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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@jerryg123 :

Well if you are marking your product as made in the USA and they are actually made in China you deserve a flood of counterfeit product in the market

Does Audioquest say “made in USA”? It’s been a while I have owned any Audioquest cables, so I truly don’t know.

I also know “made in USA” can mean a lot of things. Including final assembly in USA, but with parts (I.e wire, materials) made in China. And truth is lots of stuff is made in China nowadays, like it or not. I bet almost every single product has at least a few parts made in China.

To your other point I will never buy a used cable here or on USAM after reading this.

Yup. Which is a bummer for everyone involved with trying various cables, buying, selling, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

Well if you are marking your product as made in the USA and they are actually made in China you deserve a flood of counterfeit product in the market. 

+1

 

I really don't care who makes them or where. If I can buy a cable cheaper that sounds as good as a multi thousand $ cable, that's all that matters to me. 

 

I was looking at the Hifi Dragon over at Ali but they are not cheap compared to the Norse but obviously a significantly cheaper than the original 😀

To your other point I will never buy a used cable here or on USAM after reading this. 

Given my experience, I am not so sure even if buying new from a dealer will get you an authentic one, always 😃

Yes, you would likely be paying a lot less buying a “legit counterfeit “ from Ali Baba, than a “fake counterfeit “ sold “used genuine” in here or USAM

😂🤦‍♂️.

 

Sorry for being silly