When did DEI buyout Orion?

[Joe Smoe]

Anybody know when Directed bought out Orion? I need to know which HCCA amps were the good ones made by the original Orion. I'm not sure which ones out of this list are the best.

HCCA 250 G4
HCCA 250 G5.1
HCCA 250 G5.2
HCCA 250 Digital Reference

[71buickfreak]

DEI purchased Orion in 2002. The old models with the aluminum hoops for grab handles are the last made before DEI. They have holes bored through the heat sinks at the top (1 on each side) for the hoops or for liquid cooling. The G4 units were the last models.

[Joe Smoe]

Yeah, well that's my problem. I have a G5, but it's got the aluminum hoops and the holes through the heatsink. It also does say on the side that it was made in the US. There's a paper sticker on the bottom that has a 2003 date on it, but I don't think that's the date it was made, maybe, not sure though. It has the date on it with some1's initials. I was just wondering which gen. this amp was, so I know the quality and how it stacks up to the G4's.

[71buickfreak]

Orion didn't necessarily go to crap after DEI, DEI owns quite a few companies, Orion is one of them. they still make good stuff. don't be down on your equipment just because someone else says its crap. The model you had would be the 2003 models, introduced as the first DEI-owned stuff, but if its the same heat sink style, it is still probably the same as before, just dofferent cosmetically.

[GlassWolf]

if it's made in the USA, it's still out of the Tempe, AZ facility, so it's still one of the better amplifiers, made prior to production being moved to malaysia or the philippines or wherever it is DEI moved the plants.