NAD 120 Power Amplifier

The NAD 120 is a power amplifier that sits below the NAD 2200 in the company's lineup — a budget-friendly, high-value design from the era when NAD was focused on "honest, high-value components" (Absolute Sound). A period review in HiFI-Stereo (1985, p.27) discusses NAD's affordable component philosophy. Absolute Sound reviewed it alongside the NAD 106 preamplifier as an affordable pairing, and compared it directly to the Adcom GFA-535. The review's verdict: "transparent, neutral, dynamic," with "a lot of bass punch for the money" — though it lacked the "sheer slam" of the bigger 2200 in deep bass.

What makes the 120 interesting is its construction. It's a Class AB design with quasi-complementary Darlington outputs, built as a dual-mono amplifier with twin transformers and separate rectifier/regulator sections. The signal path is fully discrete — no ICs, no coupling capacitors — and it's direct-coupled throughout. The reviewer described it as "startlingly quiet" between notes. Protection comes from a DC offset relay, thermal breaker, and current limiter. The binding posts accept banana plugs and bare wire.

Known specs: 80W continuous per channel into 8 ohms at 0.003% THD (1kHz), dynamic power of 200W into 2 ohms, 150W into 4 ohms, and 100W into 8 ohms. Frequency response is 20Hz–20kHz ±0.1dB, damping factor exceeds 200 at 8 ohms/50Hz, S/N ratio is 100dB (A-weighted), and input sensitivity is 1.0V. It measures 16.9" × 4.4" × 11.9" and weighs 17.6 lbs. Unbalanced RCA inputs only; no tone controls.

No original retail price, production years, or release date are documented in the archive. A used example recently appeared at $250 in good condition. Owner reports describe the 120 as "rugged and easy to fix," though failed protection relay contacts are a known issue on early units, and small electrolytic capacitors may need replacement after a couple of decades. A service manual scan with the bias adjustment procedure exists for those who want to do the work.