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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@rfnoise the Gold Odin RCA with the good sounding connectors is this one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004390953007.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.21ef1802dqG3tr

there are probably others, of course. But it’s impossible to tell from the pictures (the two vendors I tried for the Gold Odin use exactly the same pictures).

The connectors will feel cheap and flimsy, the rear part of the shell is plastic, but they SOUND good.

There is another vendor that usually sells good stuff, it's the AudioConnector Store. I haven't bought any Gold IC from him so I don't know which version he sells but I've bought quite a few other things and it was all good.

I think it is important to mention that a lot of AliExpress vendors are now offering free hassle return in a 15 days window. Being able to return the disappointing cables for free, with a return sticker sent to me and everything, was fantastic. 

@rolox 

The ones I ordered were the non-gold version from “hifi-diy store”.

I just picked the one that seemed to have the most unit sales and positive reviews. Maybe I’ll think about trying a pair of the ones you provided a link to as well. I’m sure in the past I’ve spent more than $40 on countless things more frivolous and less interesting than comparing two cables out of sheer curiosity.

My AliExpress $0.02 on this, the addition of a non-Chinese brand name to Chinese cables is pure humour. With China, you get what you pay for, and there are some excellent cable options from AliE and China. Xangsane silver cabling, a fair degree of AT Audio’s stuff - it is just excellent.

This

Or this in a finished product

The branded stuff can be far lower quality, but with China, money talks, if it’s $20, you’ll be sent a $20 cable. Spend $200, you’ll be sent something pretty great that absolutely comes close to $1k+ NA or EU cables - as a general rule of course...

 I am a fan of Viborg's stuff.  They're not counterfeiting or taking anyone's IP, and it seems to be very fine.  I have their silver interconnects, and like them and will buy more, and their power plugs are as good or better than anything else on the market.