[dougms3]

So in the past I've ordered some knockoff aliexpress cables. Surprisingly, these cables sound quite good, I mean well above their price point. They outperform some cables I have tried that are 10-15x more expensive.

It looks like this.

Recently I asked a seller to make me a sata cable with this wire.

I received it and unfortunately it didn't work, it seems they didn't wire it properly or theres a short somewhere. I took it apart to see what it looks like. Really hate that glue insulator they use.

So it looks like the wire is actually silver or at the very least sterling silver. Its not plated and looks to be 28 awg conductors with a teflon or pet sleeve then spiraled aluminum shield then pet or teflon sleeve on top of that. No wonder it sounds so good. I tried to light it on fire and it wont burn or melt. PVC should melt or burn if I tried that.

It is quite surprising the quality of these things. Most likely the conductors are sterling silver because the pricing doesnt make sense for such a thing.

I have purchased quite a few of these knockoffs and they perform unbelievably well, I'm sure they're not as good as the real thing but for the price they are quite good. Quite a pleasant surprise.

Few notes, there are some sellers reported by members that are not pleasant do business with. Recommend not purchasing from these sellers due to shady business practices and/or problems returning. Will update as we go along.

Goltech - Sent cable with missing parts and gold odin cable with lesser valhalla conductors.
Queensway - Several members reported incorrect pinout for hdmi cable and had problems returning or getting a refund.

Just my 2 cents,

The Best Cables I purchased on Ali:

12 Core Odin2 USB cable (Around $20) – This one is a real gem… IMHO, It beats almost all cables under $500 range… The only cable that bettered this one was Original NEW SEMPERFI THE OUTSIDER PURE SILVER USB CABLE from UK ($150)… But the Outsider is on par with Wireworld Starlight Platinum 8 USB ($600)

Odin 2 12 Core XLR – This $108 fake bettered the original Walhalla XLR.

Wel Signature XLR ($150) - Bettered AQ Water@ $750 with almost no burn-in…

Xangsang Audiophile 6N Pure Silver XLR (Around $120) If you like analog silver cables, try this solid silver core XLR. Very nice/similar to 1K Branded pure silver cables.

WEL Signature AC Cable – Pretty good for $150 / I use it with Farads (LPS)

Audiomeca copper core / metal plugs 10 AWG power cable (Around $50) – Awesome for the price.

AQ Dragon Source and High Current (Around $350) – This fake bettered the original AQ Thunder and Firebird ! I will be replacing the plug thou…

Siltech triple crown XLR ($800) – The best XLR I ever auditioned.

Siltech triple crown speaker cables ($1400) – The best.

Siltech Triple Crown solid silver AC Cable ($700) The best Power cable I found . Need / want mo’ of them …

Siltech signature jumper cables ($50) Very good quality / The original retails around 1K

MOSHOU 8K HDMI 2.1 Optical Fiber Cable eARC HDR 8K@60Hz 4K@120Hz ($80)

AMPCOM Cat8 Ethernet Patch Cable S/FTP 22AWG Screened Solid Cable | 2000Mhz Up to 40Gbps ( $48 for 10 M) Very good quality twisted CAT.8

Audiocrast Grounding Box solid silver cable ($38)
..................

Other good stuff

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133425075429
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/325...o.order_list.order_list_main.5.21ef1802fTJ8Bd
Xangsane Sterling Silver USB
Recipe for making cable with mundorf solid core silver/gold wire by elan120 on audiophilestyle.

 

[msing539]

I have one of these knock-off Nordost cables on order. I'm not expecting a ton but at this price, they definitely seem worth trying.

 

[dougms3]

I have one of these knock-off Nordost cables on order. I'm not expecting a ton but at this price, they definitely seem worth trying.

Which one did you get?

Now is a good time to buy with the sales and coupons going on.

 

[msing539]

Which one did you get?

Now is a good time to buy with the sales and coupons going on.

It's called "Nordost Odin 2 decoder DAC data cable USB sound card cable A-B shield USB Cable High Quality Type A to Type B Hifi Data Cable" lol... I'm not even sure what I bought based on the name.

 

[dougms3]

It's called "Nordost Odin 2 decoder DAC data cable USB sound card cable A-B shield USB Cable High Quality Type A to Type B Hifi Data Cable" lol... I'm not even sure what I bought based on the name.

Lol i bought that one too.

And the ethernet cables.

 

[dougms3]

If anyone is interested, until july 1st there's a $3 off every $30 spent promotion.

Then there's a JUN5 $5 off $40, JUN15 $15 off $120 that you can stack.

Got this 1.5 m cable for $87 and some iems.

https://www.aliexpress.com/p/order/detail.html?orderId=8152211755298439

 

[Gazza]

My Odin 2 ethernet knock-offs just arrived. I must say the build quality is incredible considering what I paid. Looking forward to plugging them in.

 

[Gazza]

Listening to them now (they JUST fit my Google Nest)... do they sound better? Maaaaaaaaaaaybe. Completely fresh with no run-in mind. Might be a bit more airy with space around the instruments. Need to give 'em time. Even if the upgrade is nil-to-mild they are at the very least very well made.

EDIT: Bass does seem better.

 

[dougms3]

Listening to them now (they JUST fit my Google Nest)... do they sound better? Maaaaaaaaaaaybe. Completely fresh with no run-in mind. Might be a bit more airy with space around the instruments. Need to give 'em time. Even if the upgrade is nil-to-mild they are at the very least very well made.

EDIT: Bass does seem better.

Should have done a jitter test before and after to see if there was a difference there.

https://speed.cloudflare.com/

 

[Death_Block]

I just received my first ever purchase from AliExpress 3 minutes ago. 2.5 to xlr and 2.5 to 4.4. both ~£35 Inc postage. They look really nice, and oh so soft. The stock HD700 cable is a nightmare. Can't wait to give a balanced listen and utilize the tube amp!

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The stock HD700 cable is a nightmare. Can't wait to give a balanced listen and utilize the tube amp!

The greatest thing about Sennheiser stock cables is that they're detachable

The HD 800 cable is a good cable, but it's not very handy. The other models cables are worth keeping only for emergencies.

 

[Death_Block]

The greatest thing about Sennheiser stock cables is that they're detachable

The HD 800 cable is a good cable, but it's not very handy. The other models cables are worth keeping only for emergencies.

After unknotting the stock cable, I go make a cup of tea, come back into the listing room and somehow it's caught on the ceiling fan, wrapped around the cats foot, under a desk leg with a salmon nibbling on the end of it

 

[gimmeheadroom]

After unknotting the stock cable, I go make a cup of tea, come back into the listing room and somehow it's caught on the ceiling fan, wrapped around the cats foot, under a desk leg with a salmon nibbling on the end of it

It's good to set expectations properly for the next guy

 

[Gazza]

Should have done a jitter test before and after to see if there was a difference there.

https://speed.cloudflare.com/

The difference isn't profound but the more I listen I notice a less artificial, more effortless presentation. Bigger soundstage. I'd liken it to the system loosening slightly, less uptight.

Due to the way the thick cables are manhandling my teeny-tiny D-Link switch I caved and ordered this beefy switch:

8 Bit Gigabit HIFI Audio Ethernet Switch Full Linear DC Power Supply SC Cut OCXO Constant Temperature Crystal Oscillator Upgrade

Reviews seem to be quite high. Cheaper than buying the Innuous or Melco equivalents. This means I can now tie a ribbon around my network upgrade and not have to worry about it.

 

[dougms3]

The difference isn't profound but the more I listen I notice a less artificial, more effortless presentation. Bigger soundstage. I'd liken it to the system loosening slightly, less uptight.

Due to the way the thick cables are manhandling my teeny-tiny TP Link switch I caved and ordered this beefy switch:

8 Bit Gigabit HIFI Audio Ethernet Switch Full Linear DC Power Supply SC Cut OCXO Constant Temperature Crystal Oscillator Upgrade

Reviews seem to be quite high. Cheaper than buying the Innuous or Melco equivalents. This means I can now tie a ribbon around my network upgrade and not have to worry about it.

That is quite interesting, I've seen those high end routers before but was not aware they had such a thing on aliexpress.

Definitely interested in your assessment of that device.