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

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Good point.  It would be nice if they advertised that way.  Although on some cables I’m not all together sure they are not the real thing, made with a “run” of the real cable, at the same factory.  Just not “run” for the brand name company.  
 

It is crazy the prices these companies are charging.  I know there is R&D, advertising, supporting they’re lifestyles, etc.  But $2K, $5K, $10K or even $100K for a 1 meter pair of cables!  Come on.  I remember one advertising executive at a audio company I worked at many years ago said “we have to charge more to show we’re the best”.  Well I love the audio biz and I really love listening to music but I never made the big bucks.  So I have to buy what I can afford.  

Well said harpo75. No need to feel sorry for these guys. I’m certain that they exaggerate the years that they spend on "research" by a factor of five, and these cables are not being purchased by their demographic.

Thanks to the moderators for reinstating this thread, minus most of the previous content. I've been here since '98 and I've never seen that before!

I should mention, Ali-E also has many other well known cable copies, AND, no-name at even cheaper prices

Also many are returnable, though it takes ~ 3 weeks to get to the Florida, so return at least as long on purchasers dime and the time to process, which is why I started with the Odin 2 coax cable, and was shocked compared to the Pangea Premier XL which is a darn good cable. Then slowly with Odin PC and XLR, the more PCs, and finally the speaker cable, which is not the same configuration as Nordosts (round instead of ribbon), but is amazing

Reverse engineering has been going on entire human existence. Unless cable companies have patents on design and/or proprietary parts used in that cable's design there are no laws being broken.

 

If these are indeed exact copies of well known cable companies, gives one very good idea of actual manufacturing costs of those cables. I generally build my own power cables these day, following recipes generously shared by individuals seeking to promote audio pleasure rather than profit.

There was a lot of good information in this thread that was deleted. Maybe just delete the troll posts and people angrily fighting, but keep the rest?