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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
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,133 posts
 

The fact there is so much thread about cables improvement and very few compared to cables about mechanical vibrations controls about the lowering of the noise floor and about the EMI shielding not to speak about not only important room acoustic controls and not mere passive treatment but also about acoustics concepts and experiments say a lot about the ignorance level...And i will not speak about homemade  "tweaks"  because i will be labelled "tin foil hat" ...

I forgot to say most thread are about purchase and ectatic upgrades ...😋

And to make my point clear cables can make a difference ...A small one yes thats all compared to the list above ... 😊😉😁

bigtwin's avatar
bigtwin
1,211 posts
 

@roxy54   I meant to type "why this thread continues to fascinate ME".  Not speaking for anyone else.   I have in fact bought some cables from the ALI site.  Not the Nordost cables, but the Furutech cables.  The sound was dull.  Kept them in for awhile but the music was just lacking in every respect.  Put my old cables back in (Silversmith Audio's FIDELIUM at the time) and presto, the full sound returned.  Would the Ali Valhalla cable prove to be the magic bullet?  Common sense tells me no, but...........   Do I want to spend even more money chasing the dream?

lloydc's avatar
lloydc
752 posts
 

@czarivey , 

american private school education is competitive with,  or better than, asian schools.  Like stereo gear, the best is very expensive.  the problem is with college admissions, which are rarely based on merit, and are used to promote social policies.

Public schools are a different matter.

 

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,014 posts
 

@bigtwin 

Trying these brands is definitely a gamble. I was lucky to have tried Xangsane, which is surely a great brand, but then just recently I tried a set of the "best" cables by Ataudio, and though pretty to look at, they were a great (though not costly) disappointment.  

jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,620 posts
 

@bigtwin What you just posted about the Furutechs is exactly why cables seem to make a huge difference.If you had the Ali Furutechs for a few years initially then tried the Silversmiths you may have been thrilled at the improvement. I do believe that often when some of us come across something that elevates our listening pleasure, we become enthusiastic and come here to share the joy with fellow hobbyists. Our families and friends aren't interested, lol.

 The only OMG moment I've experienced with a cable is with a power cable on my amp(American made).I tried Cardas and Nordost ics from Ali out of curiosity and they both were very good but not perfect for me.

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