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

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I need a 75 Ohm digital cable to run from my streamer (CA 851N) to my Denon A110. I’m looking at the following. Anybody have any experience with these?

US $36.96 8%OFF | Top quality NORDOST Odin 2 flagship sterling Silver Coaxial Audio Cable AES/EBU wire RCA HiFi signal line with WBT 0102 RCA plug
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLTwzuW

US $28.27 5%OFF | New HI-END NORDOST ODIN 75 ohm RCA digital coaxial cable AES/EBU signal cable HI-FI audio with WBT-0102 Rhodium plating RCA
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNJSpaE

US $22.55 18%OFF | NORDOST ODIN Fever Grade Audio Signal Cable 75 ohm RCA Digital Coaxial Cable AES/EBU Signal Cable NORDOST ODIN fever grade audio
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mt5Qa5y

US $12.95 | NORDOST Odin Pure Silver Coaxial Digital Cable Fever Audio Audio Cable AES/EBU Signal Cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPf1W8S

 

I use a single Odin 2 rca interconnect as digital cable from CD transport to DAC with good success.  Wire looks same as the last listing on your list.  I prefer the Odin connectors.  Not sure how this works on a streamer since I use USB.

US $17.15  30% Off | High Quality Nordost Odin 2 silver Reference interconnects RCA cable Audiophile for amplifier CD player
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrUCaLs

First line says NORDOST Odin Pure Silver

Then they say Conductor: 10 strands of pure silver

Then they say high-quality 99.999999 single crystal copper and 78 micron extruded silver on the surface of 7N OFC

In the last claim they seem to mix the terms "single Crystal copper" which should mean OCC copper, with the term 7N OFC which is NOT OCC single crystal.  

Who know what you are actually getting?