WillistonAudioLabs

Back in 1995, $400 would get you amps such as the HiFonics Odin VIII, Rockford Fosgate Punch 60ix or an Autotek Model 66. We got our hands on the Autotek Model 66 and decided to check it out and test on the Dyno. The Model 66 was part of the "Mean Machine" and "Bass Thrust" series of amplifiers. Models in this lineup ranged from 44 watts up to 600 watts RMS power at 4 ohms. These amps did not include an internal crossover, but did give owners the ability to boost Treble frequencies by 12dB and Bass (45Hz) by 18dB. Let's take a look at this "66 watt" amp and try it on the Amp Dyno to see how it performs! Watch on YouTube in 1080/60HD or embedded below:

Oh yeah, killer vid! Underrated NO DOUBT!! These old RF Power Series amps were crazy priced back in the day. This "300 watt" amp was $999 in 1990, which is equivalent to around $1800 now (in 2017 dollars). Another fun fact, the Rockford Power series prior to 1994 were all four channel amps. (mid 80's to early 90's) Models included: Power 100HD (15x4 at 4 ohms or 25x4 at 2 ohms or 50x2 at 4 ohms) Power 300 Mosfet (50x4 at 4 ohms or 75x4 at 2 ohms or 150x2 at 4 ohms) Power 650 Mosfet (125x4 at 4 ohms or 162.5x4 at 2 ohms or 325x2 at 4 ohms) Power 1000 Mosfet (150x4 at 4 ohms or 250x4 at 2 ohms or 500x2 at 4 ohms) Da trick? All were rated RMS power at 12 volts from 20-20,000Hz with less than 0.1% THD -BigD

Taking it back to the old school with the 1999 Rockford Fosgate Power 1100a2. This is one of Rockford's most powerful two-channel amps ever. It's rated to deliver 275W/ch at 4 ohms, 550W/ch at 2 ohms or 1100W at 4 ohms bridged. It also promises 1460 watts dynamically at 4 ohms using the IHF-202 standard test (1kHz, 14.4 volts). We take a look at the amp's exterior, interior and try it out on the Amp Dyno...Check it out!! Watch on YouTube in 1080/60p or embedded below:

No love for da old school installs?

Word, she is a beauty ?...

I decided it was time to show off some of the cool old school car audio installs I've seen over the years. You'll see some simple and also some very complex installs in this video. If you guys like these types of videos, I'll try to put one out every 2 months or so. You may not know the names, but I like to show off all old school systems! Please submit your pictures and videos to me here: https://goo.gl/jNNRNQ See Al Lee on YouTube Jason Williams' Mazda BigD's First System See video on YouTube in 1080/60P HD or embedded below:

The Audio Art 100HC is one of the most beautiful amplifier designs EVER!! From the stunning white and polished aluminum exterior to the absolutely incredible internals. The amplifiers dual-mono design by David Yeh has impressed both SPL and SQ users over the years. The amp has a high-current design and is capable of powering speaker loads between 0.5 and 16 ohms. Back in the day this would be considered a 100 watt amp (for competition purposes). The original MSRP was $999 USD and it's main competition were Orion's HCCA and US Amps VLX series amplifiers. Here we take a look at this work of "Audio Art" and try it out on the Amp Dyno as well. Spoiler alert...it's down right impressive! Too bad there's not a good way to portray sound quality over YouTube or you would be impressed with more than the looks and output power! Watch on YouTube in 1080/60P HD or embedded below:

Sweet amps yo! It's really difficult to tell by the pics, but the heatsink fins are HUGE! I put my MC500 on the Dyno last year:

Let's try the mono version of the Kenwood Mini Amp lineup, the KAC-M3001. This amp is rated to deliver 200x1 at 4 ohms or 300x1 at 2 ohms and a "max" output of 600 watts. How much power does it really do? Let's find out...

Seriously cool test cart made by my buddy HiFiVega. SMD tools to boot! I have a cart too, but mine isn't this clean yet. Make sure you subscribe to HiFiVega, he deserves some subscriber love...

Good luck fellas!

Give it 14V and I'm betting 65w/ch at 4 ohms

I'm betting they are very close, but yes, that would be an interesting Dyno battle!

The guy I got the Maxwell caps from had a couple more, so I picked them up. Going to try 5 banks of 6 caps and charge to ~14.8V. Will be 2166F total vs. my current 1485F. I didn't really need to series 7 of them, just wanted the extra voltage if needed. I don't think I do, so 6 caps per bank will be my future setup.

Just trying out my Maxwell Ultracap bank for testing amps. See me test the ability of this bank to handle 320+ amps with NO external charging/power supply during the test (only topped off before test) These ultra caps may not be the best for everyone's use, but for Dyno testing amps, they do the job! Watch on YouTube in 1080P HD or embedded below:

Awesome! I won't guess b/c somebody will think I've tested a T5002 on my Dyno Looking forward to the results video and diggin' the 10 D1400's for the test bench!

I've tested a Power 800a2 already and should have an 800a2 next week. I'm also interested in how they compare. These are a little after my time as well @Rolex, but I've come to appreciate them, at least for their performance...I still don't like their looks though

I have a Power 50x2 and will test it soon. I expect it will perform very close to the Power 50.2. That 25x2 you have is cool, don't see many of those!

Orion HCCA 225R vs. Rockford Fosgate Punch Power 50.2. Both amps retailed for around $600 back in 1998 and both were very popular in the competition scene. These were called "cheater amps" as they were rated at 25x2 at 4 ohms for competition purposes, yet could deliver much more power at lower ohm loads (1 or 0.5 ohms). Let's find out which one wins the battle... Watch on YouTube in 1080P HD or embedded below:

I don't expect those who were not around in car audio in the 90's to understand why I did this test...but nonetheless... Here we have a mid-90's small amplifier Amp Dyno Drag Race! Both amps were rated at 50W or less for competition purposes, yet how much power do they actually put out? Phoenix Gold M25 25x2 @ 4 ohms (12V) 140x1 @ 4 ohms (14.4V) 140x1 @ 2 ohms (14.4V) Rockford Fosgate Punch 40i DSM 20x2 @ 4 ohms (11.6V) 160x1 @ 4 ohms (14.4V) not rated @ 2 ohms mono See the Amp Dyno Drag Race on YouTube in HD or embedded below:

It's 1999 and you are visiting your local Flea Market and come across this Phase Linear PL 300. Amp has a large "300W" sign on the box and silk screened on the amp. Opening the included manual, it shows the amp is rated at: 75 watts x 2 at 4 ohms, 1kHz, 14.4V 100 watts x 2 at 2 ohms, 1kHz, 14.4V 200 watts x 1 bridged at 4 ohms, 1kHz, 14.4V 300 watts "Max" MSRP unknown, probably $89-99 Let's try this old Flea Market Phase Linear amp on the Amp Dyno. Can it do rated power? Watch on YouTube in HD or embedded below:

lol, Steve owes me nothing.... I found a really powerful 600A adjustable power supply, but it's $1800! Ouch, but that should handle virtually any amp or pair of OS amps I'd want to test (Except maybe a pair of HiFonics Colossus or US Amps VLX-400's)

I asked Tony D a while back if this type of testing would work with the Dyno and he told me Steve asked him the same thing (great minds think alike). It's a very cool way to do Dyno testing....more fun for the viewer as it's like a race to see who has the most wattage! My power supply is good for about 320A at 14V, so I can't test two big amps...maybe in the future I'll have it beefed up. Would be cool to see the OS 250x2 amps such as the Orion XTR-2250/Lanzar Optidrive 500/HiFonics Zeus VII / etc. go head to head...

Do you like Amp Dyno tests? How about an Old School Dyno Drag Race? Here we have two amps from around 1992, the Rockford Fosgate Punch 150HD and Orion 275 sx. Here were the ratings from the manufacturers at 12V: RF Punch 150HD: 75 watts x 2 at 4 ohms 90 watts x 2 at 2 ohms 180 watts at 4 ohms mono not rated for 2 ohms mono MSRP: $515 Orion 275 sx: 75 watts x 2 at 4 ohms 150 watts x 2 at 2 ohms 300 watts at 4 ohms mono not rated for 2 ohms mono MSRP: $550 Watch the video on YouTube in HD or embedded below:

This "100 watt" amp went for $360 MSRP back in 1989 (today's equivalent of $550), the Autotek 7100 BTS (Bass Thrust Series). Amp internals were designed and manufactured by Stephen Mantz (Zed Audio) and like the early HiFonics amps from the 80's and 90's, still in very high demand. No built in crossover, no terminal strips for connections, just a bare bones stereo 50x2 amp with the added features of bass/treble adjustments. Yes my friends, this was a big deal back in 1989! No huge wattage numbers here, so don't get too excited, but here are the ratings: 50x2 @ 4 ohms 0,015% THD 90x2 @ 2 ohms 0.015% THD 180x1 @ 4 ohms bridged 0.015% THD The SMD / D'Amore Engineering Amp Dyno measures THD at 1%. All tests were performed at 1kHz, and industry standard for full range amplifiers. See the video on YouTube in full HD 1080P or embedded below: