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Tin Bird
Active Member
Tried out the NAD D 3020...it did not sound as good as my Pioneer A20. The sterile, clinical, class "D" sound just did not do it for me at all. Definitely more clear on top, but the thin sound was a put-off. Returning it...debating trying the Onkyo 9010 or just sticking w the A20.
prighello
not all who wander are lost
I've had the d3020, pioneer a20, and onkyo a-9050 among numerous other integrateds. All are gone except for the a-9050. If the a-9010 is anything like the 9050 you might wish to give it a try. The pioneer was good as well though, the only reason I sold mine was I wanted a sub out and a built in dac. If those aren't required them you might as well just keep the a-20. It's a good little amp 
Tin Bird
Active Member
Hey there...thanks for your input...very helpful! I have to admit that I do really quite like the A20. I agree that it is a solid little performer that sounds good w my speakers. Certainly produces a much fuller sound than the D 3020 did. I did not dislike the D 3020, but just couldn't hear the warmth that NAD amps are described as having. I'm assuming it's because this one is a class D amp which causes it to sound a bit thin and clinical (to my ears of course). I have considered a sub at times, but really w the A20 and Dentons (that go down to 44Hz) I seem to be OK w the bass tone control turned up a bit (I don't use the loudness button though..too much bass w that). I have considered the Yamaha Natural Sound amps. They do look nice and the variable loudness control along w the others sounds like a good proposition. I have read that Yamaha amps can be a a bit "bright" at times though, so that has steered me away from them thus far. I suppose another budget integrated we should include in this discussion is the Marantz PM6005. It seems to have great reviews and is described by some as a step up from the Onkyo 9010 with a fuller and warmer sound. Keep the thoughts coming please...I am trying to get the best entry level integrated I can to maximize my Dentons.
Tin Bird
Active Member
Ha! The longer this goes on, the happier I am w my little Pioneer wunderamp! I'm not hearing any convincing reasons to stray as of yet. Certainly lots o sites praise the 9010 as being the best entry level amp around. I think the A20 and the 9010 are quite similar looking and perhaps sounding as well. I have heard that the build of the A20 is better though. I actually looked into the A30, but it appears to just be a European model and not made for the US market.
I'm not hearing any convincing reasons to stray as of yet. Certainly lots o sites praise the 9010 as being the best entry level amp around. I think the A20 and the 9010 are quite similar looking and perhaps sounding as well. I have heard that the build of the A20 is better though. I actually looked into the A30, but it appears to just be a European model and not made for the US market.
prighello
not all who wander are lost
Yeah, I wish they would offer some of the higher end pioneer's they sell abroad; we only get the one model. Another option for you might be the new emotiva receiver but honestly if you don't need the extra features I don't see why you'd jump to another entry level product. I will say the one integrated I do miss was my teac ah01. It was class d but not sterile at all and it had great bass response way better amp than the Nad in my opinion. Not very powerful though and did not have remote on/off but teac fixed that in the later model.
Too bad about the NAD D 3020 sounding sterile and clinical to you. As Prighello mentioned, not all Class D amps sound that way. I was fortunate to buy a new Onkyo A-9555 integrated several years ago and to my ear, it has a nice full, slightly warm sound. My only complaint is that it is a little fussy about which speakers it likes to play well with. 'Didn't sound so hot with my older Advents but sounds very good (to me) with some Paradigm 9se MkII speakers.
Good luck in your search.
Good luck in your search.
Tin Bird
Active Member
Thanks so much...it seems that for now I may be winding down. We know how this goes don't we fellas? Presently sipping on a nice Glenfiddich enjoying some nice Stan Getz in the background...does it get much better?
The NAD D 3020 was not bad sounding at all...crystal clear, pleasant on the ears...I guess there just seemed to be less there there...even my wife (!) noted the difference! I may give the Onkyo a whirl if I feel so inclined, but life in entry level land seems a bit static at the moment. Anyone want to push me towards the Marantz? C'mon...
Presently sipping on a nice Glenfiddich enjoying some nice Stan Getz in the background...does it get much better? The NAD D 3020 was not bad sounding at all...crystal clear, pleasant on the ears...I guess there just seemed to be less there there...even my wife (!) noted the difference! I may give the Onkyo a whirl if I feel so inclined, but life in entry level land seems a bit static at the moment. Anyone want to push me towards the Marantz? C'mon...
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Tin Bird
Active Member
I just ordered a Yamaha A‑U671. I'm hopeful.
Tin Bird
Active Member
I'll have to look into that one. Have you seen the TEAC AI-1000? It looks the part for sure. I think a step up from my current gear. I have concerns about a few reviews referring to it as a bit "bright" though. That said, most reviews are very glowing and in fact some claim it has a tube-like smoothness to it(!)
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the skipper
Professional Curmudgeon
I really think your original comparison was an apples to oranges situation. The NAD is basically a DAC with a built in amp.
If you really wanted a fair comparison, you should have been looking at their basic stereo amps like the 316 or 326.
If you really wanted a fair comparison, you should have been looking at their basic stereo amps like the 316 or 326.
prighello
not all who wander are lost
Having owned both I'd say the teac was way better but to each their own. They are different implementations of class d. Nad using hypex and teac using ice power. If you are curious about the like of the teac and want a big step up the new peachtree nova series uses the bigger ice power modules. Nad also just released some new amps with bigger hypex amps. Finally, if you want a warm class d amp rogue Audio makes the sphynix which is a hypex based amp fronted by a tube preamp. It is very highly regarded but I've not heard it yet. Another amp that is class d but sounded great to me was the class d audio stuff. I have one their sds amps but you'll need a preamp for them as they are strictly power amps.
