This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below These proportions are characteristic for Naim. It's first about an emphasis around a few hundred cycles which conveys rhythmic alacrity and power without any tiring hardness. Apparently the basic sound and its harmonics are maintained with proper phase coherence. I can’t explain it any other way. Resolution was exceptionally good which might partially explain the result yet selectivity was nothing remarkable. It's the latter which makes instruments seem clear to often be responsible for a fast attractive sound. Here the sonic layers weren’t clearly separated and images lacked precise shapes. The foreground was the thing, almost to the point of having 'exclusive rights' to the listener’s attention. The accompanying acoustics were dense and pretty but decayed rather quickly which had a direct effect on the sound. Given that, the presentation's vitality was all the more shocking. The modest 50wpc rating alone couldn't explain it. The amplifier is compact and doesn’t double power into halved impedances so its current capacity may seem limited. I know this from NAD amplifiers too. The point though is that the power supply and output stage are able to deliver very high peak currents. The Naim is exceptionally good in that regard. I know only one group of amplifiers whose apparent power seems higher than its actual rating – tube amplifiers. In just that regard the NAP100 acts very similar. What we get from it are clear fleshy guitars even on recordings which usually sound undersaturated like Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms or the reissue of Perfect’s debut album. I don’t think they sound light per se but over most systems it's a matter of choosing contours over saturation. The review system seemed to focus on what’s most important with this kind of guitar-driven sound – the rhythm and aggressivity of axes unleashed. The lower midrange and upper bass were stronger than neutral which was audible on Miller and Stacey’s New Dawn. This features mostly acoustic and classical guitars with electric variants only making occasional appearances. But it is the former which ring low and deep, far more so than in real life. For this the sound engineer is partly responsible who must have pursued of a deeper sound at the expense of neutrality and with a preference for intimate fleshy contact over breathiness. Yet Naim added its own attribute by saturating the guitars even further which moved them closer still. The midrange and treble were dense too which combined with good detail for a very pleasant listen. I got almost perceptible tape hiss on Miles Davis’ In A Silent Way in the positive meaning of the word, as part of the presentation and as an integral element of the recording process which is viewed as something separate from the live music event. Conclusion. It's true. Naim do have their own recognizable sound. It's powerful, dense and built upon strong bass with great pace, rhythm and resolution. Selectivity on the other hand isn't as high which favors size and scale over particular detail, outlines and textures. Imagines tend to hover in the foreground almost within reach to dominate over acoustics, decays and soundstage width. An exceptionally well-designed USB input allows high-quality playback of computer audio files. The headphone output is very good too. I felt no hesitation even with the demanding Sennheiser HD800 and although the sound was lighter than over the speakers I had no issues since it remained resolute and clear. This option was so good in fact that using an outboard headphone amp only makes sense if we are true headfi fanatics. In any other case we will throw money down the drain as Naim package a high-quality headphone output included in the price of the main amp.