2. cables
  3. 174002-406

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

Showing 5 responses by zlone

zlone
382 posts
 

I was curious enough to order some of these cables and took the power cable apart to see how it was constructed and to check out the wire and insulation. In general, the construction is quite good and well done, and the plugs are high quality. Here are some pics of what I found:

Solid connections with insulation right up to the screws.

 

 

Another view of all three connections. Note three wires twisted for each channel, and a single ground.

 

A shot of the plug enclosure. This is very well done, the silver piece is all metal.

 

But, the deal breaker I think. The wire is silver coated and has a copper core as advertised. However taking some simple measurements using a caliper on the single ground wire, it is in the neighborhood of 1 mm. This equates to 18 AWG vs. Nordost spec of 15 AWG per wire for these cables. Combined, the three wires will give you a 13 AWG equivalent, not quite a firehose. 


Sound-wise I cannot say I noticed any significant change over my Shunyata Venom. I think if they upped the gauge a bit, this would be a pretty competitive product.

zlone
382 posts
 

@tksteingraber I bought complete set of gold power and interconnects for one system and a complete set of odin 2 interconnects and speaker cables for a second system. The power cords didn’t stand out but were very nice for $35.  Preferred my VH Audio DIY flavors and DIY Kimberkable tc12.  BUT the interconnects and speaker cables (to a slightly lesser degree) were a jaw dropping improvement.  Crushed my Morrow (MA3) and DH Audio (Q10). 

I bought a set of the Odin 2 balanced interconnects as well. Again, not a significant change in my case, maybe my senses are starting to fade with age :-). I plan to swap in my old interconnects to see if there is significant difference. I have a set of the speaker cables on order and will put them up against BJC, Mogami and Kimber 8TC (just bought used) to see how they stand up.

 

zlone
382 posts
 

@audphile1 

A question to all who currently own these counterfeit cables…

When you’re ready to move on and upgrade, what will you do with these fakes?

They go in a box in the basement. Not really fair to sell them. I thought of defacing them and selling them, but not worth the time. 

In the case of the power cords, I pirated the connectors for some domestic name brand OCC cords I bought that would benefit from the upgrade. The power connectors are top notch on the cables knockoffs that I bought.

FWIW, I did not find that the power, speaker or interconnect cables were anything special. All nicely made, but guessing that the underlying copper/silver quality is poor.

 

zlone
382 posts
 

@audphile1 If anyone is to dispose of these cables after you’re done, see if you can cut them and inspect what they’re made of. May be post some pictures here and add some real value to this thread.

I did that earlier in this thread somewhere, but here are a few snaps of disassembled "Odin" power cables:

https://ibb.co/DM3gvGv


https://ibb.co/FwhymrC


https://ibb.co/Lv9yZHD

 

zlone
382 posts
 

And I will adjust my earlier comment saying results were just okay, the digital cable I bought was darn good, but now replaced by a domestic brand that is even better.

 

More to discover