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Chinese fake cables How fake, how good?

I have noted a number of warnings about cheap Chinese fake cables on this site but curiosity led me to the Aliexpress site where I found a number of presumably fake big name cables from predominantly Cardas, Nordost and Siltech at about 15% of the USA or Australian price. I found Cardas Clear Light interconnects at about US$100 and decided what the heck let's give them a try at that price. Before buying I asked the seller the daft question as to whether they were genuine and got the reply that they were an OEM and constructed the interconnects from genuine Cardas cables and connectors. They arrived in a plastic bag rather than the Cardas box , not a great start but the cables looked real, and when connected, much to my surprise, they sounded really good. After 100hours or so burn in they sounded great and better than the Nordost Quatre Fils I had been using. I then took them to an Australian hi end dealer who sold real Cardas and asked rather ingenuously whether my cables were the real deal. The dealer would not commit but agreed to compare them to the real thing on a set up costing at a guess around A$100,00. Neither I nor the sales person could tell any difference so he then tried them against the Cardas Clear. Then there was some difference, not extreme but subtle, and certainly IMO not worth the price difference even if you bought the genuine Cardas Clear Light. So are these cables really fake and even if they are given my experience they are well worth a try. Maybe I'll try Nordost Odin or Siltech 770i next.
128x128mazian
joes44's avatar
joes44
132 posts
 

How would one tell if they're counterfeits ?

Is the only way to buy cables is to buy them brand new and through a reputable dealer?

mazian's avatar
mazian OP
406 posts
 

If you buy on Aliexpress you can be sure they are clones but it doesn't mean they sound bad, as many have indicated. If you are buying on ebay from a local seller you can't be sure even when the asking price is 10x that of the Chinese product . Buying from dealers, probably the safest option but can you still be sure? 

pesky_wabbit's avatar
pesky_wabbit
1,183 posts
 

as greater volumes of manufacture get shifted to China the boundaries become ever more indistinct..

havocman
350 posts
 

Astelmaszek, you have no idea what you're talking about, first of all ofc is not single crystal wire and it doesn't come in eight nines, I think you should go and check your facts and do your research a little bit better. LOL

atsq
2 posts
 

Thank you to those who offer a logical and even handed take along with impressions. Especially those with actual experience to contribute and not those espousing various opinions of questionable relevance that no one asked for.

I was curious about some Nordost Odin speaker cables and I usually buy good value for money quality Neotech based OCC cables local in Australia from boutique audio makers but for my needs (extra long speaker cables) there are few affordable quality alternatives.

I know someone who had a good experience with their (Odin) RCA interconnects so I was curious if this applied to the speaker cables.

It is between this and another (Aliexpress) no-name hybrid OCC silver/copper (not SPC) for a very similar price. The "Odin" seller even offered to make the cable slightly longer than ordered in case my measurements were short.

Service was responsive and helpful. Now to see if the product is worth its salt. I would never even consider any expensive cables so basically the only thing this "Odin" cable is competing with is the local value and budget options.

This is for my bedroom system so I will see how they are. I actually have authentic Analysis Oval 12 on every speaker of my pretty high end 5.1 HT system (Wisdom Audio L75) and I am now a bit curious as to whether this will give them a run for their money.

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