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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

128x128roxy54
rolox
180 posts
 

@ghdprentice you must have bought some very bad fake Odin. If I except the last Odin "Gold" ICs I returned because they sounded overly smooth and dead, I’ve never had a single fake Odin sounding bad. Some take a bit longer to burn in. But I’ve never had a single one sounding harsh, trebly, compressed - maybe slightly congested and dynamically challenged before burn in, but that goes away quite fast.

In any case they all turned way better than they have a right to be at the price - and I vastly prefer them to all my "genuine" cables which include VanDenHul and (entry level) Nordost.

Bear in mind I’ve never tried any off their XLR cables, only RCA, but still, I guess you just purchased some very bad version (bad solder, wrong use of the cable geometry, whatever).

The speaker cables were the only ones sounding very bad at some point. They took ages to break in in my system due to the very high sensitivity of my speakers and the very low current traveling through the cables. At some point they became so harsh and congested and bass shy that I almost took them out of the system, but I’m glad I didn’t, because they now sound fantastic, smooth open and transparent.

Of course I never compared them to the real Odin cables, but in my opinion the right versions of the counterfeit cables can easily compete with cables at 10x the price, which is already not so bad.

rfnoise
153 posts
 

@rolox 

It’s interesting to me the amount of pearl-clutching generated here by obviously fake knockoffs being sold to informed people who never would/could buy the real deal, whereas the idea of sourcing dirt-cheap cables from China and marketing them at a greater than 10x markup is something that no one seems to bat an eyelash at.

 

rickysnit
79 posts
 

I have absolutely zero problems with Chinese branded genuine, honest audio cables brands. I am sure they are great value for the money. My issue is with the outright violation of IP rights and use of brand names. True story: I have bought a bunch of stuff from Ghent. Awesome guy to deal with, great products, no lies, no violations of anything. Ethical: https://www.ghentaudio.com

I checked Ghent out, they use AliExpress material!! Palic Chinese connectors, 'Canare' cable, that's funny...

jetter
3,033 posts
 

I checked Ghent out, they use AliExpress material!! Palic Chinese connectors, Canare’ cable, that’s funny...

Canare cable is manufactured in Japan.  I am currently using Canare interconnects (Redco) and speaker cable (Blue Jeans), as are many here and I am told recording studios often use them.  These Ghent cables seem fairly priced, I am not sure why you are implying negatively about them. 

maxima95
294 posts
 

" I checked Ghent out, they use AliExpress material!! Palic Chinese connectors, 'Canare' cable, that's funny... "

Not sure what "AliExpress material " is.  Chinese connectors and other items have been sold on other venues for years.

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