As luke81 said, the new Clarion amps I have dealt with have been okay (and I am NOT a Clarion dealer-we've just installed a few customer carry-in Clarions).

But, as with many manu's, they change who builds them like we change socks-whoever is the cheapest. That is why I try to encourage people to stick with companies that manufacturer their own amps-you will get more consistency across the board for the most part.