - I heard as they loosen up you start to pull the tone back and finally switch it off.
how do you find the bass , and seperation on the 326bee iggle ? great amp imo , but it was these two areas that i found wanting on my now traded nad , the bass was very in your face , overpowering , but then again i have very bassy speakers ..
Hi jsl20,
May I suggest you try placing your CD player under your amp, rather than on top. You'll probably find the amp runs cooler and you may even find the overall sound is a bit more 'open'. If you have the room, side by side would be even better.
Very best regards,
Steve Reichert (PR Manager, Armour Home - NAD)
May I suggest you try placing your CD player under your amp, rather than on top. You'll probably find the amp runs cooler and you may even find the overall sound is a bit more 'open'. If you have the room, side by side would be even better.
Very best regards,
Steve Reichert (PR Manager, Armour Home - NAD)
matthewpiano
Well-known member
- Nov 23, 2007
- 494
- 332
- 19,270
Got to say I've never found NAD to be particularly unreliable. My old C521BEE CD player got a bit flaky earlier than I would have liked but it never actually stopped working and I've never had any problems with other NAD kit (C325BEE, C326BEE and C545BEE).
NAD make great kit, and although the sound doesn't quite suit me, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the stuff to those looking for a bigger sound with plenty of bass.
Can I also say, when I worked in the industry we dealt with Armour (NAD's UK distributor) for a short period of time and I always found them extremely helpful and obliging. I would have no worries about service back-up on any products they distribute. IMO they are a good company.
NAD make great kit, and although the sound doesn't quite suit me, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the stuff to those looking for a bigger sound with plenty of bass.
Can I also say, when I worked in the industry we dealt with Armour (NAD's UK distributor) for a short period of time and I always found them extremely helpful and obliging. I would have no worries about service back-up on any products they distribute. IMO they are a good company.
Steve Reichert PR Manager ArmourHome:
Hi jsl20,
May I suggest you try placing your CD player under your amp, rather than on top. You'll probably find the amp runs cooler and you may even find the overall sound is a bit more 'open'. If you have the room, side by side would be even better.
Very best regards,
Steve Reichert (PR Manager, Armour Home - NAD)
hi steve reichert,
that would be the obvious problem solver. however, since i have a rega apollo its not possible! might put up some shelves and keep them separate though.
Hi jsl20,
May I suggest you try placing your CD player under your amp, rather than on top. You'll probably find the amp runs cooler and you may even find the overall sound is a bit more 'open'. If you have the room, side by side would be even better.
Very best regards,
Steve Reichert (PR Manager, Armour Home - NAD)
hi steve reichert,
that would be the obvious problem solver. however, since i have a rega apollo its not possible! might put up some shelves and keep them separate though.
maxflinn:how do you find the bass , and seperation on the 326bee iggle ? great amp imo , but it was these two areas that i found wanting on my now traded nad , the bass was very in your face , overpowering , but then again i have very bassy speakers ..
I'm using with B&W 685's and the bass is taught and punchy, and I feel understated at the moment - indeed I seem to feel more than I hear! But remember I've just come from Denon M37 so I'm getting used to my first real system, and the B&W's are still being run in. As for separation - again I'm getting used to a new level of clarity - but everything seems balanced and the imaging seems cohesive (I am sitting just behind the apex of a 2.5m equilateral triangle with my 685's in a 3x4m room. The 685's are also on Partington super d's - which probably contribute.
I'm using with B&W 685's and the bass is taught and punchy, and I feel understated at the moment - indeed I seem to feel more than I hear! But remember I've just come from Denon M37 so I'm getting used to my first real system, and the B&W's are still being run in. As for separation - again I'm getting used to a new level of clarity - but everything seems balanced and the imaging seems cohesive (I am sitting just behind the apex of a 2.5m equilateral triangle with my 685's in a 3x4m room. The 685's are also on Partington super d's - which probably contribute.
igglepiggle:
maxflinn:how do you find the bass , and seperation on the 326bee iggle ? great amp imo , but it was these two areas that i found wanting on my now traded nad , the bass was very in your face , overpowering , but then again i have very bassy speakers ..
I'm using with B&W 685's and the bass is taught and punchy, and I feel understated at the moment - indeed I seem to feel more than I hear! But remember I've just come from Denon M37 so I'm getting used to my first real system, and the B&W's are still being run in. As for separation - again I'm getting used to a new level of clarity - but everything seems balanced and the imaging seems cohesive (I am sitting just behind the apex of a 2.5m equilateral triangle with my 685's in a 3x4m room. The 685's are also on Partington super d's - which probably contribute.
cheers , sounds like everything is knitting together well .. enjoy
maxflinn:how do you find the bass , and seperation on the 326bee iggle ? great amp imo , but it was these two areas that i found wanting on my now traded nad , the bass was very in your face , overpowering , but then again i have very bassy speakers ..
I'm using with B&W 685's and the bass is taught and punchy, and I feel understated at the moment - indeed I seem to feel more than I hear! But remember I've just come from Denon M37 so I'm getting used to my first real system, and the B&W's are still being run in. As for separation - again I'm getting used to a new level of clarity - but everything seems balanced and the imaging seems cohesive (I am sitting just behind the apex of a 2.5m equilateral triangle with my 685's in a 3x4m room. The 685's are also on Partington super d's - which probably contribute.
cheers , sounds like everything is knitting together well .. enjoy
Funnily enough after 26months my NAD C545BEE started to encounter problems with the buttons not working and the disc skipping - just after the warrant expired !
However I called Armour Home and they said it was a known warranty fault and after sending to them they fixed it a returned the item no quibbles.
Excellent customer service.
However I called Armour Home and they said it was a known warranty fault and after sending to them they fixed it a returned the item no quibbles.
Excellent customer service.
I used a 3020A for 32 years without any problems at all - in fact it still works perfectly. That said, NAD have been brought and sold a few times since then so it would be wrong to compare the modern products produced by a different company that happens to trade under the same brand name.
Also, one reason why NAD were so affordable 30 years ago was that they were one of the first 'British' Hifi manufacturers who sub-contracted production to low wage far east factories, although most others followed this trend afterwards. The result of that is it can be hard to compare and contrast, with often different brand names being produced in very similar places. It's a bit like drums - I used to play regularly, and had a certain brand loyalty (first to Premier, then to Sonor), but that was misplaced - nearly all the 'big names' in drums (with a few specialist and high end exceptions) come out of the same 2 or 3 factories in China regardless of whether they are a 'British', 'German' or Japanese brand. As a result issues of quality and reliability are surprisingly uniform, something that I doubt is very different in Hifi these days...
Also, one reason why NAD were so affordable 30 years ago was that they were one of the first 'British' Hifi manufacturers who sub-contracted production to low wage far east factories, although most others followed this trend afterwards. The result of that is it can be hard to compare and contrast, with often different brand names being produced in very similar places. It's a bit like drums - I used to play regularly, and had a certain brand loyalty (first to Premier, then to Sonor), but that was misplaced - nearly all the 'big names' in drums (with a few specialist and high end exceptions) come out of the same 2 or 3 factories in China regardless of whether they are a 'British', 'German' or Japanese brand. As a result issues of quality and reliability are surprisingly uniform, something that I doubt is very different in Hifi these days...
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