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Has Nordost forgotton who pays the bills?

Recently I was entertaining the thought of purchasing a pair of used Nordost Heimdall 2 rca Interconnects from a private owner online. Prior to purchasing the cables I did a bit of research on Audiogon to see if anyone had any issues with counterfeit cables. I found no real issues but did read that if contacted Nordost would authenticate the serial numbers on the cables to verify that they were the genuine article. Well, I did contact Nordost and much to my chagrin I was met with the following response from Nordost:

"Due to the overwhelming requests to validate serial numbers for cables being purchased on the used market we are no longer able to offer that service. Serial number verification requests can only be requested by authorized dealers/distributors for cables involved in trade in/up requests"

My curiosity got the best of me so I contacted my local dealer that I have been doing business with for years. I was told by the associate that "He did not have access to this information"  Long story short, I bought the cables and I do believe that they are genuine. But the larger issues is that it seems Nordost has gotten too big for its britches. Lets not forget that without consumer there would be no Nordost. The response from them seems so snobbish, not customer friendly or client centered.  Most audiophiles are aware that cables have the greatest mark up of any other audio product. Given that and the already overly inflated price for Nodost cables you would think the company would at least give the hint that they care for their customers. Used cables are truly a bargain and my be an introduction to the brand. I digress. My goal with this post is merely to inform folks that if you are considering used Nordost cables and are looking for then to authenticate your potential purchase, well forget about it. They ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO OFFER THAT SERVICE! 

Stay well, Stay safe, Stay home and listen to tunes.

 

darrell21256
markc1961
11 posts
 
I think the bigger concern here is to Nordost owners who want to sell their cables.  The resale value of Nordost is likely to go down because of this policy.  Why should I buy a $10,000 set of cables if its going to be difficult to resell them if it becomes impossible for me to prove their authentic?
sworksone
29 posts
 
That’s disappointing.  Cardas in the past year has validated, or at least given me their opinion, on two different sets of used cables I was looking at and later purchased online.  
thanasakis's avatar
thanasakis
25 posts
 
They are only able to sell cables 20.000€/meter!!!!
gerryah930's avatar
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gerryah930
144 posts
 
I understand the concern of the OP. Counterfeiting of expensive audio products is a big problem and you are not going to get a great deal of sympathy or help from federal entities that police this domain. Your options are limited, and I do not think that Nordost bears any responsibility in this transaction. You should know that in this marketplace it is buyer beware - I have even been warned off purchasing a discounted expensive power conditioner here after talking to a person at AQ, and the seller posted a complaint on this site. I would rather get a bad review here than buy a counterfeit electrical product that might malfunction...
bjesien
1,251 posts
 
I've dealt with the people from Nordost over the years and they are very helpful and considerate of both new and used purchases. I've also known dealers that have represented them. Everyone is trying to get a cut in the cable game. Some dealers are selling their demo looms and years ago would cut off the little serial rings- which is why they went to printing them on the cables. I can only imagine the emails they get from those counterfieters looking to get insight into making their scam work better. I imagine they probably get emails from people that have purchased fake cables. There are so many people of there trying to get by on the work of others. The worst in my opinion is when you see importers not supporting second hand products. They only want to get fat on the talent of others only when they get a good cut of the action. The whole thing is a bit disheartening. However I agree with the op- you make something, you support it, at least until you learn otherwise. Everyone faces a no-win situation at some point. They are still there making good products.
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