Chinese fake cables How fake, how good?


I have noted a number of warnings about cheap Chinese fake cables on this site but curiosity led me to the Aliexpress site where I found a number of presumably fake big name cables from predominantly Cardas, Nordost and Siltech at about 15% of the USA or Australian price. I found Cardas Clear Light interconnects at about US$100 and decided what the heck let's give them a try at that price. Before buying I asked the seller the daft question as to whether they were genuine and got the reply that they were an OEM and constructed the interconnects from genuine Cardas cables and connectors. They arrived in a plastic bag rather than the Cardas box , not a great start but the cables looked real, and when connected, much to my surprise, they sounded really good. After 100hours or so burn in they sounded great and better than the Nordost Quatre Fils I had been using. I then took them to an Australian hi end dealer who sold real Cardas and asked rather ingenuously whether my cables were the real deal. The dealer would not commit but agreed to compare them to the real thing on a set up costing at a guess around A$100,00. Neither I nor the sales person could tell any difference so he then tried them against the Cardas Clear. Then there was some difference, not extreme but subtle, and certainly IMO not worth the price difference even if you bought the genuine Cardas Clear Light. So are these cables really fake and even if they are given my experience they are well worth a try. Maybe I'll try Nordost Odin or Siltech 770i next.
mazian

Showing 1 response by chipdelacalzada

I purchased what I believe is a fake Furutech power cord with fake Oyaide 079 AC plugs while in Shanghai last year. At the time I didn't realize it was fake since I purchased it at a "hifi mall" which sold all types of high-end speakers and amplifiers which I'm pretty sure are authentic.

There was one stall that sold 2nd hand power cords and speaker cables (Siltech, Synergistic Research, Krell), and I ended up getting a Furutech Alpha PS-9 cord. Upon checking the Furutech website there's no Alpha PS-9 cord and the AC Plugs have no "Oyaide" brand printed on it. The same AC plug can be had on eBay for $10 upon checking. The sad news is that it sounds pretty darn good and was my 2nd favorite power cord.

Upon realizing this I've ordered an authentic Furutech power cord from eBay and authentic AC and IEC plugs from Chris at VH audio and will compare it to the "fake" one when I have received and installed it.