I have amassed quite a few fake cables in order to compare them to genuine real cables. In most cased they have a somewhat similar sound signature but not quite the same. While they DEFINITELY DO NOT sound the same as the real deal they give a lot of the sound of the real deal at a huge discount. Interestingly the China cables that were some off brand were not nearly as good sounding as the imitation ones in general. The closest fakes I have to the real deal are the Tara Labs which may actually be the real deal. The Siltech fakes are darker than the real G5 with a lot less detail. The AQ with DBS sound very good but different from the real deal and the Cardas Clear fake sounds fantastic but again a bit different from the real deal. The Nordost Odin fake is simply amazing! The real problem is that if you are expecting a particular sound you should expect something a little different.
If you want the real deal sound buy the real deal from a verified source. If you want to experiment then go for it.
If you want the real deal sound buy the real deal from a verified source. If you want to experiment then go for it.