2. amps-preamps
  3. 163909-5435

Has anybody bought or heard a Chinese knock off amplifier?

There are a lot clones coming out of China and power amplifiers seem to be along for the ride.
Mark Levinson, Goldmund, and Accuphase are some of the big names I see replica’s being advertised for sale. These replica’s range in price from $500-$2000. My curiosity every time I see these always is do they even sound like the brand they are trying copy? Another thought that comes to my mind when I see them is, are they even safe or reliable. I myself wouldn’t touch one of these, but that’s me. Has anybody heard one? If so it would be interesting to hear some opinions regarding these amplifiers.
hiendmmoe
mikem
260 posts
 
@glupson  "...buy American so your home don't burn down."
Are there really that many fires in China?

Do you think they would tell us the truth if there was ?
thecarpathian
4,152 posts
 
musicbox78

To whom are you addressing your post?
madavid0
214 posts
 
The Audioquest FireBird speaker cables and WEL Signature interconnects I got from AliExpress seem to be legit products. The quality level is too high, and the DBS units appear to be wired up correctly. Also, would they honestly copy the DBS units exactly to spec with logos embossing, battery test button, etc. and going through the trouble to actually wire it up -- just for the sake of selling the Audioquest appearance? I believe they're grey market units sold out the back door of the factory. Audioquest doesn't actually make their cables, they just assemble / terminate them in the US, that's something that can be done in China easily. Audio quality does seem very good, but I still need to test them vs my old speaker cables to validate that.
musicbox78
46 posts
 
Where does one go for service once pos dies ??? 
madavid0
214 posts
 
The seller will service it. These are actual audio dealers in China, not just some guy selling stuff online. I bought a CD transport from the Queenway Store which was claimed to be a clone of a Wadia circuit. I broke an internal cable trying to open the chassis. I contacted the seller via the built-in AliExpress messaging system and they quickly responded and after a week or so they sent me a replacement cable for 1$. If you have to ship items back for service I believe the standard is that you have to pay the shipping, and they ship it back to you on their expense. At least one store I saw said they have a 30 day free shipping both ways in case of a defect.

Shipping from China can take a LONG time, and very expensive, especially if you have to use sea / train freight. Definitely something that should be considered.
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