The NAD D 3020 V2 is the modern hybrid of our ranking: the amp for those who want vinyl and wireless streaming in a single object, with a design that stands vertically on a desk or shelf. It is the most technological of the five — Class D, Bluetooth aptX, a DAC, a phono stage — and it is made for those who have a turntable but also live by phone and streaming.
But first the commonest misconception must be cleared up, because the number "3020" misleads: this is not the vintage NAD 3020, the legendary integrated of the 1980s. They share the name and the spirit, but they are two very different products — and clearing that up, here, is the first useful thing.
Context
In 1978 the NAD 3020 did the impossible: it made high fidelity affordable, sold over a million units and became the best-selling amplifier in history. That is the analogue classic you find in our Audiophile Corner, to hunt for used. The D 3020 V2 is something else: the modern reinvention of that icon, with the "D" for digital, HybridDigital amplification and today's sources. Same DNA, different century.
In our ranking of entry integrated amps it takes fifth place, with the must-have badge. Last, but not for want of merit: it is the most feature-rich of the group.
Design & build
This is where the D 3020 V2 stands apart from all the others. It is a compact design object in a graphite finish, which can be set vertically or horizontally, made to be on show. But it is inside that it is richest: it uses HybridDigital (Class D) amplification with NAD's PowerDrive technology, 90% efficient — it draws a fifth of a traditional amp — and stable into difficult loads despite its rated 30 watts.
Connectivity is its strength, and the most complete of the five: Bluetooth aptX for streaming from a phone or laptop; a 24-bit/192kHz DAC with optical and coaxial inputs for a TV, CD player or streamer; a line input; a subwoofer output and a pre-out to expand the system; and a front headphone output. There is also Bass EQ to compensate for small speakers. It does, in a single machine, what the others need extra boxes for.
What reviewers say
The sound character on this page does not come from our own listening: we report it from published reviews, with the name of the person who wrote them.
What Hi-Fi? (review online since December 2019) describes an even, full-bodied tonality, a discreet bass boost and notable detail for the class; timing and dynamics are good, but a touch behind those of traditional amplifiers. The phono stage is listed among the strengths, but the magazine did not assess it by ear.
Twittering Machines (Michael Lavorgna, December 2018) finds more power than the rated 30 watts and a warm sound, with the midrange to the fore, not bright, forgiving of weaker recordings. He names the MM phono input as the amp's strong point, but he tested it with an MC cartridge through a step-up transformer. The limits: with speakers that are already soft the result becomes too soft, and the case is plastic and light.
Vinyl performance
On vinyl, the D 3020 V2's MM phono stage was added "by popular request" with the V2: it has accurate RIAA and an infrasonic filter (useful with warped records). Twittering Machines names it the amp's strong point; What Hi-Fi? lists it among the strengths but did not assess it by ear. You connect the turntable directly, without adding anything.
The limit is the one common to the others: it is MM only, so with a moving coil you need an external MC preamp. But for those who listen to vinyl with an MM and also want wireless streaming in the same machine, the D 3020 V2 is the only one of the five that covers both worlds with no compromise on connectivity.
Value & competition
The D 3020 V2 is the feature champion of the ranking, and the only one with wireless streaming. This is where an apparent oddity in the scores is explained: on the mean of the four criteria it reaches 7.4, level with the Cambridge AXA35 (third) — yet it stays fifth. It is not a contradiction: the very high specification lifts its mean, but the ranking puts the amps most focused on vinyl ahead. The Cambridge reaches the same 7.4 by the opposite route: few functions and the lowest price.
Against the others: the Rega io and the Cambridge have no digital or Bluetooth; the Marantz PM6007 has the DAC and digital inputs, but wired, not wireless. The NAD is the only contemporary one of the group: vinyl, a DAC and aptX streaming in one design object. It is the choice for those who live by mixed sources and do not want a tower of boxes.
In the vinyl chain
The D 3020 V2 is the centre of a modern, compact system: a turntable with an MM cartridge in the phono input, a phone or laptop via Bluetooth, a TV or streamer in the digital inputs, all in a machine that stands vertically in little space. With the subwoofer output you easily build a 2.1, and the pre-out lets you expand in future.
With 30 HybridDigital watts it drives the efficient bookshelf speakers of our ranking well, even in rooms that are not tiny, thanks to PowerDrive. It is the right amp for the contemporary living room or the quality desktop, where vinyl lives alongside streaming — less so for the purist chain in the style of the £800 system, built around vinyl alone.
- The only one in the ranking with wireless streaming (Bluetooth aptX)
- The most complete specification: 24/192 DAC, optical/coaxial, MM phono, sub out, pre-out
- MM phono stage with an infrasonic filter, the strong point according to Twittering Machines
- A compact design object, vertical or horizontal, efficient and cool-running
- Timing and dynamics a touch behind traditional amps (What Hi-Fi?)
- With already soft speakers it may turn too soft (Twittering Machines)
- MM-only phono: with a moving coil you need an external MC preamp
- Design-object build, less substantial than the Marantz
Speakers: efficient bookshelf models; thanks to PowerDrive it handles slightly demanding speakers despite its 30 W. Turntable: any with an MM cartridge, into the phono input. Sources: a phone/laptop via Bluetooth aptX, a TV or streamer in the optical/coaxial inputs, plus a line input. Expansion: a subwoofer output for a 2.1, a pre-out for the future.
Verdict
Buy the NAD D 3020 V2 if you want a single, modern, well-made object that unites vinyl, digital and wireless streaming: it is the only one of the five with Bluetooth aptX, it has an MM phono stage that Twittering Machines names as its strong point, and its vertical form is a pleasure to have on show. For those who live by mixed sources, it is the most practical of the group.
It is not for you if you want a traditional, all-analogue amplifier: there you have the Rega io or the Cambridge AXA35. And if your speakers are already soft, Twittering Machines warns that the result may turn too soft. And remember: if you were looking for the vintage NAD 3020 of the 1980s, this is not it — you find it here.
