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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I bought a pair of N------ Odin Gold RCA interconnects from Ali Express.  Beautifully made.  When I first connected them (backwards according to the direction arrows on the bottom of the wood blocks), they were big, bold, a little rounded and slightly soft on top - but enjoyable to listen to.

Then I put them in the "correct" orientation and they were more detailed with less prominent (though detailed) bass.  Very good also.  I am going to leave them this way for a while; though it is tempting to listen in the "wrong" direction.

Are these cables violating a patent or are they just knockoffs of a non patented design and only violating copyright law rather than copyright and patent law?

I'm using neardost odin 2 power cables and they are by far the best of many power cables I've used.  

Violating Patent's, Trade Mark and Copyright laws. 

Pure unadulterated theft. 

       

Cardas Cables

 

The Clear & Cross lines


Cardas Audio produces two distinct lines of cables, Clear and Cross. There are various interconnect, speaker, power and digital cables in each.

The Cross line has been in production the longest, with designs that evolved from the original Cardas cables.

The Clear line represents the latest developments and insights into audio cable design. All of the Clear cables feature Matched Propagation conductors, as described in US Patent 7,674,973.