About The NAD D3020V2 Stereo Amplifier
You've heard it before. "Don't judge a book by its cover." And that old saying is exactly true when you listen to the NAD D3020 V2 stereo amplifier. Yes, it is simple to use and that's because it was designed that way and particularly for the younger generation who just want a great sounding amplifier that can accept both digital and analogue inputs. This includes a dedicated, exceptional quality phono input for your turntable. The amp is small enough to fit on your desk yet powerful enough to drive real speakers. Sounds like a home run from NAD. Take one home today.
The original NAD 3020 introduced a generation of Music Lovers to true high fidelity sound. The term High Fidelity literally means "true to the original". In the '70s over a million people rediscovered their music when they placed a NAD 3020 between their turntable and loudspeakers. This little gem embarrassed amplifiers costing 10 times more with its big, warm, detailed sound. Once people realised what they had been missing it lead them to a lifetime of enhanced musical enjoyment. Today, the source is more likely to be a computer or smartphone than a turntable, but the ability to choose speakers that perfectly suit one's taste is still a compelling argument for upgrading to a NAD amplifier. The D 3020 V2 starts with the original NAD 3020 concept and takes it straight to the 21st century using the latest high-speed digital technology.
Reinventiong An Icon: By adapting to today's media sources and using state-of-the-art digital technology for the new world of digital music, the D 3020 V2 puts a completely modern spin on an old icon. The original designer of the 3020, NAD's Director of Advanced Technology, Bjorn Erik Edvardsen, has been pivotal in developing the D 3020 V2 for the new digital generation. Offering an excellent quality 24/192 DAC with 8 channels mixed to 2 for improved resolution, the D 3020 V2 represents the same kind of value-bending innovation that gave the original 3020 its legendary overachieving phono stage.
Real World Performance: NAD rewrote the rules for amplifiers when designing the original 3020. Instead of letting laboratory test equipment have the last word, NAD made sure that it could properly drive real loudspeakers with real music for the real world. The D 3020 V2 lives up to this promise through a unique implementation of NAD PowerDrive™ developed by Bjorn Erik Edvardsen, that allows low impedance drive (current) and high dynamic power (voltage) at vanishingly low distortion levels. This refinement of PowerDrive combined with a precision soft clipping circuit, lets the D 3020 V2 sound even more powerful than it already is. An innovative Bass EQ circuit helps small speakers sound big without overdriving or damaging ported woofers.
More Connected: The D3020 offers inputs for your computer and other digital and analogue sources. Coaxial and optical inputs allow many different digital sources to be connected, from CD and DVD players, to set top boxes, media streamers like AppleTV, or satellite and cable receivers. There are also analogue inputs including a sophisticated MM Phono input. Far from just another set of sockets, this Phono stage includes highly accurate RIAA equalization, an Infrasonic Warp Filter, and features both high overload margins and extremely low noise. With V2 NAD have also added a PreOut for increased connectivity in the output stage.
Stream With Bluetooth: The D 3020 V2 delivers the convenience of wireless streaming with its Bluetooth capability. Stream all your music from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. The D 3020 V2 even supports the highest audio quality Bluetooth aptX that is becoming ever more popular for its excellent sound quality and low power consumption compared to Wi-Fi.
Power That Really Delivers: Power output may sound small at 30 Watts per channel, but like all NAD amplifiers this is very misleading, as a properly designed 30 Watt amplifier can sound superior to many a 100 Watt amplifier from a lesser brand. With its very small form factor, the D 3020 V2 will astound many with its ability to drive difficult loudspeakers to satisfying levels without adding noise or distortion.
Mean And Green: The D 3020 V2's highly efficient design wastes less energy, requiring only 20% of the power needed by traditional Hi-Fi amplifiers. It's like trading in a gas guzzling car for a hybrid vehicle. Standby power consumption is a miniscule <0.5 Watts. NAD has taken amplification to new lows, with lower distortion, lower noise, and lower power consumption. NAD's major focus is to find new technology that improves musical performance while consuming less power and using fewer non-renewable resources in manufacturing.
NAD D3020 V2 Review
"Truly a design for our times, the D 3020 is improbably small and portable and loaded. This 30Wpc integrated offers a 96kHz/24-bit USB input and aptX Bluetooth music-streaming. With a smooth top end, its speed and openness can be truly enthralling. Although there's a little bit of a veil over the sound, the D 3020 need make no apologies. ... it is a small miracle of packaging and portability, and a delight to use and listen to." The Absolute Sound Editors' Choice Awards 2023
Our Take
The original 3020 integrated amp had it easy. About the only source anyone hooked up to it was a turntable and maybe a cassette deck. The D3020 V2 sports two analogue inputs including a very nice MM Phono stage for your turntable and, like its predecessor, it is right up-to-date for current "digital" source material. If you think 30 Watts doesn't sound like much power, don't be fooled. Highly efficient, this little amp is perfect for powering a pair of efficient bookshelf speakers while delivering warm, detailed sound from digital and analogue sources. The compact and streamlined D 3020 V2 can stand on its side for placement on a desktop or shelf or you can lay it down flat. We see a lot of 3020 V2's going out the door and nearly every one is for people wanting to improve their desktop audio and it is an absolute winner.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: High Quality Digital Amplifier/DAC/Headphone Amplifier
- Compact, low-profile design; vertical or horizontal orientation for placement flexibility
- Can also be used as an optical input for Macbook laptop computers; miniplug-to-Toslink adapter included for use with an optical cable
- Power Output: 30 Watts x 2 channels into 8 ohms
- DAC: 24-bit/96kHz digital-to-analogue converter for playback of high-resolution digital music
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth wireless connectivity for streaming music from compatible smartphones, tablets, and computers
- AptX® encoding provide high-quality music streaming from compatible devices
Connectivity
- Analogue Inputs: 1 x Stereo Line Level RCA & 1 x Stereo MM Phono RCA
- Preamp Output: Miniplug Stereo Preamp Output
- Optical Digital Input: 1
- Coaxial Digital Input: 1
- Speaker Terminals: Stereo binding-post speaker terminals
- Subwoofer Output: Dedicated mono RCA output for powered subwoofer
- Built-In Headphone Amplifier: 1 x 3.5mm minijack output
- 12-volt Trigger In: 1
- Remote Control: Included
- Standby Power: ≤0.5 Watts
- Supports Bit Rate/Sample Rate: Up to 24-bit/96kHz
- Dimensions - Vertical (WxHxD): 58 x 186 x 219mm
- Nett Weight: 1.4 kg
- Shipping Weight: 2.1 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.