Clarion, what's happening with them.

[stephgirl]

I was looking around the internet and I came across Clarion car audio. Earlier this summer I replaced my old Clarion HU with my new Pioneer HU. So I did a little research to see what they may be up to or if they had anything in new equipment.  Boy was i supersized. They don't offer much anymore. There US website don't have much new stuff or anything. The equipment is old stuff.  I did find out that the do have some new D class amps they introduce recently but they are not for sale in US for what i can see.  They used to be a good brand yes. Don't hear anything to much from them these days. So my question is,  What's up with Clarion Car audio  these days. ????

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[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

They are restructuring and pulling out of aftermarket to specifically cater to oem. 

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

This is a sign of the market now.  Pioneer was just sold to a Chinese company.  Many of the giants from the 90's - 2000's are gone or much smaller than they were.  The extent as to what the loss of closing places like Circuit City and Best Buy is starting to play out.  The ones surviving from those times are the Kickers, RF's, Sony's.  





 





For a while, Clarion held on as a quality value choice as it was no longer making it in the upper range of the market.  Now-a-days, only going to find decent Clarion on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Clarion-4360-Power-Amplifier-4-Channel-720W-180Wx4/163405822758?hash=item260bbefb26:g:tVwAAOSwnfRcAKNr





 

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

Cheaper labor found overseas....which is why a lot of Americans are pretty pissed about jobs being shipped over there too(not to get off topic tho...). I agree with Aaron (Denim). Most brands were built here in the USA and the quality that came with it. That was a thing in the past.

@stephagirl  Got my cz702 HU which isn't bad....but limited on the Freq part for the mids, highs. It's insalled in my s10.

 

[stephgirl]

This is a sign of the market now.  Pioneer was just sold to a Chinese company.  Many of the giants from the 90's - 2000's are gone or much smaller than they were.  The extent as to what the loss of closing places like Circuit City and Best Buy is starting to play out.  The ones surviving from those times are the Kickers, RF's, Sony's.  

 

For a while, Clarion held on as a quality value choice as it was no longer making it in the upper range of the market.  Now-a-days, only going to find decent Clarion on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Clarion-4360-Power-Amplifier-4-Channel-720W-180Wx4/163405822758?hash=item260bbefb26:g:tVwAAOSwnfRcAKNr

 

You said that Pioneer got bought out by a China company???   When did that happen??  Have to research that. Oh i hope that now Pioneer is not going to be cheapened out like some of the classic American brands were back in the day.  I just finished installing those top of line Pioneer TS-Z65TH 6.5 component speakers for my new Hi Def system. Now i just have to finish the rear with the same speakers.  Also i did see that Clarion amp on Ebay.  Also when i was looking around internet researching Clarion I did come across the Clarion Canada web site and they have some new D amps out. And also found a YouTube video from Clarion Canada about the new amps. Don't know nothing about them.  From what i read i think there only sold in Canada.  I used to see back in day all the Clarion stuff that was pretty good. But it is sad i guess that many of the old days equipment companies is gone.

 https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/chinese-company-tcl-to-own-pioneer-and-onkyo-brands-outside-japan.2695/

yes i just finished reading about the Pioneer sell out to TCL China. It is a buyout of the brand name outside of Japan. Some of the articles said that they will be able to past and slap that name on anything and everything. WOW that is a blow to car audio. Reminds me of the Polaroid brand i see at the BigLots store i shop at.  Polaroid was a good brand back in the day. Now when i go to BigLots i see that name on all the real cheap electronics there like headphones. $5 & $10 junk.

I have seen those TCL TV's and they too are junk or low quality. I just hope Pioneer don't end up like a Boss Audio or Pyle something like this. Personally I think it is a way to fool the consumer.  These cheap China companies buy a well defined brand and then paste that name on all the junk and think consumers will not notice and see that name Pioneer or Polaroid brand and think it's good.  I have to say that I think this story is BIG.  I think that maybe it is a time in the car audio that the same think is starting over again like what happened back in early 2000's when many well known US made brands got sold out and market changed. If this can happen to Pioneer then who is next JVCKenwood or Alpine.  What is going to be left behind as a good quality brand. I don't want to end up one day with a choice of head units as Boss audio, Power Acoustic.Sound Storm  or some crap like that. What is going to happen to this nice Pioneer amp BigD bench tested recently that was a budget gem. Well it may end up like Soundstream and what they did to that amp and changed the board to junk it up.  I think this conversation need to be moved to its own thread.  I'm still wow Pioneer sold out. WOW.