Counterfeit Chinese Cables

It is quite disconcerting that the Chinese Cables are being counterfeited.

To have a design that has been produced by using ones own education or collaborative idea sharing on the subject of a Cable Type and the design concepts then supported by in depth R&D to the point of a Cable Design being produced.

To have a group of individuals with an 'easy profit making venture' in mind, steal/rob the ideas of others and produce a version of an item, that is a much lesser design, that is on offer as an alternative choice and presents a 'real roll of the dice scenario' for an individual to acquire a product that is by chance, possibly ? an equivalent function.

For the producer to see this happening, as the originator of the design concepts being offered, it can only be an upset to them.

The reality is that when a part is bought from a Portal that allows imports from Chinese Manufacturers, the parts being selected will be produced from design ideas that were not borne in house by the producer, the design for the parts, will mostly be for the mimicking the aesthetic of other more successful brands items. 

"It is quite disconcerting that the Chinese Cables are being counterfeited."

That sentence is really funny. By the way, the portal that you're speaking about IS Chinese. You also need to consider that Nordost's design is built upon parts of research by many people over many years as well. They didn't invent high quality cables or the materials that they're made from.

One idea is derived from another, that's the way civilization works, and if you want to call that stealing and robbing, then to a certain extent all cable manufacturers are guilty of stealing.

Finally, every purchase is a "roll of the dice" as you note, but for a bit over a hundred dollars, it wasn't much of a gamble, and the build quality is very impressive as well as the sound.    

Here’s a little story for you.  I worked at a very high end audio equipment manufacturer for many years.  The owner decided he might want to release their own cables to sell with their systems.  Good idea of course.  The company’s CD player’s were already being turn-keyed in Hong Kong.  Designed, built and packaged there with our name.  So while over seas he visited a large cable manufacturer.  They sat down and discussed what kind of cables he wanted.  The manufacturer pulls out a big book with samples and shows him all the cables they already manufacture for various well known high end companies (I won’t say the names but you know them all) and tells him they can make the same thing with maybe a different color or whatever and says “we can put your name on any of them”.  This is the way much of this stuff works with the fakes.  Not all of course.  Some is pure crap!  But some is made on the identical machines with identical materials and sold to whoever will pay for it.  Maybe they put different connectors on it or maybe identical ones.  It is true the soldering/weld may not be the same if a company just buys the wire and does their own thing, or it may be the identical cable made in the same factory as the name brand with identical materials.  That’s the problem with counterfeits is you don’t know what your getting until you get it.  No box.  No paperwork.  Just the cables. 
 

I have purchased several counterfeit cables to try out and have been completely happy with them over the years. Yes I have a “champagne taste on a beer budget”.  I have purchased many high end cables directly from the manufacturer’s for 50% off when I worked in the industry.  So yes I have a variety of cables that are the real thing lying around from some great companies.  Some of the top of the line Audioquest, Cardas, Kimber Silver, etc.  I have also purchased some fake Audioquest and Furutech cables that have amazed me with their quality.  Right now I’m running all Furutech PCOCC (or OHNO) speaker and interconnects and getting some of the best, most balanced sound I have ever had and it was cheap. 
 

So are these identical in every way?  I don’t know for sure but the sound quality is amazing!  Can you get a crap counterfeit?  For sure, yes.  
As someone said you roll the dice.