Revisiting Chinese Knockoff Cables
Why I don/t know, but the first thread has been removed recently. So, having benefited from it greatly, I felt compelled to recap my journey, so that others of limited budgets might make a huge leap that they otherwise could not afford:
When I first got my EVS 1200 I was using Series 8 WireWorld interconnects, speaker cables and Pangea Premier XL 1.5m coax cable. As you mentioned, I was extremely happy with the amp (compared to PS Audio M700s). Eventually I came across the Chinese Cable knockoff thread and first tried the fau-Nordost Odin 1.5m coax which was/is amazing: as they were so cheap compared to the $169 1.5m Pangea, I also bought a 1.0M Odin, but didn’t try it until after I replaced both the WW cables with Odin 2 XLRs and cables. Then I replaced the 1.5m with the 1.0 and was kinda blown away that 0.5m of the same coax could be THAT much better.
While my all SS system sounded very good, it was a bit too sharp, so I ordered Odin Gold speaker cables (at ~ $170/2.5m). Unfortunately one leg must of had a bad solder joint as it barely sent the music . It took a couple months before they replaced it, which I finally installed 2 days ago: BAM. Even immediately, but of course it needs break in time. The weather here (Ft Lauderdale) has been really bad, I have only left for short quick trips. Today we are under a tornado watch, so won't leave, but as soon as I can get out for a few hours I will put on my XLO burn-in disc, which I use on everything I insert, including the M 700s, EVS, and Voyager which expedites break in, which still takes a good 50-100-200 hours!
Summing this up: cables can/do make or break a system. If I had these cables when I first got the EVS, I probably would never have gotten the Voyager, which of course I am itching to compare again, but could still be awhile
Update - I have replaced the “Odin 2” interconnects from AliExpress with Anticable Level 7.3 RCAs and the Anticables are significantly better. But 20x better? Not sure about that. I may give the “Not AudioQuest” HDMI cable a whirl next - thanks for the tip @abd1 kn |
I’m a big fan of Anticables too. One of the first “cable investments” I made was anticables. Actually had Paul build me a custom pair of speaker cables where we combine two sets of the 3.1 speaker cables together and terminated with a heavy duty copper spade. They sound amazing but they’re only 7’ which isn’t long enough for me, and they’re stiff as hell, but they sound amazing. |
I have found the alibaba clone speaker cables and interconnects (FURUTECH FS-α36) to be as good as many high-end brands on AB tests. However the ethical itch of supporting a knock off brand from China or elsewhere is hard to scratch. I am in New Zealand and China is one of main trading partners. Many of the everyday goods we purchase come from anonymous massive factories that operate under Chinese employment and patent law (if there are such a things). Where does one draw the line with what to purchase from which country? An American car, Italian jeans or New Zealand winter coat manufactured in China taking jobs from home to cut labour costs and increase stock value? What does it say about a company such as Nordst charing NZ$10,000+ for a set of interconnects? I guess that is quandary that comes with living in a free market world. I going to keep my Chinese cables and when I win the lottery, I will go to hifi shop and get the top brand ones. |
My take : two salient points @soix +1 (1) The terms “knock-offs” and “counterfeit fakes” often are used incorrectly as interchangeable … they are NOT the same things. ILLEGAL COUNTERFEIT FAKES: Counterfeit products are designed to visually loosely resemble authentic products in appearance . Visually, these counterfeit goods illegally use unauthorized trademarked international brand to look almost identical to the original authentic products, ….BUT are made from cheap low-quality materials and crap build quality. Counterfeit goods involve the unauthorized use of the intellectual property of a brand owner by using the brand owner’s trademarks to deceive consumers into believing they have purchased a genuine product. LEGAL KNOCK-OFFS: On the other hand, a knock-off can still be legal and resemble a branded, authentic product, but generally will NOT be identical to it. Knock-9ff products do not contain the registered names, trademarks or logos of the original product. and consumers should understand that they are not buying an authentic product …. AND SO … most AGON-ers should do their own due diligence vis-a-vis comparison of foreign- sale offerings to the authentic product for: (i) the quality of the parts & materials used in the, knock-off, (II) the quality of the build quality assembly into the final product. (2) Without prejudice to the above, top-end OEM cables DO cost a lot to make. Knock-offs would parallel OEM excluding any restrictions from patents or licensing.. Counterfeit illegal fakes are invariably an inferior build and performance. Think CARDAS OEM versus crap build illegal Chinese fakes immediately below that graphically shows cheap crap builds that exemplify that in this crazy hobby - as in daily life- you get what you pay for …full stop.
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