I wasnt aware so many people on CA.com think Hifonics is poo. Aparently not many have used Hifonics. The cleanest power? no. Do they do over rated? no. But they are reliable and tough as shit and cheap as well. Something makes me think the amp was broken before you got it or you hooked something up wrong.
Protect is there for a reason, to protect. If it falls into protect, it should be fine after it cools down and is powered back up. If amps fall into protect and stay there you did something seriously wrong (like a dead short) or it was broken another way.