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Counterfeit Audioquest Cables

I just wanted to put out a general query in regards to how people feel Audioquest is handling the issue of counterfeit cables. Personally, I am a huge fan of Audioquest and their products but I feel there could be a little more room for transparency on their behalf... No pun intended...

I don't mean to sound like a total heretic or a paranoid conspiracy theorist but I don't feel like my suspicions would be totally misplaced if I were to speculate that Audioquest is not only benefiting from the existence of bogus copycat look alikes but that they are deliberately allowing it to happen if not entirely responsible for it in the first place.

It is undeniably an effective way to dissuade consumers from private sales and coercing them into paying full retail prices for any of their products. It's also hard to ignore the steady decline in classified ads for Audioquest products on the various audiomarts.

Also, to the best of my knowledge, the AudioQuest Authentication Process also does not require them to explain their findings thus granting them authority to summarily judge a cable's authenticity.

In my humble opinion, a company as innovative as Audioquest could certainly divine a method to apply serial numbers to their products. That way, everything could be traceable and consumers could register their products. Not to mention that Audioquest could rebuild some of the lost confidence in their brand name.

Am I totally out of line here or perhaps missing something obvious? I would love to hear more points of view...
pontifex
czarivey
4,494 posts
 
Those fakes are all different:
There are ones you can't tell even if you cut or open them to see how they've built vs. originals and there are that are simply not even looking close to the real.
ctsooner
2,104 posts
 
I agree with Jafant:
03-13-15: Jafant
Excellent discussion guys-

china is to blame here, as they are buying as many Cables/power cords (especially the upper high-end offerings), as possible. Not only are they buying for pleasure, they are buying to break-down the materials and/or construction aspects, to deliberate copy the legit gear. Yes, these practices will contribute to the "gray" market stuff, no doubt. Over 10 years ago, it all began w/ Tara Labs. Happy Listening!

I think that AQ does what they can. Do they profit from it? Maybe, but we aren't sure and never will be.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"The sum total of that marketing strategy is intended to bewilder the consumer, such that they only thing left to do is assume that their cable which they charge X for is better than a competing cable which is lesser in price. Cable companies are notorious for this type of marketing strategy, and I find AQ to be one of the biggest offenders in this regard."

Can you give me an example of what you are talking about? If you go to AQ's web site, they always show cross sections of their cables showing exactly what materials they use and how the cables are assembled. There are cable companies that do seem to be ambiguous about what they are doing, but I don't think that applies to AQ. They show you exactly what they are giving you.
pontifex OP
31 posts
 
This is excellent! Thanks for participating in this discussion. I was worried I would get a little bit of negative backlash but it's good to know that I'm not completely alone.

So far I am only familiar with Audioquest interconnects but I feel that this is a good time to branch out and try other brands. I also agree with Nicotico that their marketing isn't perfectly sound either. I think they would be better off by simplifying their lineup with half as many products and at half of their price points.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"You would think a company of that size would have serialized cables, especially at the higher end, but then that might help the second hand market, which is not in AQ's interest."

Its just the opposite. Having a good used market has a huge effect on the new market. Most people don't have unlimited resources. If they can't sell their old cables, they probably won't be buying new cables. There's more than enough examples of this. Look at companies that make other types of audio components that are not counterfeited. The most successful companies always have a very strong used market. It adds a tremendous amount of value to the brand. A perfect example is Bryston. Do you really think that having a 20 year transferable warranty costs the company money? After all, a warranty like that will definitely help the used market for their goods. Who wants to buy something you can't get rid of? Honda cars have the highest resale value, Chrysler does not. Do you think Fiat could have bought Honda instead of Chrysler? A healthy used market for a companies products directly effects the overall health of the company.
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