2. cables
  3. 174002-406

Counterfeit Chinese Cables

I thought that I would write this for those who are curious about one of the many counterfeit Chinese interconnect cables that are available these days. I know that there have been threads about the subject before, and I was always curious because they seem to be such a bargain. I don't really recall much about what any members actually said about the performance of these counterfeit cables, and I didn't look back and do any research, but a couple of months ago there was a thread that came around to discussing the quality of Chinese made components, and oldhvymec said something that made sense to me.

He said that people that say that what they are making is junk should consider that much of what is in our gear, and a lot of our American brands are actually manufactured there. I decided shortly after that that I would take the chance on a set of interconnects, because I suspected that the interconnects going from my pre to my amp were the weak link and needed upgrading. The interconnects going from my DAC to my pre were Kimber Select which are very good, but the other set were LAT International (now defunct) which had cost $500.00 when new, but I had reason to believe they were lacking because I have one of their digital cables that turned out to be very poor sounding in comparison to others I own.

I decided on a one meter pair of counterfeit Nordost Odin interconnects for a total of $104.00 from Aliexpress. I received them a couple of weeks later. They appeared to be well made, and the locking fake WBT rca's were very impressive and are very tight. 

First impressions after installing them were light, thin sound, lacking bass. Each couple of days brought improvements, but from the beginning I noticed that they were quieter. Now, weeks later, I can say that they are drastically better that the LAT's in every way. Detail and ambience are much better, but it's the focus and separation of instruments that is most noticeable. 

I have no way of knowing if they are really a copy of the Nordost design, but I am impressed enough that I am going to try a counterfeit Nordost digital cable.

Obviously, this isn't a comparison that is useful to most, because there probably isn't anyone here using the LAT's, and everything is system dependent. I just wanted to relay my positive experience. 

Nordost ODIN&2 RCA Fever Audio Signal Cable Double Lotus Sterling Silver Audio Cord Video CD Amplifier Tube Cable High Quality| | - AliExpress

128x128roxy54
ghdprentice
7,093 posts
 

Ok. I got my set of fake Odin 2 XLR interconnects today. While not broken in, I do generally remember what my Transparent Ultra XLR (current generation… $3,150) sounded like when I put them in. I put the new Odin2 between my DAC and preamp Audio Research REF CD9se DAC and Audio Research REF6se preamp. Incidentally, the same position I once had real Odin2.

The new Odin sound compressed, harsh, trebly, lacking bass definition… not quiet or smooth. While the Transparent sounded better with time, they never sounded anywhere this bad. I really could not listen to them for more than a couple minutes… they were actually uncomfortable to listen to. Reminding me of inexpensive silver… are they really made of silver? I figures they were colored silver on top of copper.

I have listened to the real Nordost Odin 2 in my system…. There is absolutely no similarity. Not that one could reasonably expect it. This certainly reminded me how much of a difference a single set of interconnects can make. I was thinking that since all my other sets of interconnections were very high quality, maybe one set would not matter that much. Wow, that’s not right.

So, I need to break them in. I’ll have to pull out my break in system. All my systems are tube, so I have a separate system with only a couple small tubes for breaking in stuff. I’ll have to put a few weeks on them to see how much the calm down.

thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 

So these “Nordin Odost II” XLR interconnects are what? $40-$50? To think they would be even close to real Odins is wishful thinking.

rickysnit
79 posts
 

Yes, that's totally why it's probably a good bet to skip the branded stuff altogether and embrace Chinese cables.. Xangsane pure silver 100%

thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 

I have absolutely zero problems with Chinese branded genuine, honest audio cables brands. I am sure they are great value for the money. My issue is with the outright violation of IP rights and use of brand names. True story: I have bought a bunch of stuff from Ghent. Awesome guy to deal with, great products, no lies, no violations of anything. Ethical: https://www.ghentaudio.com

 

ghdprentice
7,093 posts
 

@thyname

 

I think these were about $110 delivered. I certainly did not think they would sound like the real thing. But I am a scientist… and couldn’t help but want to actually know what I was talking about.

 

My interest was, we’re these actually “made in the same way”, so they were really complete rip offs and sounded very similar… with some compromises. Or, alternatively, like Mexican Salsa in Eastern Montana. Yeah… “it is red” in photos… and looks a lot like ketchup… let’s use ketchup!

 

Yes, when bicycling across Montana and going into “Mexican” restaurants I got served ketchup as salsa with chips (having lived next to the Mexico boarder and spent a couple years living in Mexico, I can assure everyone salsa tastes is nothing like ketchup… anywhere in Mexico.

So my conclusion is that Chinese Nordost Odin 2 knock offs are nothing like the real Nordost Odin 2. They only look like it. Ok, not a surprise… but I know this from experience not just thinking.

 

I was in charge of all information technology at a global semiconductor company (Burr-Brown Corporation) in 1999. I needed to assess the risk of the “millennium bug” shutting our system and consequently putting us out business when the date flipped over to 2000. I read these ridiculous books that premised that “this chip” has an embedded date with the year represented as two digits (like ‘99, as opposed to 1999) and therefore chips are in 60% of the mechanical devices on earth… so they will all fail. Utter nonsense. None of these idiots actually sampled the percentage of components with the problem and did the legwork to figure out which devices and consequently systems would be vulnerable. What BS. I would read the first few chapters of this stuff and toss it in the garbage.

We, upgraded two systems… (a couple million dollars)… and not a single system failed… I was there at corporate headquarters when we powered down all our system a couple minutes before midnight and brought them back up a couple minutes after. Yawning, and heading home a half hour later.

More to discover