Price Paid:  $400.00 from New Zealand

Summary:
Helped my Dad purchase a receiver, speaker and casette system in 1990. Compared a Yamaha receiver of similar price at the same time and there was no comparison. The NAD sounded smooth, warm and sweet, the Yamaha thin and harsh.It is able to drive two, mid size Energy ESM 3s, has been very reliable apart from needing a new power supply some years back, but considering the use and age, this is acceptable. Now my Dad has upgraded to a Marantz Sr4300, and I now have the NAD in my bedroom driving two Sony "micro system" type speakers, and it sounds great, much better than the Micro System it replaced (no shocks there!)

Strengths:
Warm, sweet rich sound.The you use as reference to compare all units you use after. Simple to use, reliable, doesn't take up much space.Looks a simple design inside, hopefully should be relatively easy to keep going! The tuner is sensitive (just a wire dangling off the back!) and sounds good.Haven't had the tuner drift problem reported by others.

Weaknesses:
Age, no remote.Getting a bit crackly now due to wear on front input switches.Right channel clicks a bit too.Only becoming apparent after comparing it to the new Marantz, we have noted that the NAD has an either "too loud or too quiet" characteristic. Quiet notes seem buried in the music, while loud segments come on too strong. Maybe this is inherent in the design of an essentially low power output of the unit and the NAD "Power Envelope" system which gives additional power the amp when it needs it? But still a great product.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha receiver of same age and price.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from ebay

Summary:
wow,im really amazed at the beautiful crisp,sound this reciever produces through my vintage JBL4311 studio monitors.was listening to some old link wray vinyl played on my thorens,in preparation of the upcoming show at the montage,and am relly blown away by the crisp highs and smooth bass,nice separation,and inaudible distortion.awesome!!!

Strengths:
excellent while sipping fine bourbon,love the cable connection for antenna

Weaknesses:
ahh yes...the bourbon is one

Similar Products Used:
nikko 1050 reciever circa 1970

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Studio Sound

Summary:
While not as sexy as new, digital turbo-charged home theater systems, the NAD 7020 still manages to produce much the same sound quality as it did when it was an audio-phile component in the late 70's early 80's. My system is hooked up to a NAD 6050C Cassette deck and an old set of Polk Audio model 5's, which, most of the time, produce clear, clean sound that comfortably ranges from back-ground music to filling a room, and at a rated distortion of only 0.02%. And this despite an average power output of 20watts per channel average, 40 watts max at 8 ohms. Old promo material boasts that "for the student or first-time stereo shopper, the 'no frills' design and moderate price make the NAD 7020 an ideal choice; for the music-music lover seeking uncompromised performance, few receivers at any price will sound as good in everyday use." Despite its age and occasional crankyness, the NAD 7020 sounds just as good as many, more modern systems.

Strengths:
Clear, rich sound whether used to play tapes, LPs, CDs, MP3s or just to listen to the radio.

Weaknesses:
Age can cause the unit's components to occasionally be troublesome. My system sometimes produces a less than clean sound out of the right channel when using the AUX setting possibley due to poor contacts. As well, the light on the tuner dial burned out soon after beeing replaced.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Hifi Studio Eins

Summary:
Great product. Outperforms any receiver I have ssen for this price and running after 10 years without the slightest wear. It doesn ot have any gadgets to play with but it plays you wonderful warm music with sufficient power when you need. I had not problem at parties were friends did not want to believe this thing has some simple 20 watts

Strengths:
warm sound strudy technology

Weaknesses:
no remote control

Summary:
I recently picked up a used NAD 7020 to replace my Yamaha RX-385, which seems to be dying in one channel. I didn't really think a receiver could make any difference in what I heard (driving Paradigm Atoms + SB-90 passive sub). I was wrong. I heard new detail in some of my favorite CDs, like Rob Wasserman's Trios. My NAD has a severely beat up exerior, all scratched up with a couple chips, but it performs excellently, which suggests it must be very sturdy. Value is a no-brainer considering the prices it can be found at, 5-stars. 5-stars as a basic stereo reciever too as long as you don't need modern bells and whistles. The included bass, treble, and loudness adjustments are actually useful for low level listening, unlike other receivers I've heard that sound horribly bloated when boosted.

Strengths:
Great sound at a bargain price. Clean power. Sturdy.

Weaknesses:
Tuner drifts. Few inputs. No remote option.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha RX-385