2. cables
  3. 1313160316

Fake Cardas: Myth or Reality?

Recently I've been trying to sell an older version (without Furutech) of Cardas Golden Reference power cord. For some reason, I have got a lot of questions asking whether this cable is authentic and whether it has a certificate of authenticity.

Are there really that many fake Cardas cables out there, or is this just a smart marketing scam by Cardas to create fear in people so as to make them buy from only select distributors and allow Cardas to better control retail prices? I cannot imagine that counterfeiters would have nothing better to do all day but produce only fake Cardas cables on a mass scale, where in my view there are a lot of much better power cables out there, such as Stealth, Synergistic, NBS, Shunyata, Nordost, etc.

I have purchased other power cords that cost many times more than the Golden Reference, but I have not heard from these manufacturers about fakes in the marketplace. Many of these brands do not issue the so-called "certificate of authenticity". In this day and age, if they can produce fakes of the cable, don't we think that they can also produce fakes of "certificate of authenticity", just as there are fake driver license and ID cards.

Frankly, I don't really care if I sell my GR cable because it is not a major expense for me as compared to how much I've already sunk into my system. It is just annoying to have to answer all these emails, and I think it would be rather disingenuous of Cardas if all this talk about so many fakes of their products in the market were not true....
avguy
steveaustin
57 posts
 
Elizabeth brings up a good point on the Kimber - the fake 8TC cables look like dead ringers for the real thing (to me, at least). But the $2000+ 8AG you see for sale (oftentimes, but not always, from sellers in SE Asia) *does* indeed look a bit suspect.

And, per Gslone's post above, I guess I'd think twice before sending suspect cables to Tara Labs for verification ... ("hey, give me my fake Taras back!...")
mceljo
1,357 posts
 
Sidssp - How did the fake cables perform before you suspected that they were not genuine? Did you get a real cable to compare?
gslone
274 posts
 
Steveaustin: think twice before buying any used or new cable from Asia or Asians. I can say that cause I'm half Asian... ha-ha.
sfstereo
215 posts
 
Gslone,

That's a pretty stupid comment about Asians. I hope you are not serious.
justlisten's avatar
justlisten
489 posts
 
Gsclone , being 100% Asian, I understand your comment. The fact is, the bulk of the counterfeits do come out of China and also Russia. The fakes are also very good copies now. I am amazed to see what is being produced and how good the fakes are now. This includes high end furniture, lighting.

Ever see So called Japanese cd pressings on ebay being sold as new,cheap from China? Most are fake, but have the OBI and look perfect. I mention, as i am a big collector of Japanese music pressings.

The low cost of labor I believes drives this, and of course greed, lack of respect for intellectual property .

What does scare me is to read what Tara labs is doing . So if i send then a cable for evaluation or repair, and they claim it is fake, not made by me, they will still keep it, game over? If so, thanks for the tip....I will never buy a cable from them, new or used.
More to discover