I have ordered from RM Digital Store which was recommended by someone. I have some of their Neardost power cords, interconnects and speaker wire. Excellent construction and seemingly quality components and wire. However, the power cords I ordered were spec'ed on the site at 7x14 AWG, but measuring the wire I think it is more like 17 AWG (I think I said 18 AWG in another post, but 17 is more likely). I posted some pictures on another thread of the construction. Using three strands for each side of the power still yields 12 AWG for each side, so probably okay. Power cords are still in evaluation, so no conclusions there. The speaker cables are very good, but not a fit for my preferences.
has anyone tried chinese cables?
Some of the cables on Ali Express, for example, look nice. Of course, things like "Odin 2" cables for a few hundred dollars aren't legit, and the number of Cardas copies are legendary. That doesn't necessarily mean they all suck. They probably aren't all trademark-infringing
ripoffs. Lots of good hifi products are made in China, and those factories need to stay busy. Asking if anyone has actually tried them; there's no way to tell visually what lies inside the insulation, or whether occ 7n copper really is only 6n.
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I had some pretty expensive and well reviewed WW speaker cables and XLRs. After reading this thread some 6 mo ago, I first started replacing a Pangea Premier XL coax ($169) with an Odin 2 coax (~ $50) and was blown away. Next I replaced the XLR with Odin 2, then the speaker cables and finally the power cords with Odin 2 Gold. These took my nice sounding system to a much more life-like, and more enjoyable presentation The quality is EXCELLENT
hth |
I've tried many of the fake "Odin" cables and still use their power cords and speaker cable. Most of them are really good. Now I ordered some Xangsane pure silver solid core bulk interconnect cable (Xangsane SP-9001Ag) as a few of my friends have tried it and it has become their favorite cable. I'm awaiting delivery. Not everything that comes from China is junk! |
@lloydc - I've tried Viborg products and found them to be pretty good - I've tried their Power Plugs/IEC's and they were well made from silver plated copper. But I do prefer the Sonarquest (also form china) Power Plugs/IEC's, Their IEC's grip like a vice. Also tried Vanguard products, but still prefer the Sonarquest For Interconnects and speaker cables I use KLE Innovations RCA and Bananas - both silver plated copper. I've found they convey more details and a clearer, more spacious image. Not sure if you have seen this thread - it has lots of info regarding different wire combinations/connectors tried on the HELIX DIY cables if interested - It's a very long read though https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/duelund-conversion-to-diy-helix-geometry-cabling. Regards - Steve
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thanks for the detailed analysis; I agree with it, for the most part. Would add that the construction methods and skill also matter. But, if cable materials and construction were the whole story, there would be far fewer cable deniers. It seems strange that some people who can not hear the differences seek to project their disability onto others. Haven’t we all, at some point, at least compared zip cord to something more exotic? Even for Chinese manufacturers who try to describe their cables, it can be difficult to understand what they are trying to say. I went ahead and bought some Viborg “pure silver” interconnects, which seem to me to be excellent, and a relative bargain (the $350 ones, not their $2100 versions). Also some Viborg power plugs for dyi power cords, which I am convinced are at least as good as the best Furutech or Oyaide, at 1/5 the cost. Some of the top boutique cables use them. MPS makes some outstanding cables too, under their own name.
I am curious about the Audioquest asian copies. I believe they can more or less duplicate the design and construction, but not the wire itself or outstanding construction quality. Could still be a relatively good buy. |
@lloydc - having been involved in DIY cable construction over the past 10 years, here are some basic things I have found makes a signficant difference
So armed with that inforamtion a person can assess how well ANY cable will perform
Some Companies that use the above techniques include
Hope That Helps - Steve |
Chinese cable =/=bad
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@thyname, Are speaker wire configurations protectable; are they patented? At the Nordost site I see a complete description of the construction of these cables, but no reference to any patent that I can find. So is there any intellectual property (IP) here to steal? As for copying, well, there's a lot of copying everywhere. |
Mr. jawfxr
Your Amps have a DF of 1,000. That's a lot. As you use monoblocks, they can be located very close to the speakers. If I would be in your shoes, I would look for two pairs of 4" copper solid bars (round) and stuck it into the binding posts, when the Amp and speakers are facing back to back. For a long cable as 2.5m long, you need 2x 0 AWG! a 5m long is 4 x 0 AWG! |
I have been curious and decided to test them out. System components, for reference, are Jeff Rowland 501 Monos, Rowland Capri Pre-amp, Oracle CD 2000 MK III, Blusound Vault 2i, Chord Hugo TT2, Chord Hugo M scaler, Audio Physics Avanti, Nordost Valhalla speaker cable, Nordost Heimdahl II interconnects, Nordost Shiva Power cords. I bought the Valhalla power cord ($1200.00) and the same exact copy from Aliexpress and tested them against each other. I played the exact same section of a song off an SACD switching the power cords only connected to the pre-amp. Back and forth back and forth at least a half dozen times each. I can only tell you what I heard and what my experience has been realizing that not everyone hears the same things and systems difference will impact the results. I am impressed with the fit and finish of the products coming out of China..These people are audiophiles as well. Just talk to some at CES and you know they take it all as seriously as we do. In the end, I'd say there may have been a slight decrease (1-3%) in the openness of the Chinese Valhalla but that may be a factor of expectation bias. So I currently use the Original Valhalla with the pre-amp and the other with the separate power unit to the Oracle. I have since replaced the Heimdahls and Shivas with Odin 2's and am actually blown away with how damn good the sound is to include transparency, staging, decay, transients, taught-ness, and accuracy. I also did the same experiment with a Transparent Reference power cord. You can definitely hear differences between the two, mostly darkness but it was there. I believe the Chinese are very good at reduction, evaluation, and reconstruction utilizing the same materials the difference being the availability of a very large, intelligent, and devoted workforce. I have three sets of interconnects and 6 power cords all for less than the original Valhalla. Hope this helps. |
If you go Chinese, go Ghent: https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/index-sp.html Cheap, decent, and great ordering/ shipping/ customer service |
They've turned out to be my new favorites. I started with the Odin 2 speaker cables. I liked them quite a bit and better than the Hologram 2 I also have. I then tried the Redwoods. Quite awesome speaker cables. I've now also gotten a pair of Odin XLRs. I like them as much as the authentic Quattro Fils they replaced. Maybe I've just lucked out, but the ones I've gotten from Aliexpress have proven to be fantastic cables. I've got a pretty revealing mid-fi rig in an acoustically treated room and the cables allow me to hear differences in DACs and transports I've swapped in and out of my system quite easily. Well worth the price. |
I just replaced all my power cables with "Chinese cables". Initially I replaced only connectors (male/IEC) on DIY power cords that I'd used for years that were cryoed DH Labs Power Plus with cryoed Marinco connectors. Those outperformed a number of $300-$400 commercial offerings when I built them 12-15 years ago and prices have only gone up as in most things audio. I used Viborg VM/VF 512 connectors ($60 a pair) and had those cryoed before sticking them on the DH Labs and they were a big bang for the buck, big enough for me to buy a metre of Viborg 1606 raw cable (which I also had cryoed) to switch out for the DH Labs on my integrated and experiment with. I ended up buying another 4 metres of the 1606 and built 4 power cords (two very short ones for a power distributor and a linear power supply for a DAC) and have enough left over for a 5th for my blu-ray player when I get around to it. The 1606/VM/VF 512 combination builds an unbelievably good 9.5 AWG triple shielded very good power cord for $100-$125 max excluding my cryo costs which were about another $80-$100 (would have been a lot less but I had stuff go into the unit on 4 different occasions). So for about $500 I have 5 power cords that would probably compete with at least $2500 worth of commercial offerings and very possibly quite a bit more than that. |
Hi When I look at your post, I wonder what properties do Chinese cables have, that others don't? Till now, most went after cables with a say: Ultra pure copper, Directional wire, Silver, Bi wire, Creo treated, Hex structure, or pure snake oil. No one asked for the electrical properties: resistance! Well, that is a figure to calculate, based on the Amp's DF and the cable length. If you go by the first parameters, you can get a Chinese cable for less. If you go by the calculated resistance value, it can be of any nationality, as long it has the same resistance. |
FWIW, I took a chance and bought 30’ of silver plated, 7 nines copper ribbon cable, 12 strands 16 gauge each, FEP insulated, or so it said. Built a bi-wire set and in my system they sound amazing. I suppose I’d have to borrow/buy commercial product to compare, but honestly I don’t feel the need to do that, they tick all the boxes in term of bass, detail and soundstage. The rest of my system uses Schroeder-Dueland IC’s and Nordost coax and these synergize really well. I think cost with shipping was $330.00. |
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Chinese made Monolith USB Cable from Monoprice has solid core copper silverplated cables for the USB signal, and is extremely well shielded. It is not just a good cable at its very low price, it is a very good USB cable-period! It compares favorably with similar AudioQuest cables. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33463 |
It’s amazing that the power cord sold on Aliexpress costs less than $50 but from the looks and build quality it looks more like $500, or more. Haven’t really tried any since I already own some pretty costly cords in my main system but may be tempted to try 1 or 2 for my bedroom setup. An interesting observation is some even have a "Made in USA" stamped on the plugs. Nice. |