Orion NT200 Special Edition SQ Amplifier

Special edition amps are always cool. You know, the ones with the unique colors, fancy designs, hand-picked components? Many amplifier manufacturers made these types of amps  in the 1990's, as a way of differentiating themselves not only from other amps on the market, but even from their own product line. The amplifier we are going to discuss today was available in 1996 from Orion with an MSRP of $1200 US. The NT200 has one of the most unique paint schemes I've ever seen on a car audio amplifier...even to this day. It's a marbled purple and must be seen in person to be appreciated.

The NT200 and brother NT100 were designed as no compromise, no excuse sound quality (SQ) amplifiers. See the ratings below for the NT200:

• Two Channel Amp rated at 100 watts x 2 channels at 4 ohms
• Dual Mono Design - Two separate power supplies
• Bridgeable to 400 watts at 4 ohms
• No built-in crossovers
• Balanced inputs via mini XLR connectors
• 2 ohm stereo / 4 ohm mono stable (rated)
• Dual 30A internal fuses for power
• Optional NT200BIX balanced crossover

1996 Orion NT 200 "Dual Mono Block" Special-Edition Amplifier

The NT200's balanced audio inputs served two main purposes...to keep the audio signal as clean as possible and to minimize unwanted noise. The only issue with these types of inputs is they are incompatible with the standard RCA wires used in most aftermarket installs (without adapters). However, Orion's decision to use balanced inputs on these amps showed they were serious about these amps and their dedication to sound quality. Alternatively, you could also use the standard Orion DIN plug connection with an Orion (or PPI) crossover or signal processor. 

Orion NT200's Balanced and DIN inputs

Before I received the NT200 at the OldSchoolStereo.com labs, I thought this amp was going to be an Orion 250 HCCA all packaged up into a fancier heat sink. Boy, was I wrong! Just check out the internals of these amps and you can see there is a BIG difference in them! You can easily see the NT200's larger capacitors and dual power supplies. It really makes the 250 HCCA look rather anemic!

Top: Orion 250 HCCA "Digital Reference" Bottom: Orion NT200

Orion NT200's Internals or "Guts"

Here's another picture of the 250 HCCA vs. NT200. Both amps are gorgeous in their own way, but if you're ever forced to choose one or the other...go with the NT. Not that the HCCA is a bad amp, it's actually pretty fantastic in it's own way (and a high-current version of the 2150SX). More about the HCCA's on another day.

Orion 250 HCCA vs. Orion NT200

See the video's about the NT200 below!

Watch the video on YouTube in 1080P or embedded below:

Photo and Video Montage of the Orion NT 200:

Power Output Video of the Orion NT 200:





Other Videos about the Orion NT200 and related gear:

- Orion NT200 Power Output Teaser Video
- Orion NT200 Unboxing
- Orion NT200BIX Balanced Crossover Overview

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Possibly the Ultimate 50 Watt Cheater Amp from the 90's?

Yes, I know, if you guys watch my YouTube videos, then you've probably seen the Lanzar Opti 50c. But wait, is it possible another "50 watt" amp may give the Lanzar a challenge for king of the 25x2 amps? Well, yes, specifically the U.S. Amps VLX-50. I recently came across a near MINT 1996 model in the "Mirror Polish" finish which looks nearly chrome. See the pics below:

1996-1998 U.S. Amps VLX-50 Ultra-High Current Cheater Amp

The VLX-50 has the following ratings:


2 x 25W at 4 ohms (12V)
2 x 31W at 4 ohms (14.4V)
2 x 62W at 2 ohms (14.4V)
2 x 125W at 1 ohm (14.4V)
2 x 250W at 0.5ohm (14.4V)
2 x 500W at 0.25ohm (14.4V)
1 x 1000W at 0.5 ohm bridged (14.4V)
THD: less than 0.006%
External 120A Fuse Required

VLX-50 Inputs and "Vari-Loud" controls

The U.S. Amps logo is laser etched on the heatsink and it surprisingly took me several days to prove this was actually a VLX-50. For some reason, U.S. Amps didn't put any markings on the end plates or even on the circuit board indicating the model of some of their amps (this one included). I was able to get confirmation from U.S. Amps this was indeed a VLX-50, based on the serial number. I even posted a thread over on DIYMA to get some info and got some great info in the archaeological dig.


So, the best part about having an amp rated at 50 watts total put out 1000 watts is the "cheater" factor. Back in the 90's, you could have two of these and still compete in the 100 watt and under competition class (as they rated amps by their 4 ohm output power). Thus the "cheater" status as you could have up to 2000 watts if these amps were properly loaded down. Orion really started the cheater amp category with the 225 HCCA, which was introduced in the late 1980's. Also, as a response to ultra-cheater amps like the VLX-25 and VLX-50, Orion developed the "1-watt" Concept 97.3 back around 1997. The cheater amp era basically ended around the early 2000's as most manufacturers were competing to see how high they could rate their amps (by using MAX power) instead of underrating amps. Another reason why I prefer the car amplifiers from the 80's and 90's...

VLX-50 Power / Ground / Speaker Terminals

Get ready for the long awaited 25x2 cheater amp shootout. As soon as the temps cool and I complete my additional resistor loads, we'll see how the VLX-50 competes against the monster Lanzar 50c. I don't believe the Orion 225 HCCA, Rockford Power 50x2, MTA 225HO or Audio Art 50HC have a chance against the VLX-50 or 50c, but who knows? We all may be surprised!




See my video overview of the U.S. Amps VLX-50 below.




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Watch the video on YouTube in 1080P or embedded below:

Old School Monster Car Audio Amplifiers

Some Old School Monster Amps from the OldSchoolStereo Collection...no Class D here!

Anyone who was in the car audio scene during the 90's probably recognizes names like "The Beast" and "Power 1000c". Old school monster amps were unlike the big mono block amps of today...they were Class A/B, much less efficient and some would say, much better sounding than the amps of today. I'm not getting in a battle of what's better, just confirming there are two sides here. Since you are visiting OldSchoolStereo.com, you are more than likely a fan of the older amps. Many of the amps you see in the picture above are almost legendary in the history of car audio. Let's talk a little about each amp and it's impact on car audio.


First off, you'll notice a trio of Orion amps, all bearing the same heatsink design. The "big red" Orion 2100 HCCA is well known to be a monster cheater amp. The "Digital Reference" model displayed above was rated to handle 2 ohm mono or 1 ohm stereo loads and put out in excess of 800 watts loaded down. Efficiency? Well, not so much. All of these big Orion's require a 2nd battery and an electrical upgrade on most vehicles. Why, might you ask? Well, these amps can pull over 100A of current and most stock electrical systems would not be able to handle this massive load. Speaking of massive, the XTR-2250 was so well known as "The Beast", Orion even engraved this saying on the amp. It is rated at 250 watts per channel at 4 ohms stereo, 500 watts per channel at 2 ohms stereo or 1000 watts bridged at 4 ohms. What you say? No one ohm bridged like a Sundown? No sir, this amp would and will fry if pushed too hard.

Orion Monster Amp Art by BigDWiz

Speaking of being pushed too hard, the Orion Concept 97.3 is an amp of almost legendary status. A quick search on the Internet will give you dozens upon dozens of different pages attempting to explain this amp. Orion introduced the amp in 1997 as a bold statement to IASCA and dBDrag for the wattage classes. The 97.3 was rated at 0.5 watts per channel at 4 ohms...yes, I said 1/2 watt per channel! What's up with that? Well, Orion was trying to show the "cheater amp" had gone too far when companies such as US Amps and their VLX-25 had ratings of 12.5 watts per channel at 4 ohms but put out over 1000 watts loaded down to 1/2 ohm. Orion, an originator of cheater amps with the 225 HCCA back in the 1980's, decided it was time for this to stop. What did they accomplish in their effort to change the rules? Well, they ticked off many competitors who attempted to use these amps at low ohm loads (and fried the amps) and even got the amp banned by IASCA in 1998 (source - Orion dealer). Why would the amp cause this much controversy? Check out these ridiculous ratings, it may help (ratings pulled from the Concept 97.3 manual):




STEREO (watts @ ohm load)


0.5x2 @4
1x2 @2
2x2 @1
4x2 @0.5
8x2 @0.25
16x2 @0.125
32x2 @0.0625
64x2 @0.03125
128x2 @0.015625
256x2 @0.0078125
512x2 @0.00390625


 MONO (watts @ ohm load)


2Wx1 @4
4wx1 @2
8WX1 @1
16WX1 @0.5
32WX1 @.25
64WX1 @.125
128WX1 @.0625
256WX1 @.03125
512WX1 @.015625
1024WX1 @.0078125




Next we'll talk about the monster Rockford Fosgate amps, the Power 1000c Mosfet "Terminator Edition" and Power 650 Mosfet. Back in the early 90's the 1000c sold for $2650, while the 650 was around $1800. Again, these amps were WAY out of the reach of most car audio fanatics including me. These Power Series amps all had model numbers based on their output at 2 ohms stereo or 4 ohms bridged. For example, the 1000c was rated at 150x4 at 4 ohms, 250x4 at 2 ohms or 500x2 at 4 ohms. Similarly, the Power 650 Mosfet was rated at 125x2 at 4 ohms, 167.5x2 at 2 ohms or 325x2 at 4 ohms bridged. Unlike the Punch series amps at the time, these Power series are not known to be underrated more than 10-15%. Both amps have a temperature controlled cooling fan and the 1000c includes an ultra cool LED meter for each channel.

1991-1993 Rockford Fosgate Power 1000c Mosfet Amplifier

Next up, we'll discuss the Precision Power ProMOS 450. This amp preceded PPI's "Power Class" line and the models in the ProMOS family were made from the late 80's until the mid 90's. The 450 was the most expensive ProMOS amp and incorporated two separate ProMOS 50's into one chassis. When the first ProMOS amp, the PPI ProMOS 2050 hit the market in 1989, it went for around $800. By the early/mid 90's, the four channel 450 could be picked up for around $900 US. All of the ProMOS amps were rated to handle 1 ohm stereo or 2 ohm bridged loads. The 450 had the following ratings; 50x4 at 4 ohms, 100x4 at 2 ohms, 200x4 at 1 ohm, 200x2 at 4 ohms or 400x2 at 2 ohms. The heat sink used by these older PPI amps are in my opinion, some of the most classy designs of all time. Very simple, yet elegant and powerful. Too bad PPI used the hateful proprietary Molex plug for speaker connections and straight 8ga wiring for the positive and ground connections. As you can see from the picture below, the ProMOS 450 is even longer than the Orion 2100 HCCA!

PPI ProMOS 450 "Art Series" vs. Orion 2100 HCCA "Digital Reference"

The Earthquake PA-2300 is another very powerful Class A/B amp from the 90's. It is rated at 380x2 at 4 ohms, 575x2 at 2 ohms or 1150x1 at 4 ohms. Based on ratings alone, this is the most powerful old school amp in the bunch. The newer Dragster DH-1804 edges out the PA-2300 in power ratings, but just slightly. The Dragster is another four channel amp rated at 180x4 at 4 ohms, 300x4 at 2 ohms or 600x2 bridged at 4 ohms. Although I haven't confirmed by testing, I believe the Earthquake PA-2300 may be the most powerful amp in this group. What do you think?


See my video overview of each amp below.




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Watch the video on YouTube in 1080P or embedded below:

1990 MTX Terminator MTA 250 Amplifier - PPI Built Cheater

MTX Terminator MTA 250 100 Watt Car Audio Amplifier

Following the theme of the recent posting of the Dragster DH 1804, I guess I have a thing for bright red amplifiers. The MTX Terminator MTA 250 is the most recent addition to the OldSchoolStereo.com collection and an impressive one indeed. The MTA 250 is one of MTX's first car audio amplifiers and was actually made by PPI (Precision Power). The MTA 250 closely resembles the PPI ProMOS 2050 and even uses the hated and nearly impossible to find replacement PPI speaker harness.

The MTA series of amps from MTX included two models; the MTA 225 and the MTA 250. Both models were stable down to 1 ohm and followed suit to the Orion HCCA's as "cheater" amplifiers for competition use. The 225 retailed for $500 US while the 250 was going for $650. In addition to the stunning red heat sink, MTX offered both models in white.

MTX MTA 250 Gain, Inputs, Max Thump, and LED's for Power and R/L clip

During the late 80's and early 90's, having a cheater amp was very important for competition purposes. There were several classes including under 50, 100, 150 and 250 watts. The higher wattage classes were ultra competitive, so those new to the scene and/or those on a budget would steer to the lower wattage classes. Cheater amps like the Orion HCCA's, PPI ProMOS, Phoenix Gold MPS and others were popular among competitors. The cheater amps could produce four times (or more) their rated 4 ohm power into lower ohm loads.

At the time MTX released the MTA series amps, they also introduced a Terminator line of subwoofers. They had a red cone and touted "2 ohm" resistance for maximum power output from your amp. A perfect match to the MTA series amps and their high-current, low-ohm output rating....marketing genius!

Here are the specs of the MTA 250 from MTX:

RMS Output:

• 4ohms Stereo: 50 W per channel
• 2ohms Stereo: 100 W per channel
• 1ohm Stereo: 200 W per channel
• 4ohms Mono: 200 W
• 2ohms Stereo: 400 W

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): 0.02%
Frequency Response (+/- 1dB): 15-40kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio: 102dB A weighted
Slew Rate: 15V/us
Damping Factor @ 100Hz 4ohm load: >500
Damping Factor @ 100Hz 2ohm load: >250
Stereo Separation: 72dB
Input Sensitivity: 100mv - 2V
Input Impedance: 10k Ohms
Supply Voltage: 10.5-16V
Fuse Rating: 30 Amp
Shipping Weight: 12 Pounds
Dimensions: 14" L x 8.5" W x 2.3" H


Internal Bridging for Mono or Mixed-Mono Applications
MOSFET Power Supply and complementary discrete output circuitry
Two-layer glass epoxy computer grade circuit board
Low-Noise, sealed conductive plastic potentiometer
Designed and built in the USA

MTX MTA 250 "Gut" shot - Circuit Board

See video demo below!


Make sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay updated of my latest videos. You can also follow me on Twitter @oldschoolstereo.


Watch the video on YouTube in 1080P HD or embedded below:

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