NAD equipment works well together for the price. Nothing to apologise for. |
Glad you found nice speakers.
You sound like you are not %100 happy with CD.
If you want to upgrade, I would recommend a NAD CD player. They go together well with a NAD receiver.
You should be able to find used one for not too much at the auction.
You might want to get better cables - like Ixos or signal to hook them all up.
There is a lot you can do to tweak your system to sound better - If you still want more. I would read here -
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?hbest&1094164615&openflup&39&4#39 |
That is the best thing you have done, heard it, liked it and bought them. How much did they cost, if you do not mind just for reference. If you could also give your opinion on pricing of different speakers it may help some other in your area who are also members here.
Happy Listening!
Anis |
Hi all - I've bought some speakers which really appeal to me and, I believe, let me hear what the 3140 can do.
I went to one of the few shops here in Auckland, New Zealand, which sell used gear. I took the 3140 and my (cheap, old) Sony CDP-XE500 CD player and some favorite CDs, and listened to about a dozen pairs of bookshelf (and a bit bigger) speakers.
The ones I bought really stood out against the new and used Mission, Audio Research, Klipsch, Morduant Short and others I listened to. They even sounded better than some much more expensive models.
These JBL HLS610 bookshelf speakers sounded so smooth, full, expressive, warm, clear, clean, detailed, and airy when compared to the others I just had to have them.
When I got home I searched the net for reviews and found a very enthusiastic one by Cory Greenburg of "Audio" magazine which, among other things, said "as soon as the HLS610s started singing, I knew that they were special. They had that immediatly recognizable rightness to their sound that seems to elude all but a very few audio designers" and "The sheer amount of recorded detail I heard from the HLS610s was a revelation". A .pdf copy of the review can be found here:
http://calasia.net/PDF/Magazine%20Reviews/Audio.pdf |
I like nad amps/ integrateds for what they are: solid performers for the money. Like Quadophile, I owned a NAD 3255PE and I really wish I still had it. It was a punchy little 25watt-er which mated really nicely with my Energy ESM4's at the time.
You know, I never really appreciated that equipment THEN as much as I do NOW (even though i don't own the equipment anymore)... it's just that over the years, I realize that equipment was quite competitive even with some of the mid-fi stuff available today. |
Gonglee, maybe a misunderstanding on my part of what you were saying. It sounds like we are saying the same thing. The bridging button is for running one speaker per amp, but you need a matching amp to do it. NAD actually made a power only amp to match the integrated 3140 for this purpose. I believe it was the 2140 (40 wpc, and also bridgable). When I was ready to upgrade (many years ago) that amp was no longer made and the dealer said the newer 2150 would also work. Apparently, NAD was so conservative in power rating their earlier amps, they kept essentially the same design and simply increased the power rating, so I was told. Anyway, my 3140/2150 combination served me well for many years and both amps are still in use in my second and third systems. Consulting the owner's manual should clear up the purpose and use of all the buttons for him, and my offer is good to get him a copy if he needs it, since I still have mine. - Tim |
Sorry for the error - I thought bridging was for using it in mono like some amps to get more power - listen to Tim, he has the particulat unit so he sounds like he knows for sure. |
Wetagogo,
The post from above, "You should release the Bridging button when using with 2 speakers." is not correct. The bridging button is for bridging two amplifiers. In that case, you reset the jumpers with patch cords to the second amp, and run speaker wires from the positive terminals. I had that setup with my 3140 and 2150. Don't do it until you know more! You can damage your system.
SLC is for "speaker lead compensator," which NAD devised for longer speaker runs. I am not sure how it corrects, or if it is even useful. Best to use shorter wire runs (less than 10 feet) if feasible.
What you need is the owner's manual. If you cannot get it on line through NAD, e-mail me and I will fax you a copy. I believe I still have mine. However, we just moved and it will be next week at the earliest until I can find it and fax it, but if you are interested let me know.
Tim |
The lab input does away with some high and low filters it uses in the normal setting. Lab gives the widest band response. |
You can use tape in as well as aux for TV.
The ground is for connecting your Turntable, so if you don't have one, you don't have to worry about it.
You should release the Bridging button when using with 2 speakers.
You should connect pre/amp out, to power/amp in.
I don't know what "Lab in" is but I wouldn't worry about it.
I hope you like the sound you are putting together - if not, save up some money, and come back for more suggestions.
Toshiba 3960 is a good affordable DVD/CD player. |
Look for a restored pair of older Large Advents or a pair of Dynaco A-25's. They can be found on E-bay fairly regularly. Good sound on the cheap. Might as well keep it old! Make sure the surrounds on the Advent woofers have been replaced (most have.) The Dynaco is a fine speaker and held up well. A nice pair is really something. They are not quite as big as the Advents but boast about as good bottom end. An overall fine speaker. I owned both of these back in the late 70's and early 80's (about the same time as the 3140.) |
A few questions about the stuff at back of the amp.
Bridging button: If I release the bridging button from under it's cover, what will happen? And is it protected because re-setting it is problematic?
There is a Tuner input and an Aux input. If I want to connect my TV to the amp, must I use one of these, or can I use a Tape input?
What should I do about the "Ground" screw?
Is it correct that the supplied interconnect you goes between Pre-Amp Out and Normal In?
What is "Lab In" for? |
B&W is a good company - should be ok.
For DVD player, Toshiba 3960 is an affordable and surprisingly good sounding one. |
Hi - have just bought these (off the site Gonglee3 recommended, and picked them up yesterday) because they were cheap and appear to be in good nick.
B&W V202
Impedaece-8n
Sensitivity-90db (2.83v,1m)
Power handing-65w (DIN)120w (peak)
Freguency range-45hz to 22khz(-6db)
5.5 inch woofer; 1 inch tweeter; 2 inch port
50cms high, 24cm wide, 23cms deep
Has anybody else got/had them? What do you think? Any comparisons with other speakers with similar specs?
I'll give you my (uninformed) opinion after I set them up with the amp and a CD player.
I've also started a thread in "Speakers" asking about these (hope that's not a breach of etiquette or anything!) |
You can buy speakers used - this is a New Zealand sight. You might want to speak with the seller to make sure there are no issues with the speaker.
You can also pick up a tuner here too.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/listings/listings_search_results.asp?searchtype=GENERAL&searchstring=speaker&searchregion=100 |
I own the 3225PE basically a 25 watter with power envelope circuitry making it sound like 35-40 watts/ch. Its a great amp very similar to 3020 but circa 1990/91.
These little Nad somehow drive the Mission speakers beautifully, at the moment Ihave it connected to Mission 760iSE circa 1994 doing computer duty.
If you can get Missions in New Zealand put them on your list for audition and see if it appeals to you.
Hope it helps :) |
By the way, can anybody tell me what the button on the rear of the unit marked "S.L.C." does? It's next to the "soft clipping" button, which I think I understand. |
Thanks Gonglee3 - But I'm in New Zealand, so shipping from the US is a problem - and this seller only ships witin the US anyway. But I'll look for the MB Quart 240 here. |
I would recommend this speaker.
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1121495113
I have them and like them a lot. |
i second the recommendation on the paradigm speakers as well as the nht. at your $ level, imo, these will be a great place to start. btw, you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of sound you can afford by purchasing used speakers or demos. REMEMBER...decent speaker cables, not real $$$, but keep in mind this is how the speakers will get that tiny bit of electricity to power them and it is a potential weak link. just my advice, we all had to learn this lesson over the years i think. |
Thanks folks, it's great to meet a bunch of enthusiats like yourselves who are willing to take time out to give a beginner a few pointers - and I will go along to stores and listen to speakers.
However, I probably have to stick with old second-hand speakers, for lack of cash. Of course, it's probably going to be a lot more hassle to track second-hand gear down, go to it's locale, etc.
So, if anyone does have any specific (old) speaker recomendations to help me narrow down the search, I can live with the fact that I might miss out on some gems because I didn't go to hear them because nobody recomended them. Especially if there are any jazz, classical, acoustic fans out there who have some smallish, cheap. old bookshelf type speakers they have been very happy with.... |
For speakers, try to hear these in hifi shops in your area, before buying. Are you near a goodguys or tweeter store? You can search for the location on the web.
If not, find hifi stores on your telephone book and try to hear these:
PSB
Paradigm studio 20
Monitor audio
Once you find one you like, you can buy them here on the audiogon used and save.
For a tuner, I would go with an old Marantz receiver like 2230 on ebay - less than $100. The marantz is an amp as well - you might like the sound of it better than NAD. Talk to the seller to make sure all is working, since they are old.
For a cd player, you can use Toshiba dvd 3960 - on ebay for $50.
Welcome to this exciting hobby...
Hope you find your listening pleasure... |
I agree with Veroman, there's nothing wrong with NAD CD players and they will, IMO, deliver better CD sound than the DVD players everyone likes to tout(even the expensive ones sound poor to me.)
NAD had some problems with the 502 and 512 series. The display bulbs would burn out(actually an easy fix.)Other than that caveat, they were damn good sounding and dependable(especially the 512.) Cambrige Audio makes a couple of decent players. Marantz made several low cost players that were decent. Lot of choices in this.
As for speakers, NHT made some very good sounding ones like the 2.5 and 2.5i. There's tons of choices in the low budget area that give satisfactory performance. |
i have owned nad gear and still use it. great sound value for the buck. may i recommend a nad cd player , a good used set of $400-$500 speakers and some decent speaker cable. the nad cd player will offer much better sound than an off the shelf dvd player and be more reliable in long run. that stuff about faulty cd players is off the wall in this case. this set up will put you well ahead of many more expensive 'big name' systems on the shelves and will hold up well for years to come. audiogon is a great place to start your search for speakers btw. enjoy the music |
This was a 40w / ch unit but it had about 3-5db of headroom making it sound more powerful than it really was. I also think it (if memory serves) was a dual mono with separate power transformers for the output stages and a preamp transformer. Well built little unit.
As for speakers, I was using it with the "Large Advent" speakers. It made nice sound. I used a Dual 1229 turntable with a Shure V15 Type III cartridge and a NAD 4020 Tuner.
I sold this unit a bunch of years back but still have my original 3020. This unit sounded like a more powerful 3020.
NAD is a good starting point. I don't know too many who have not owned a NAD or two! Find you a nice economical pair of speakers and a NAD tuner. Nice little system on the cheap. |
I own one too, and it has served me well since 1983! |
I actualyy own this amp. I used to have a manual, but seem to have lost it in a move. I believe that it is rated at 35-40 Watts into 8 ohms. I only used it as a pre-amp for the time it was in my system. I plan on taking it out of storage as soon as I move, for a bedroom system. This too was my first foray into better sound. It put up with years of abuse and still keeps tickin'. Enjoy. |
