Naim NAP 250 Power Amplifier

This is a SUPER scarce collectable in THIS mint condition!!

Still selling for more than $2500

It’s fast, it’s expressive… and it’s barely changed in over 41 years. The NAP 250 is the epitome of iconic hi-fi – and today we’re going to explore exactly why that is in honour of a power amp that never fails to astonish us. Why? Well, it’s been going for 41 years! I think it deserves some love.

In the spirit of the feature, let’s start from the beginning, way back when the NAP 250 was but a pup.

The History

Well, actually the story begins with the NAP 160, Naim’s debut power amp which emerged at the same time as the brand in 1971. That’s practically the Jurassic age in the hi-fi world! A few incarnations later saw the birth of the NAP 200 in 1973, and after two solid years in the circuit it was discontinued and replaced with the NAP 250 in 1975.

… and that’s pretty much been it. Right up until this very day! Naim struck hi-fi gold when they tweaked and twisted the 250 into existence, and they’re a brand who know when they’re onto something good it’s best left alone. Well, mostly left alone anyway!

Of course, it has had a few makeovers in its time. The 70s saw the chrome bumper look as above, and the early 80s saw..

… the case that came to be known as ‘the olive’. It wasn’t until 2002 that the look that has become synonymous with (almost) all Naim gear emerged (with a slight update to the internal works) and in true Naim fashion (in both senses of the phrase!) it hasn’t deviated from its niche ever since.

Longevity in any brand or product is always impressive, but it’s almost unheard of for one to o quite as unchanged as the 250, for quite so long. In it’s time, the NAP 250 has had three makeovers (pictures above) at long intervals, and only one major internal upgrade… which only happened in 2015 (and warranted a slight name change – check out the NAP 250 DR to see what I mean!) and even then, very little actually changed. A pinch of modernisation to bring it up to spec.

Speaking of which…

The Specs

The current incarnation (barely deviating from the original) features 80W per channel output into 8Ω ohms, alongside a custom transformer for 400VA of transient power and advanced output transistors (the very same ones used in the reference level NAP 500 flagship and the Statement! This is what sets the DR aside from the previous NAPs, just in case you’re interested.)

… and that’s pretty much it when it comes to the features. One of the reasons it can boast the longevity that it has is it’s raw and incredibly endearing simplicity. And it is pretty much as simple as it comes: a power amp with a single input and two outputs (right and left)… and that’s it. What makes it stand out, of course, is the sound. And frankly, you can throw all the features in the world at a hi-fi unit, but what really makes a difference is the sound. Which deserves its own special mention.

The Sound

We have had the pleasure of trying out every variation of the 250, and the sound really hasn’t changed. Although, that’s almost certainly because it hasn’t needed to change! When the 250 first appeared, it became an instant classic (and likely blew everyone’s mind in the process). Its delicate yet robust handling of sound became associated with the Naim brand, ultimately becoming what was known as the ‘Naim sound’ that other units bear too.

As I said before, it’s fast, it’s expressive and it’s wonderfully simple and clean. Energetic without being overwhelming, and wonderfully bold and warm. It hasn’t lost what makes it special, and it has remained the apple of many audiophile’s eye ever since.

The Rest

The NAp 250 is extremely popular. In part due to its iconic nature but mostly due to the sound. It’s both ours and Naim’s most popular power amp of all time, and as a result there isn’t really anything out there that rivals it! The only thing that compares in sound is the much higher end NAC 300, with the similarities growing slightly now the 250 has the same output transistors.

What does make a difference is the price. The NAp 250 sits at a pricey (although not all that unheard of for Naim) £3395. The 300, however, is a whopping £7k! And yes, while the 300 is certainly a better power amp and amazing if you can afford such a beast, the differences are somewhat incremental if you consider there’s over £3k in difference.

If the NAP 250 is more to your taste, we always have them in stock. Why? Well, they’re always in demand! It’s a very rock’n’ll piece of kit, and everyone who hears it knows it. Most of those buying the NAP 250 pair it with the Naim 272 pre amp and streamer (take a look at that and the rest of the Naim range here) – a match made in hi-fi heaven and the most popular streamer-amp combo we do. A bit pricey, perhaps, but with a good pair of speakers it makes for an incredible system for £10k (or less, or more depending on the speakers!)

It ain’t cheap… but hey, it’s Naim! And we like to help out where we can we do do generous part exchanges and finance.

Don’t forget, you’re always welcome to come in and listen, whether you’re buying or not! Take a closer look at the wonderful Naim NAP 250 here and see what you think. Odds are, you’ll love it. Everyone else does!