So somebody is getting Rockefeller 3 wire, wrapping it in K2 sheath and K2 bezel and connectors and selling them for 1/3 of US retail? And then shipping them from China to US. Does this make financial sense to anyone? |
also, in checking the Rockefeller specs, there is no silver. coating or otherwise. So, what is this wire actually? |
well, thats my point. If it is silver coated, it isnt regular Rockefeller cable. PBN says the cable sheath says Rockefeller 3. I cant find any info on the "3" version to know if it is different that regular Rockefeller. but even if it isnt, it is being sold at 1/3 the price of regular Rockefeller, with different connectors, sheathing, and interior packaging. Seems like a lot of work for little gain. why not just call it rockefeller and sell it for 1/3 retail price without the additional work? Very odd business model. |
If you read audio quests description, they don't clearly say the k2 wire is solid silver. They talk about a smooth surface when they discuss silver, so maybe it is only supposed to be silver coated. |
PBN
How did you determine which plugs went into which inputs on the speaker end of the biwire cables. Supposedly, if they are reversed, where the high frequency ends went into the woofer inputs, you would get a lighter bass and alternatively, if the bass ends went into the treble inputs you would experience a less articulate treble. Is there some sort of marking on the wire that tells you which is which? |
"If you want to try them $ 380 would get them shipped to you :-)"
All chopped up like that?!
I am intrigued by the silver coating on solid copper cable. Do you know of any manufacturer that uses that system? |
PBN,
I take it the cables you have are single wire. I was really looking for biwire. but I have another question. How did you determine that the wire is silver coated? did you scrape off some silver to expose copper?
this whole thread makes me question the economics of making counterfeit cables as opposed to grey market. In this case, if the K2 cable is counterfeit, the maker went to a lot of trouble and effort to copy the external and internal packaging, with molded plastic container, silkscreen the correct labeling on the cables and connectors, create the battery pod for the 72v dielectric charge, copy the exterior sheath, and use the same guage wires, with the only difference we might find is that the wires might be silver plated instead of solid silver. seems like a lot of work to sell something at 3% of the normal retail price.
I would suspect that these are more likely grey market or back door cables out of the same factory in China |
Of course, I am not sure that K2 is actually solid silver either. The description on Audioquest's website is a little vague, calling it perfect surface silver. Dont know if that means the cable has a perfect silver surface, or if the surface of the silver wire is perfect.
Still seems like a lot of work for little reward. I am going to order a pair and see what happens. they claim they have a full return policy and I will pay with paypal. PBN, do you know which particular supplier you got yours from? |
pbn,
I am ordering the biwire version just for my own satisfaction. Willing to take the $400 gamble. God knows Ive thrown away more than that over the years on sillier things. Might end up buying yours anyway later for my Home Theatre or den system. then I would have 10k cables on a 4k system. Ill let everyone know what I find. |
PBN,
I dont know how to contact you off this forum to discuss your cables. Let me know.
Peter |
Tycobb,
Sounds like more bs from you. Really, biwire interconnects? new one on me. And the interconnects were Rockefeller 3, a silver coated speaker cable? And how were they wired backwards? most interconnects have a hot and ground? Did your music come out backwards? oh yeah, in your OP they were great.
I'd like to know who the actual supplier was, instead of stating it was DH Gate. They dont sell stuff, they are like Ebay, and they dont release the money to the seller until you respond to an email that says you are satisfied, or if you dont respond to the email within a few days. So, Ty, tell us who the supplier was, not the auction site. and explain what a biwire interconnect is that you thought sounded so good. |
So we have a pair of supposed k2 cables that were wired backwards from TyCobb and PBM has a set that have the right size conductors, but with Rockefeller 3 sheathing and silver coating on copper wire that sound pretty good in his system, but not as good as his reference. Quality of construction seems good, with good hardware and terminations and connectors.
I guess the question is, if we forget the name and the hype, are these cables worth the money compared to what else is on the market. Based on PBM's early review, they seem to be. But he purchased his from a different supplier than TyCobb, if that makes a difference. |
Sounds like a reasonable story to me. Im sure chinese factories are not particular about who they sell to or what they sell. Looks like the real thing, so why would he know different except for the price. I should get my order in a couple of days, so I will have a better idea of what it is. |
Ok, so I got the speaker cables yesterday, hooked them up and was playing some classic vinyl recordings when my wife came home for dinner. I didnt mention the change in cables. We sat down to dinner, with the music playing. Part way through dinner the wife commented on how good the system sounded and I could see her getting distracted by the music as she got in the groove.
Still havent told her about the change, and I havent sat down critically to see if I can describe what I hear, but on first impression, it seems the music has opened up, cleaner between notes, less electronic, smoother in the treble.
Now, admittedly, my prior cables were nothing special, basically a diy set that nonetheless sounded good to me. These "K2" cables do sound better.
I have not taken them apart to see what is inside. the boxes and interior packaging look like audioquest. there is no UPC code on the box. the cables look well made with decent connectors. The 72v box hooks up to the cables and lights up green when you push the button. there is nothing I can see externally that would suggest these are anything other than "k2" cables.
I did have a set of Sky interconnects that showed up today. I havent put them in the system yet. these also look like real thing.
I can say that shipping was free, and arrived in less than a week from Hong Kong. Much better than my Ultimate Cables which have still not arrived after 5 months from Canada. from my own experience, the only time I have been ripped off in all my audio purchases is by Ultimate Cables. I dont consider these K2 or Sky cables to be a rip off, regardless of what their insides may reveal.
Just my experience. Your mileage may vary. |
All I can say, is that I cant tell if mine are real or fake from the packaging or the actual cables. There is nothing externally to give it away. I dont intend to cut into mine to check. All I can say is that if they are fake, someone is going through an awful lot of expense and trouble for little gain. Since I have seen K2 advertised for anthing from $380 to $3500 to $7000 to $14,000, what is the real price? and who is being dishonest? the $7000 seller? The $14000 seller or the $380 seller. How would I know if the $14000 cables came from the same place as the $380 cables? you can't tell from the package or product unless you do like PBN and cut it open. Who is going to do that on a $14000 cable. I wish Audioquest would speak up and tell us definitively what the differnce is, if any. I dont intend to buy any more,but I have satisfied my curiosity. |
Nah, I'm not going to bother. If someone else wants to find out and post the weight here, I will weigh mine and compare. |
