NAD Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier - D 3020 V2

The original NAD 3020 introduced a generation of music lovers to true high-fidelity sound. In the 1970’s, over a million people rediscovered their music when they placed a NAD 3020 between their turntable and loudspeakers. This little gem outshined amplifiers costing 10 times more with its big, warm, detailed sound. 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 an NAD amplifier. The D 3020 starts with the original NAD 3020 concept and brings it straight into the 21st century using the latest high-speed digital technology. Now with V2, we have refined the looks and added a Phono input for vinyl playback.

Reinventing 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 puts a completely modern spin on a revered icon. The original designer of the 3020, NAD’s Director of Advanced Technology, Bjorn Erik Edvardsen, has been pivotal in developing the D 3020 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.

More Connected

The D 3020 offers inputs for your 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 we’ve also added a PreOut for increased connectivity in the output stage.

Power that Delivers

Power output may sound small at 30W per channel, but like all NAD amplifiers this is very misleading, as a properly designed 30W amplifier can sound superior to a 100W amplifier from a lesser brand. With its very small form factor, the D 3020 will astound many for its ability to drive difficult loudspeakers to satisfying levels without adding noise or distortion.

Real World Performance

NAD rewrote the rules for amplifiers when designing the original 3020. Instead of letting laboratory test equipment have the last word, we made sure that we could properly drive real loudspeakers with real music for the real world. The D 3020 lives up to this promise through a unique implementation of NAD PowerDrive™ developed by 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 sound even more powerful than it already is. An innovative Bass EQ circuit helps small speakers sound big without overdriving or damaging ported woofers.

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 even supports the highest audio quality Bluetooth, aptX®, which is becoming ever more popular for its excellent sound quality and low power consumption compared to Wi-Fi.

Mean and Green

The D 3020’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 <0.5W. 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.