I will say the counterfitters have gotten much better on AQ products lately. In the past it was very easy to spot a fake but they are getting much better & now alot also include packaging, which some look very close to the origional.
For HDMI cables, Vodka, Carbon & Chocolate are ones that there are plenty of fakes out there (lots on Ebay), & they do include packaging (which do look close to the origional, especially if you don't know what to look for). I find the fit & finish of the knock offs, still not up to the same standards.
I recently purchased a pair of King Cobra RCA's with packaging. When I compared them to my Diamondbacks that I purchased a couple years back I noticed some differences in the connectors. So I opened up the ends to compare. What I found is a cable that appears to be made of the correct parts but did not have the fit & finish of my older Diamondbacks. Things like insulation not cut as neatly, & end wasn't wraped as well (clear vs black). The bare conductors were long & sloppy, & also had a bunch of nicks out of them. The area of the center conductor covered with heat shrink was much less & abit lose (could move around).
I sent pics to Audioquest & they said it was a legit cable but I wasn't happy with the purchase, so I returned it. I purchased another set from my normal AQ supplier & of course opened it up as well. What I found was fit & finish that matched my Diamondbacks.
So now I'm not sure if the first set was legit or not (maybe a "second"). Have the counterfits got so good that even the manufacturers have trouble spotting some of them?
