Naim NAP-160
A compact British power amp that promised to drive any loudspeaker and came with a guarantee for life.
Overview
The NAP-160 is a two-channel power amplifier. Naim Audio built it as the power half of a pair with the NAC 12 preamplifier. Contemporary survey listings put its output at 50W per channel into 8 ohms and 80W into 4 ohms, both channels driven. Damping factor is 40. Power bandwidth runs from 5 Hz up to 40 kHz at the -3 dB points, as reported in Studio-Sound (April 1975, p.38). That is well outside the audible band, and it says something about how the amp behaves into awkward loads.
Naim's own advertising of the period pitched the NAC 12 and NAP 160 together as a matched pair. The company argued that a compatible combination of specifications, rather than any single headline figure, was what let a system reproduce music faithfully. The claim was that the pair would accept the output of any pick-up cartridge and drive any loudspeaker. That is marketing copy, not an independent verdict. It does show how Naim wanted the NAP-160 positioned: as the reliable engine behind a complete system, not a numbers monster.
The protection circuitry is one of the more interesting details. Survey listings from the period describe the amplifier as able to tolerate any load from zero to infinity without damage. Short-circuit and thermal protection were both specified. For owners running difficult or low-impedance speakers, that tolerance was arguably the selling point. Distortion was quoted at less than 0.02% total harmonic distortion at 35W over the specified power band. Intermodulation distortion was listed at under 0.03% at 35W. Input sensitivity for rated output fell between 0 and +6 dB, and hum and noise were rated at -90 dB below a 20V output. Gain was specified at 1.4V for rated output.
Connections were made through a Preh locking DIN socket. It is a European, period-correct choice, and anyone hoping to plug in modern RCA or XLR cables will need adapters. Power requirements were listed for 120 and 240V AC. The amplifier was guaranteed for life.
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