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Thanks, that's the nad off the list then! I did have concerns about it being underpowered tbh. I liked it for the neatness and connectivity really. I can fit a big box in the room though , so size isn't really an issue
chrismanc-
On the other hand I have a 3020 v1 and I love it. Sounds great with my Linn Helix speakers (that were previously paired with an old NAD 3150), with stacks of headroom. I'm generally running at about -40db on the amp. The connectivity is great. I don't care that its plastic, I'm not fondling it and it looks nice. My only complaint was with the remote, it runs out of battery quite quickly. I think it's a different design on the v2 (and the 3045, which looks like a great improvement all round). The DAC is fantastic, the headphone amp is impressive, auto switch on over optical is super useful for the chromecast I have plugged in, and it runs cool.
Also ignore the 30w nominal power, the dynamic load is like 65w at 8ohms and 150w at 2ohms.
TvH
Yeah. Purchased and returned. I have an SMSL AD18 and wanted something similar but an 'upgraded' version. The wattage of the SMSL was higher than the NAD and it really showed. My speakers aren't particularly hard to drive (B&W 607) and the NAD had to run at 90% volume to be at a reasonable listening volume, whereas the SMSL could be at 50%. I was disheartened by how plasticky it was considering it was 3x the cost of the SMSL, which is entirely metal outside of the power brick. To my ears, the NAD didn't sound any better than the SMSL. I genuinely believe you were paying for the NAD name.
Whereas when I purchased my much larger Class-A Onkyo A-9150, the difference was substantial and it sounds terrific. It was cheaper than the NAD, has better specs and also has tone controls which are such a huge asset in my eyes. It's massive, though - which is the trade-off.