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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
wesheadley's avatar
wesheadley
162 posts
 

@thyname :

Didn’t you say on the other thread you never post about cables? Every single post of yours here is about cables. Some pathological hatred you have, maybe from your childhood?

The reason I take the time to post about cables is that IMO the companies that make the extremely expensive ones make baseless claims that do not even remotely justify the stupid money they are asking for so many of them. This is akin to selling snake oil-- baseless claim and obscene profits. Sorry if that bugs you, but everything that I have said about this subject is incontrovertibly true. Disagree? Then take me up on one of my testing scenarios and show me that you can reliably rank cables based upon their price. I have a pretty high resolution system BTW, and have experimented with cables for years. I'm still open to being wrong, but I don't need to tell myself fibs in order to feel that I'm right. Better to focus on your actual gear and room acoustics than the occult claims of cable manufacturers. There are far too many conmen in this hobby-- I think they SHOULD be outed for making BS claims. Maybe it will save a few folks exploring these forums from joining the army of true believers and getting ripped off in the process. So why does that bother you so much?

bigtwin's avatar
bigtwin
1,221 posts
 

The best line in that video was "I believe these are real Furutech connectors " when he was comparing the real and fake cable male ends.  Yup, for $39 dollars you get all fake cable with genuine Furutech connectors.  NOT!  🤣

No one is claiming they get getting the real thing from AliExpress but many are saying the fake Nordost coast sound VERY good.  So then the real issue for me is always how companies like Nordost can charge $40,000 for a pair of interconnects.  Maybe they really do have Fairy Dust in them?  

thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 

So why does that bother you so much?

Why does it bother YOU so much to feel the need to participate in threads you have zero interest in? That's the question.

 

 

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,016 posts
 

@bigtwin 

Thank you. I forgot to mention the Furutech comment, which is something only a nouveau-audiophile like Jay would say. How could he possibly think that that would be genuine Furutech? Also, he owns a genuine Nordost power cord, but doesn't mention that he, or anyone else could confirm its authenticity through the serial number.

jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 

@bigtwin there are the haves and the have nots of the world. If you have $40K to burn on cables, then so what if I have a cable company, I am going to make a pair of $40K interconnects for you to spend your hard-earned money on. 

Why is this so upsetting for you people? 

It's simple capitalism, Nordost is not some TV preacher or politician convincing the poor downtrodden people to donate to their cause, give me $20.00 and you get into heaven. 

They are selling a product that clearly people want and are willing to pay $40K.

Guarantee you your $40.00 fake interconnects sound nothing like the real deal. But then again you are a cable denier. both you and @wesheadley  

I will stick with quality made products from companies that are here in North America and that the CCP will not benefit from me purchasing their product. Some things we have no choice in like cell phones and the like, and that is a shame, but here you do. 

Nordost can charge $40,000 for a pair of interconnects.

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