The model number 3020 is so distinctive and well-known that one can't help feeling that if they could, NAD would have registered it as a trademark, and that other manufacturers would avoid putting it on an amplifier at all costs. Clearly neither is the case, since here it is again on Kenwood's KA-3020SE. The SE stands for Special Edition, indicating that the amplifier is an upgraded version of the established KA-3020, which it replaces; as well as having an improved output stage, the SE features a heavier-duty power supply with 50 per cent bigger reservoir capacitors and a mains transformer uprated from 150VA to 220VA.

The styling is distinctive and reasonably elegant, and the flavour of the amplifier is suggested by the relative space, size and prominence given to the vari ous controls. The front panel is dominated by the huge volume knob, which for some reason is calibrated from 0 to 30, a peculiarly arbitrary number. To the right of this are two chunky rotary selector switches, one for the main listening path and one for the record outputs.

There is a good selection of input and output possibilities: a Phono input is joined by three line level sources – CD, Aux and Tuner – and there are two separate sets of tape record/replay sockets, rather grandiosely labelled Tape/DAT I and 2. The two switches allow the user to listen to one source while recording another, but as is often the case the crosstalk performance is not quite good enough for this to be a real option in critical applications – each signal bleeds quietly but audibly into the other path. That is not to completely dismiss the facility, as there will be circumstances where the usefulness outweighs the slight compromise. This configuration also means that monitoring oft tape is possible from either of the connected recorders (given that the recorders themselves have the facility) and the record selector switch allows either machine to be fed to the other – a good flexible arrangement.

Between these switches and the volume control lies a small button which declares the amplifier's audiophile aspirations; marked Source Direct, it bypasses the tone and balance controls to give the shortest possible signal path. The difference it makes (given that the tone controls are set flat and the balance central) is slight but perceptible, giving a just audible increase in transparency.

Measurement showed the difference to be a consistent 05dB boost right across the band up to about 1500Hz with the additional circuitry switched in. The lowly status accorded the rest of the controls is made clear by their small size and their position along the bottom edge of the fascia. They are in fact a bit fiddly to operate, but are no less useful for that when circumstances require them.

The front panel is completed by the On/Off switch, a headphones socket (which quite rightly does not mute the loudspeakers – the fewer contacts there are to become dirty and compromise the signal the better) and selector switches for two sets of connected loudspeakers. These switches do not carry the speaker signals themselves, but operate relays near the rear-panel terminals, which should provide heavier-duty switching contacts for increased reliability and improved sound. The same relays provide a power-on delay, only connecting the speakers a few seconds after the amplifier is switched on in order to avoid thumps.

The rear panel has the expected banks of phono sockets for all the inputs and outputs; there is no gold plating in sight, but there is no mistaking the quality of the loudspeaker connectors, which are combined 4mm sockets and binding posts, with good protective shrouding and wire inlets at the bases.

That's it as far as facilities are concerned—there is no remote control, no preamp out sockets, no external processor loop, nothing more than the basics. This is as it should be; an amplifier priced as this is for the entry-level, budget end of the market has to choose between sound and gadgets, and I hope most of us would prefer the sound every time.

Performance

And the KA-3020SE does indeed deliver the sound. It would not be right to call it completely transparent; it has a character, but that character is musical and enjoyable. There is a feeling of the music being slightly larger than life, as if there were a gentle 'loudness' circuit in operation – the very deepest bass feels a little exaggerated, while the top end sounds like a slightly varnished version of the truth, never hard but occasionally verging on sibilance and with more presence than expected. Neither effect is obtrusive at normal listening levels, and the overall result is if anything mildly flattering on most recordings. Rendition of detail is very good, and I found I did not want to stop listening and trying yet more musical material through it.

The KA-3020SE is not overendowed with muscle, being rated at a fairly modest 30 watts per channel, and it cannot be denied that it shows when the amplifier is really cranked up. Not that anything as drastic as distortion becomes a problem; the effect is more a slight blurring of the high frequencies and a little loss of focus of the stereo image. This only manifested itself at very high levels in a largish room; in a normal domestic listening environment it would be unlikely to arise and I would not anticipate any problems.

Performance on the test bench is very good. The frequency response does nothing to explain the amplifier's perceived tonal character, being virtually ruler flat well up into the tens of kilohertz and right down past 25Hz. The bass and treble controls showed themselves to provide 10dB of boost and cut at 100Hz and 10kHz respectively, which is more than adequate for most purposes. Their centre detented 'flat' positions are indeed flat (apart from the slight broadband boost mentioned earlier), as is the centre position of the balance control.

At the price, this amplifier turns in a commendable performance in a well thought out, uncluttered package. I enjoyed listening to it, and while it was not exactly opening up new vistas of sonic experience, none of the material I played through it disappointed—everything I wanted to hear was there and I was reluctant to turn it off.

Output power 30W per channel into 8 ohms for 06% THD

Damping factor 80 at 50Hz

Frequency range line-level 5Hz-i 00kHz

Phono equalization to RIM curve 20Hz-2OkHz ±03dB

Total harmonic distortion 0.6%

Tone control range ±10dB at 100Hz and 10kHz

Signal-to-noise ratio phono 78dB; line-level 105dB

Input sensitivity line-level 1 20mV

Dimensions (W x H x D) 440 x 138 x 349mm

Weight 86kg

Manufacturer Trio Kenwood Limited, Kenwood House, Dwight Road, Watford, Herts WD1 8EB. Telephone 0923 816444

UK retail price £199.95