NAD Owner's - Unite

[Toblerone]

I recently completed a long distance move.. and then another small move into the permanent house (ugh). I haven't really set up much gear yet. None of the gear really, just a headphone amp and dac on a desk. It was a tough move.

My point, I have an NAD c368 sitting in a box... somewhere around here, (one of the newer NADs). I'm thinking of setting it up first.

Simply curious as to other's thoughts on this line of NAD.

 

[Oggioffshore]

You might want to check the components of the S200, which share the same construction and pcb layout, with some upgraded parts.

Do u know which parts that's upgraded,?
Tried looking into the service manual, but I'm not expert reading those

 

[Oggioffshore]

NAD 2400
Managed to make it work again.
And some small upgrade, thicker cables and xtra filter caps in the low voltage rail, and changed caps around with leftovers from other recaps...
Plays quite well, so next will be to bridge it with my 3400.

Of course i bought another 3400, have 5 of them now. This one I'll guess are almost untouched. But it goes straight into protection. Can't see any burnt parts.
So not sure what to do with it. My 1st 3400 i owned since it was new, need new front cover etc, so I'll might use it for parts...

Next job will open up the 218Thx... Haven't tested it yet...
Planning to recap a 1600 and use with the 218.

 

[Oggioffshore]

NAD 2400
Managed to make it work again.
And some small upgrade, thicker cables and xtra filter caps in the low voltage rail, and changed caps around with leftovers from other recaps...
Plays quite well, so next will be to bridge it with my 3400.

Of course i bought another 3400, have 5 of them now. This one I'll guess are almost untouched. But it goes straight into protection. Can't see any burnt parts.
So not sure what to do with it. My 1st 3400 i owned since it was new, need new front cover etc, so I'll might use it for parts...

Next job will open up the 218Thx... Haven't tested it yet...
Planning to recap a 1600 and use with the 218.

 

[kjello]

Do u know which parts that's upgraded,?
Tried looking into the service manual, but I'm not expert reading those

Sorry I dont have a lot of information, but there is at least one thread on diyAudio on the subject.
There is a lot of talk about improving ground loop, caps, and improved chips in the input stage, also disconnecting the soft clipping circuit.

 

[percivilla]

Bumping a slightly stale thread...

I recently lucked into a very clean 1979 3020 series 20. Looks like it spent it's life either in a box or a stereo cabinet. Untouched and no dust.

Was interested in hearing it based on reputation but wasn't expecting much with it being all original...

Gave the controls a cleaning as well as the trim pots, tuned in the offset and gave it a listen... Well holy sheep*hit this thing is blowing my mind!

I hooked it up to my restored Dahlquist DQ-10's with passive crossover and sub, a very power hungry setup, almost just for chuckles. 5 drivers per side plus a 13" sub. Well I'll tell you what, it's having no trouble, and I'm not sure they've ever sounded better. It obviously does run out of steam pretty quick when you crank it up, but it has more than enough jam for the level I'd ever listen at.

The bass! how the heck does this tiny thing with original caps have such tight and musical bass!? Amazing combination of warmth and detail with really good soundstage. This amp has punch, kick drum hits... wow.

My other two fave amps are a restored Sansui AU717 and AU7900. The 717 edges it for detail but lacks warmth, the 7900 basically ties with the 3020 but the NAD bests it for soundstage and imaging...

Holy moly NAD!

Caps and trimmers have been ordered, will report back after the resto.

 

[kjello]

Bumping a slightly stale thread...

I recently lucked into a very clean 1979 3020 series 20. Looks like it spent it's life either in a box or a stereo cabinet. Untouched and no dust.

Was interested in hearing it based on reputation but wasn't expecting much with it being all original...

Gave the controls a cleaning as well as the trim pots, tuned in the offset and gave it a listen... Well holy sheep*hit this thing is blowing my mind!

I hooked it up to my restored Dahlquist DQ-10's with passive crossover and sub, a very power hungry setup, almost just for chuckles. 5 drivers per side plus a 13" sub. Well I'll tell you what, it's having no trouble, and I'm not sure they've ever sounded better. It obviously does run out of steam pretty quick when you crank it up, but it has more than enough jam for the level I'd ever listen at.

The bass! how the heck does this tiny thing with original caps have such tight and musical bass!? Amazing combination of warmth and detail with really good soundstage. This amp has punch, kick drum hits... wow.

My other two fave amps are a restored Sansui AU717 and AU7900. The 717 edges it for detail but lacks warmth, the 7900 basically ties with the 3020 but the NAD bests it for soundstage and imaging...

Holy moly NAD!

Caps and trimmers have been ordered, will report back after the resto.

If I'm not mistaken you are owner of the earliest made 3020 with the original Motorola output transistors which is preferred by many 3020 fans. Both the England and Taiwan made series 20 and A versions has the Motorola devices.
Keep us posted about the restoring work
I ageee these amps are extremely 'musical' and is easliy forgiven the perhaps lack of extreme detail in upper end, I would rather say smothely rolled of and is maybe one of the least fatiguing sounding amps I know of. If- of course used within limits of the amp.
Must be the worlds most powerful 2x20 watter

 

[percivilla]

If I'm not mistaken you are owner of the earliest made 3020 with the original Motorola output transistors which is preferred by many 3020 fans. Both the England and Taiwan made series 20 and A versions has the Motorola devices.
Keep us posted about the restoring work
I ageee these amps are extremely 'musical' and is easliy forgiven the perhaps lack of extreme detail in upper end, I would rather say smothely rolled of and is maybe one of the least fatiguing sounding amps I know of. If- of course used within limits of the amp.
Must be the worlds most powerful 2x20 watter

Yes sir, Motorola outputs. Seems like this is the one to have?

I've been able to turn it up to fairly uncomfortable volumes with no noticable distortion.

In my parts order, I've bumped the power supply caps up to 680uf and the filters to 3300uf, might help a bit.

Edit - Stink, I just double checked my order and realized I missed four caps that are currently 47uf 25V. I'm bumping up all the other voltages but I guess these four will stay at 25V seeing as how I ordered a big bag of 47uf 25V Nichicon UKL's...

 

[Oggioffshore]

3400 monitor series
Well,, thought I give it a try.
So took out those 2043DD, soldered in 2 sockets and put in new 4562's...
Not sure if I'll notice any difference, but the fun part is the job.

 

[MJB1959]

So I have an older NAD 3150, I was originally wowed by its sound and power. Evetually what started as a scratchy sound in the right channel eventually morphed into total channel failure. Sadly is prompted me, to replace the amp. But not before taking try at repairing the 3150, deoxit, visual inspections, were few things I tried, before my obsession to listen to music got the better of me. So it was then that after diligent research, I was able to buy a Cambridge audio unit.it continues to satisfy. I have other amplifier options as well, but getting that NAD 3150 up and running is something I still want to pursue.

 

[Joe_music]

Just found out this thread!

Cuerently updating/reparing an 3020 series 20 (late version, 1980). I'm done recapping (I know my QuenArc is not there, I removed it to try isolate my problem) and I was going to set bias and off-set when I heard a weird noise lile crackling...

After fews minutes of moving my ears aroud I think it's my 2N3055 of my left channel.. Do you guys think this could be a dead transistors or something else in the circuit than could cause that?

The weird part is that last thursday I set it up on my table with my TT plug-in and for the fews second of play... wow does this ting sounded awesome, but now.. nothing...

Thanks if anybody could have an idea of suggestions, I'm planning to post all of my build steps later on pn AK

 

[Dony]

New to the forum, but my NAD gear is as follows:

C270 X 2 (Bridged mono)
C245BEE
2400PE

Photos are over in the NAD Owners, Lets see your systems! thread.

Also have a 7140 (needs tuner repair) - I'll start my own thread about that.

 

[Ninjalife27]

Have any of you guys who are familiar with the older NAD stuff had a chance to listen to the new 316bee v2? Thoughts?

I’m looking to join the NAD owners club, I’m just not sure if I should go with the new 316bee v2, or one of the older more well loved integrateds like the 3020, 3140, 3150, 3155, etc?

 

[Dony]

Have any of you guys who are familiar with the older NAD stuff had a chance to listen to the new 316bee v2? Thoughts?

I’m looking to join the NAD owners club, I’m just not sure if I should go with the new 316bee v2, or one of the older more well loved integrateds like the 3020, 3140, 3150, 3155, etc?

Hey Ninjalife27, your question is quite subjective. I am going to assume you are looking at purchasing a new 316bee v2 from a NAD dealer. A few considerations to think about,

1. Buying a new 316bee v2 from a NAD dealer will provide you a 2 year warranty.
2. The new 316bee v2 will probably provide more current input capabilities for digital connections.
3. Buying a 3140, 3150, 3155 will cost less as there won't be a warranty and they are all considered used at the end of the day. These integrated amps are very reliable, however they can fail due to age, as capacitors and other parts don't last forever in any system. If you decide to re-cap or recondition these old amps then you will need to take that cost into account.
4. Sound quality is a not a big consideration in my mind. I think if you had a 316bee v2 and a recapped/reconditioned 3150 connected to the same input source and same speakers in a blind sound test you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I have a 7140 receiver and the sound it produces is as good as sound from my newer equipment.

Thing is the amplifier is not supposed to add or take away from the sound and I think the old NADs integrated amps/receivers are as good at doing that as the new ones.

I think NAD tries to do much of those comparisons in such promotions as per this link: https://nadelectronics.com/vintagesessions/

I don't think you can go wrong either way, it is a matter of what your budget is and what your risk/comfort level is.

Thanks

Don

 

[bigaltx24]

I have a 7250PE receiver that I had been using in my workshop system. Rotating the NAD with a Kenwood KA 701 and a Denon PMA-757. I also have a 5000 CD player but it gets a little flakey sometimes, so I stopped using it. I'll get around to fixing it one of these days.

 

[Ninjalife27]

Hey Ninjalife27, your question is quite subjective. I am going to assume you are looking at purchasing a new 316bee v2 from a NAD dealer. A few considerations to think about,

1. Buying a new 316bee v2 from a NAD dealer will provide you a 2 year warranty.
2. The new 316bee v2 will probably provide more current input capabilities for digital connections.
3. Buying a 3140, 3150, 3155 will cost less as there won't be a warranty and they are all considered used at the end of the day. These integrated amps are very reliable, however they can fail due to age, as capacitors and other parts don't last forever in any system. If you decide to re-cap or recondition these old amps then you will need to take that cost into account.
4. Sound quality is a not a big consideration in my mind. I think if you had a 316bee v2 and a recapped/reconditioned 3150 connected to the same input source and same speakers in a blind sound test you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I have a 7140 receiver and the sound it produces is as good as sound from my newer equipment.

Thing is the amplifier is not supposed to add or take away from the sound and I think the old NADs integrated amps/receivers are as good at doing that as the new ones.

I think NAD tries to do much of those comparisons in such promotions as per this link: https://nadelectronics.com/vintagesessions/

I don't think you can go wrong either way, it is a matter of what your budget is and what your risk/comfort level is.

Thanks

Don

Don,
Thank you for such a detailed response, I really appreciate it.
Indeed I am taking into consideration the fact that if I go vintage, it will surely require having the unit worked on or restored in some capacity, at some point, and doing so will likely mean that in the end it will probably cost about the same as a new 316bee v2 ($500, +/-).

Taking that into account, I’m certainly open to going with an older model if there’s a significant advantage in sound quality or reliability (or both).

But if, as you say, I’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between newer & older… I think newer might be the way to go.

Thank you again for the advice,
Brian

 

[Dony]

So I am making more progress in my vintage NAD journey.

I just purchased a NAD 1700 and I am going to pair it with my 2400pe. I am intending to get both rebuilt/re-capped with upgraded parts by a local tech. Just by chance a 2700 THX has come up for sale as well. My question to other NAD owners would be is it worth buying the 2700 to replace the 2400pe? I would get the 2700 rebuilt/recapped to ensure things are up to spec. Speakers are to be Paradigm Mini Monitor v3 and eventually Paradigm Studio 20 v2 to v5.

Incidentally, I am still intending to do my own rebuild/recap on my 7140 but being a newbie in that area makes me not comfortable with working on the 1700/2400pe.

What are the NAD owners recommendations?

Thanks Don

 

[karljansen]

So I am making more progress in my vintage NAD journey.

I just purchased a NAD 1700 and I am going to pair it with my 2400pe. I am intending to get both rebuilt/re-capped with upgraded parts by a local tech. Just by chance a 2700 THX has come up for sale as well. My question to other NAD owners would be is it worth buying the 2700 to replace the 2400pe? I would get the 2700 rebuilt/recapped to ensure things are up to spec. Speakers are to be Paradigm Mini Monitor v3 and eventually Paradigm Studio 20 v2 to v5.

Incidentally, I am still intending to do my own rebuild/recap on my 7140 but being a newbie in that area makes me not comfortable with working on the 1700/2400pe.

What are the NAD owners recommendations?

Thanks Don

As an owner of the 1700 and 2400 for the past 20+ years, I can tell you that the 2700 would be nice to have if you can get a good deal on it, but the 2400 is more than enough amp to drive the speakers you're considering running. It's a great sounding pair that I used for years for both casual listening and mixing and monitoring in my home recording studio through a pair of Event 20/20s.

 

[Dony]

As an owner of the 1700 and 2400 for the past 20+ years, I can tell you that the 2700 would be nice to have if you can get a good deal on it, but the 2400 is more than enough amp to drive the speakers you're considering running. It's a great sounding pair that I used for years for both casual listening and mixing and monitoring in my home recording studio through a pair of Event 20/20s.

Hello Karljansen,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I will see what kind of price I can get the 2700 for, if it reasonable then I will buy it and sell my 2400PE. From what I have read the 2200/2600/2700 NAD amps as mentioned by pwauk12 are considered more upgradable than the 2150/2400 amps. Although, as you mentioned I am sure the 2400pe would be up to the task especially after a rebuild/recap with quality modern parts. Also, have a pair of re-capped JBL 4406 that I will try to see which bookshelf speakers sound best.

 

[karljansen]

Hello Karljansen,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I will see what kind of price I can get the 2700 for, if it reasonable then I will buy it and sell my 2400PE. From what I have read the 2200/2600/2700 NAD amps as mentioned by pwauk12 are considered more upgradable than the 2150/2400 amps. Although, as you mentioned I am sure the 2400pe would be up to the task especially after a rebuild/recap with quality modern parts. Also, have a pair of re-capped JBL 4406 that I will try to see which bookshelf speakers sound best.

I'm asking because I genuinely don't know, but what about the 2400 is any less upgradeable than the other amps in the NAD Monitor Series line? I can't imagine there's anything radically different about the 2400 compared to the 2200/2600/2700, because they're all a logical series from the same era. Interested in any links to info about that if it turns out I'm uninformed.

Btw, I also have a 1600 pre and 7600 "monster" receiver. The 7600 combines the 1300 pre, 4300 tuner, and 2600A amplifier in one box. I picked up mine really cheap, for around $150. The plastic face plate is loose in one corner and needs a minor repair but other than that it's in great shape.