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Thread: Chinese Clones - Good value for money or rip off?

  1. #11
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

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    I'm Geoff.

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    I've had loads of Chinese electronics. Never had a problem. I've just been using a Chinese Tripath amp I bought about fifteen years ago. That still works like new.

  2. #12
    Join Date: Aug 2008

    Location: Suffolk, UK

    Posts: 1,473
    I'm Paul.

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    They can work very well and be of decent quality. OK if you are happy to take a punt, but I imagine there are a few stinkers out there. I saw a JLH amp kit on Ebay a while ago that had new Motorola transistors, which is quite amazing as Motorola have not made any for many years.

    It may be fine, but you don’t really know what you are getting. My mains is 242VAC so I am a little reluctant to use something that could potentially be suited for 220v - 230v, but I have in the past though.
    ~Paul~

  3. #13
    RothwellAudio Guest

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    China is a big place and many of the well-respected brands that most people would have confidence in have their stuff made in China. Being made in China isn't a problem per se, but copies of anything make alarm bells ring for me. Firstly, they're trading on the brand credibility that other manufacturers have created over many years, and that makes me suspicious about their integrity. Secondly, are they making accurate clones anyway? Even a mis-routed earth wire can ruin a circuit's performance, even though the circuit still works and the unwary may not realise it's compromised.
    I'd rather buy something from someone who has enough faith in their own skill as a designer to make an original product and put their own name on it, whether they're in China or not.

    Having said all that, some stuff from China is so cheap that worth buying just to cannibalise for parts.

  4. #14
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

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    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Good post Andrew.

    The Chinese pay no respect to patents, or to the hard work other manufacturers have made in developing their designs, which are then copied without concern.

    And, as you have pointed out, the copied PCBs may contain errors in layout which compromises sound quality. 'Clones' of the Quad 405 PCBs are a specific example which come to mind.
    Barry

  5. #15
    Join Date: Apr 2016

    Location: Gravesend and France

    Posts: 1,498
    I'm paul.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Yomanze View Post
    I wouldn’t risk it myself. Could have fake caps, and a component is the sum of its parts including layout / grounding, so it wouldn’t sound the same...
    Fake caps?
    Bakoon 13r Denon DP80 Stax UA-70 Shure Ultra 500 in a Martin Bastin body with jico stylus, project ds2 digital Rullit aero 8 field coils in tqwt speakers

    Office system, DIY CSS fullrange speakers with aurum cantus G2 ribbons yulong dac Sony STR6055 receiver Jvc QL-A51 direct drive turntable, Leema sub. JVC Z4S cart is in the house

    Garage system another Sony receiver, cassette deck


    System components are subject to change without warning and at the discretion of the owner.

  6. #16
    Join Date: Apr 2008

    Location: Warrington

    Posts: 3,451
    I'm Neil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by paulf-2007 View Post
    Fake caps?
    Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.

  7. #17
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,846
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Yomanze View Post
    Is that a genuine 'con', or has someone cobbled it together as a joke? Hard to imagine why anyone would go to all the trouble of hiding an inferior-spec'd capacitor within the empty can of a better one.
    Barry

  8. #18
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    Those are real caps. In a fake can though.

    Are you sure that's a genuine photo of the contents? I mean looking at the values, those wouldn't even measure right, so you'd be hard put to fool anybody.

  9. #19
    Join Date: Apr 2008

    Location: Warrington

    Posts: 3,451
    I'm Neil.

    Default Chinese Clones - Good value for money or rip off?

    I think we need to be mindful that some of the finest hardware in the world is made in China, but that there is a huge fake components issue too. When I see almost impossibly priced gear it does make me think.
    Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.

  10. #20
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Galashiels

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    I'm inthescottishmafia.

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    Quote Originally Posted by paulf-2007 View Post
    Fake caps?
    Loads of fake components of all kinds around. Caps, resistors, op-amps etc etc.
    “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”

    Hunter S Thompson

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