I really feel like I should've paid a lot more than I did. For $150 shipped on Ebay, I cannot believe what a value I'm getting from this amp. It just simply astonishes me every time I get in my car and turn on the CD Player. But, am I really that surprised? Not really. After using Clarion amps in the past, I knew I could expect nothing but a very respectable ratio of value and quality. But, with the price that I paid, this amp shatters the old adage "You get what you pay for".

It's not that I think Clarion amps are the greatest thing to ever send juice to my drivers. Again, the word "value" comes into play. For what you would pay for an older or newer APX series amp, they're almost a steal. I've found that I could get better performance from a JL slash series or even an Alpine V12. Actually, whether an Alpine V12 can really hold its own against the Clarions is arguable. So, when my APA4320 arrived in the mail, I was expecting something along the lines of Clarion in quality, but not so great that I walk away feeling like a thief who has just yanked an award winning system from the neighborhood audionut. But, that is how I felt. I'm not a thief, but my guess is that this is how a thief must feel. Actually, thieves generally aren't remorseful. Conversely, I really did feel like calling the seller and telling him that he did not charge me enough.

Two words can easily sum up my description of this amp: "Clean" and "Power". But, as you might've guessed, two words will not suffice at e-pinions. They want elaboration; they wants details; they want what's at the center of a tootsie pop.

A lot of people like to look at specs when purchasing car audio equipment. Specs are the last thing you want to look at. Power rating and particular ohm loads offer general guidance, but beyond that is just not worth mentioning. Subjective listening is where it's at. And, until you put this thing in your car and set it loose on your speakers, subjective listening is just one person's opinion vs. another.

I've had this thing hanging up in my trunk for about a year now. I'm still trying to think of a reason to complain about it. It's rated at 80 watts/channel @ 4 ohms. If that is all it's producing, then those are the loudest and cleanest 80 watts I have ever heard. Power availability just isn't an issue. This amp is a servant of the volume knob. It obeys its every command. When my volume knob says "jump", this amp screams back, "How HIGH!!" In terms of sound quality, it definitely deserves to be in the same category as the JL Audio 300/2 that I had on my speaks just prior. There is no doubt in my mind that this amp is enabling my speakers to be all they can be.

But, there was one problem that I found with the JL: it's highly regulated power supply. I may be a victim of the placebo effect, but it really did seem as though the regulation of the power supply was robbing the music of its "dynamic" characteristics. This is not the case with the Clarion. It's pulse-width modulated power supply would explain the ample availability of its full 4 ohm potential every single time I need it, but it certainly does not interfere with the music's natural (aka dynamic) characteristics. Music sounds as it should sound while both loud and clear.

Is this amp sturdy? Is this amp easy to install? Does the heatsink effectively dissipate heat? Do the controls offer versatility? The answer is definitely yes to all of those questions. But those attributes are just the beginning. The real payoff is when you flip the switch on your deck (or remote if that's what you use). For what these are going for at non-authorized dealers, this is highway robbery, and this time, you're the one wearing the mask.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 150