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

fake MIC (made in China) cables are low quality copper, tin, with awful soldering etc.

There are reputable brands from China such as Douk Audio. I believe some others also sell cables...

Why go for made in China when you could go for made in Japan?

Canare, Belden, Amphenol or just make your own cables! A custom set of cables can be made by a shop owner; real silver, get your jeweler to produce wire from silver bars. Then buy REAN connectors (balanced or RCAs) at just the right lengths. Choose the best type of insulation and cable jacket material. That’s what I did.

@mastering92 

I have purchased from DIY HiFi Store Odin 2; coax, speaker cables, and  Odin Gold xlr, and power cords, and Gohltec Odin Gold speaker cable. All excellent and all blew away WireWorld Series 8 top xlrs and speaker cable which are quite expensive

mastering92

I also recently have tried some "clone", Nordost ODIN GOLD balanced interconnects, and to my surprise, they are indeed excellent.... Very smooth, grain free sound with good timing and overall balance.....

Cheers

@tweak1 

I think this is the exact store you used for Odin2 - correct?  HIFI-DIY Store.

Different spellings give different stores.