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ADS L710 with NAD 3020... a good match?

Record Room

Record Room

New Member
Hello and happy holidays to everyone!

i'd like to begin by saying
how much of a great and indispensable resource of information
audiokarma has been for me.

i truly appreciate all of the help and knowledge that fellow AK members have
passed along, and once again... i need some advice.

I have an opportunity to buy a really nice pair
of ADS L-710 speakers, i'm not exactly sure what year/series they are,
but they have the metal (not fabric) grills, and binding posts instead of spring-loaded clips.

a while back, i had an older pair of L-710's,
that had the fabric grills, and they were in somewhat rough cosmetic shape,
but they sounded absolutely fantastic!
fast bass, sweet mids, and highs that seemed to project into the room.

i was powering them with a Creek 4240 integrated amp,
which i absolutely loved... the sound they made together was really nice.
but, the little 40 watt@8ohm creek would get very hot when connected to the
L-710's, it worried me, and i stopped using them together.

soon after this, i ended up moving from one house to another,
and sold all of my stereo equipment.
so that was the end of that dilemma...

so now,
i am once again presented with the option of buying a pair of
ADS L-710's, but this time... they are absolutely beautiful!

i happened upon these vintage beauties,
while searching for a mint condition NAD 3020.
i had a 3020 before, (years ago)...
but at the time, i was trading and buying and selling stereo gear
faster than i could appreciate it, or properly evaluate it!

i ended up selling it, but i heard it with
klipsch heresys, large advents, and B&W DM-602's...
it made all of these speakers sound fantastic... super smooth, and the best phono stage
i have ever had!
(more so than other amps i had at the time which were more powerful and more expensive!)

so, ready to assemble a new (modest) system from the ground up...
i set my sights on finding a really sharp NAD 3020.

i know the low power rating of the 3020,
but i have seen it drive lots of other speakers that it had absolutely no business driving
with ease, warmth, and finesse.

and again... that wonderful phono section!

so, my question is...
would a NAD 3020 be able to drive a pair of ADS L-710's well, without becoming a fire hazard?

i'm almost positive (without hearing this combo)
that together, they are going to sound exactly like the sound i am looking for.

but when i tried to drive the L-710's with the Creek 4240 (years ago),
the Creek would get uncomfortably hot.

does anyone out there have this NAD/ADS combo?
and if so... please, shed some light...
because i really don't want to pass on buying these speakers,
and i'm pretty much in love with the old NAD 3020 sound.

any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for putting up with my long-winded post.
 
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I don't have a NAD 3020 now, but when I did, it drove my a/d/s L710 speakers with no trouble at all. I have driven them with components as low-powered as a Sherwood S-7100a with its puny 14 watt power. Mind you, I don't normally play music at ear-splitting volumes.
 
I think the NAD will power them fine, and sound good doing it, in a small-to-medium size room as long as you are reasonable with the volume control - and it sounds like you are. Yes, I have heard the combination, back when they were new, as the shop I worked in carried both brands. I'd want a 3020 restored by leesonic, myself. There was one in Barter Town recently.

The L710 is fairly efficient, and that NAD can do the job well at moderate levels.

I would personally want more power, for those times when I do get silly.
 
The 3020 can drive 2 Ohm loads. So, it shouldn't have any problems with the 710's. But, it's not a powerhouse amp. Just a very good amp. I'd certainly use it, though I don't rock out. And I do feel there is a good synergy between NAD and ADS. My 3155 sounds very nice into my 570's.

Go for it! Welcome aboard too. :D
 
I don't really play my music very loud,
but (i'm sure as we all do) occasionally you might want that little extra.

another two NAD amp models that have come to my attention,
are the 3140 and the 3150.
both are "dual transformer" designs, and both are obviously more powerful than the 3020,
but would any of the 3020 "magic" be lost by these other models?

from what i understand, the 3140 sounds very similar to the 3020,
but the 3150 is somewhat of a mystery?

there's also the 3155, but in comparison... it's a single transformer design, vs the "dual mono"
configuration of the other two. (and i have no idea what it would sound like with the L-710's?)

i'm guessing that the 3140 or 3150 are going to be somewhat close to the sound of the 3020?

i know that the 3020 is also a single transformer,
but if i'm gonna go with a different NAD amp other than the 3020,
i figure it should be one of the more robust designs of that era.

and, to make matters even MORE confusing...
i also located a mint condition creek 6060 integrated amp,
which i'm almost positive would sound gorgeous with the ADS L-710's,
but then, what if it don't power them enough to not be an issue?

the Creek 6060 is rated at 60 watts @8ohms
aside from that i know nothing about it.
but i DO know, that Creek amps of that era sound absolutely beautiful
when matched to the right speaker.
 
Record Room said:
I don't really play my music very loud,
but (i'm sure as we all do) occasionally you might want that little extra.

another two NAD amp models that have come to my attention,
are the 3140 and the 3150.
both are "dual transformer" designs, and both are obviously more powerful than the 3020,
but would any of the 3020 "magic" be lost by these other models?

from what i understand, the 3140 sounds very similar to the 3020,
but the 3150 is somewhat of a mystery?

there's also the 3155, but in comparison... it's a single transformer design, vs the "dual mono"
configuration of the other two. (and i have no idea what it would sound like with the L-710's?)

i'm guessing that the 3140 or 3150 are going to be somewhat close to the sound of the 3020?

i know that the 3020 is also a single transformer,
but if i'm gonna go with a different NAD amp other than the 3020,
i figure it should be one of the more robust designs of that era.

and, to make matters even MORE confusing...
i also located a mint condition creek 6060 integrated amp,
which i'm almost positive would sound gorgeous with the ADS L-710's,
but then, what if it don't power them enough to not be an issue?

the Creek 6060 is rated at 60 watts @8ohms
aside from that i know nothing about it.
but i DO know, that Creek amps of that era sound absolutely beautiful
when matched to the right speaker.
Click to expand...

I once loved a 3140 (more than I did the 3020, in fact). That said, I'd be highly inclined toward the Creek because I always wanted one but never got it.
 
Pick up the 710's and deal with the amp issue later. Pick up the amp and, if they don't like the speakers, deal with that issue later. As someone pointed out, the ADS are a 6 ohm speakers. This was probably done to compensate for 2 woofers and 4 drivers. Some receivers don't do well with speakers of less than 8 ohms. Somebody above pointed out that the NAD should be able to handle the lower impedance. What's interesting is the NAD is fewer watts per channel than your old receiver, but that may actually help in a counter intuitive way. That being said, the NAD is a solid unit as well. Grab them both and hope for the best, if not, you've got a solid start for two systems or some trade bait. If they're both working and in solid shape, you can't go wrong.
 
you know, at this point...
i'm seriously thinking of getting the NAD 3020, and a pair of KLH 6's or Large Advents,
and calling it a day.

after the amp and speakers are handled,
then i could add a Thorens or an AR-XA turntable, a decent CD spinner (that would match the look of it all)...
and it's off to the races!

at that point, i could concentrate on the important thing, and the reason for all of this to begin with...
the music!
 
The 710s here are pretty versatile - I've played mine with amplifiers ranging from 15-150 watts/ch and they sound great.
 
the guy who agreed to sell the ADS L-710's to me backed out of the deal.

he ultimately decided that $350 was not enough, and he upped the asking price considerably.

needless to say, this discouraged me quite a bit, and it got me thinking
to focus on components that i know for a fact will deliver the sound that i am looking for.

i have been into this "audiophile" hobby since i was a kid.. (i'm 45 now)
and over the years of trial and error, trying different speakers, components, cables, tricks...
i have had some really nice equipment, and some absolute shitty equipment as well.
some expensive, some not.

i have heard systems that have absolutely blown me away,
and some that don't do justice to the music.

the amazing thing is,
the most impressive systems were not the expensive ones.

for example, the best sounding speaker i have ever heard in my entire life,
was a mint condition pair of of original large advents.
they were powered by a harmam/kardon 730 twin receiver,
playing "money" by pink floyd, on a AR XA turntable,
with stock cables (nothing special).
but it just sounded so "right"!

i have been chasing that sound for about 20 years now...
but, unfortunately... life happens,
and things sometimes don't come together as planned.

but the thing is,
after hearing $100,000 set-ups in showrooms and
at peoples homes...
sometimes the music gets lost, and it becomes more about
the electronics, rather than "dark side of the moon",
which is why we all got into this hobby in the first place.
 
so... LOL
for now, i'm gonna buy a NAD 3020,
(and eventually, i'd like to pick up a fully restored h/k "twin powered" receiver, that has been totally gone through in mint condition).

i'm going to focus on finding a super nice pair of Large Advent speakers with walnut cabs.

and then, a nice restored AR XA (or a thorens) turntable, with a hot arm and cart setup.

and then finally, a really cool looking cd player that will complement the whole overall "look" of the system
(and sound good, of course).

and the rest, like cables and stands are incidental to me, and those things will come later.



Ladies and Gentleman... Rock and Roll!
 
I'm kind of late to this discussion. The NAD 3020 is very good at driving low impedance or otherwise difficult speaker loads, you could certainly double up on a pair of 8 ohm speakers and not have to worry about it. Like two pairs of Large Advents. Possibly a better bargain would be a pair (or two) of the Jensen era Advents like the Legacy.

The 3140 has twin transformers yes, but it is not a true dual mono design, since the transformers are wired in series to get a higher supply voltage, while also saving space since two small transformers can take up less space than one big one.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions.

Lee.
 
hello there leesonic,
i was actually just about to contact you,
because iv'e heard that you do excellent restorations on amplifiers,
(like the NAD 3020).

i just purchased one that is in very good cosmetic condition,
i am waiting for it to be sent to me.

i would like for this 3020 to be totally gone through,
and given the full "leesonic" treatment, (or whatever type of service you recommend).

is this something you might have time for maybe after christmas?

and could you give me some idea (ballpark) of what it might cost for a "full refurb"?
 
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