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December 9, 2015 - 9:23pm
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Help with Computer Integrated Amp Selection
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I would advise you, given your budget limitation, to get a qualified audio technician to repair your NAD 304 amplifier. It is a much better amplifier than those others you mentioned.
It is probably a bad capacitor in there somewhere, or a bad transistor. The parts cost should be minimal, and the labor charge will probably be under $200.
Oh...another thought. I have a Cambridge Audio A340 integrated amplifier (45 wpc) that is like new, which I would sell you for $225 plus shipping. It is a very nice amplifier. You can look at its details at the Cambridge Audio website in the Archived section.
Sounded like the caps are dried. That's one of the symptom. And usually it affects some other parts too like the transistors etc.
That's pretty common with an old amp. Do you know how old it is?
I only paid around $90 (including shipping) for the 304. It was meant to be temporary for powering my speakers, but since I paid so little for it I can see the value in having it repaired and keeping it around. I know a handful of great shops here in the Portland area that I can chat with too.
I'm thinking I should repair the NAD and hold onto it for a third system in my home. I would love to regain some desk surface space at my computer workstation by replacing the NAD.
Do either of you recommend any small(ish) amps in the $200-$300 range? I love my Dragonfly DAC so I just need something that can power passive speakers. No USB DAC, multiple inputs, etc..
Thanks and cheers!
Portland OR.? Inner sound is the factory authorized repair facility here.
Yeah. Portland, OR. I was thinking Audio Specialties, Echo, or Fred's. Haven't heard of Inner Sound so will put them at the top of my list.
Cool, I don't think that Fred's services anything that you don't purchase there. I tried that with my MC7150 and they wouldn't do it. Echo looks interesting, I haven't seen them before.
Echo is a great spot, and they do a good job keeping their inventory posted online. The staff are wonderful there too. Just went in to check out the Parasound Zamp and talk about my NAD 304. They mentioned they would loan me the Zamp if I bring in the NAD for repair.
That is awesome. I will have to get down there. I live in Hazel Dell north of the river so going down the 5 on any given day at any given time can either be somewhat pleasant to downright terrible lol.
Portland!? Go Quakers! (Franklin H.S.)
@commsysman are you from Portland?
So thinking about a new direction here. You guys convinced me to stick with NAD, but part of me still wants to get something shiny and new. I was gifted a little Christmas cash and don't mind bumping my budget up. I was looking at Stereophile's Recommend Components and am now thinking of purchasing a NAD C 316BEE. Since I have a Dragonfly I do not need the on board DAC in the D 3020 so the C 316BEE should work well for what I need.
Thoughts? Is there any benefit to repairing the 304 over the newer entry level NAD?
The solution should be almost obvious:
The NAD D3020.
It gives you deskspace.
It is literally designed specifically for desktop use.
It's onboard DAC will be better than the dragonfly.
You can sell the dragonfly to offset the amp.
Best Regards,
Ron
FWIW, I do like my D1050 DAC a bit more than my 1.2 dragonfly.
Brought the NAD 304 into Echo Audio here in Portland. They replaced a dried capacitor for $64. Which to me seemed like an excellent deal. Quite happy with the sound the NAD is putting out now!
Thanks for chatting about options, and glad I went this direction.
Cheers!
Matthew