[skyline889]

You should be able to tell by how much you paid, where they came from, and what they sound like. I made the mistake of buying the ATH-CM7s on ebay to compare with the real one's I bought in Japan and they were horrid, they looked nice but the build quality was horrible and the same went for the sound quality.

 

[cferneyh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyline889 You should be able to tell by how much you paid, where they came from, and what they sound like. I made the mistake of buying the ATH-CM7s on ebay to compare with the real one's I bought in Japan and they were horrid, they looked nice but the build quality was horrible and the same went for the sound quality.

That's the thing.....I paid a premium relative to the obvious fakes on ebay, and the seller (from whom I also bought legit ES5's) was appalled when I told him that they looked like the fakes I had been warned about here. He said that he bought them at an authorized ATH store.

 

[nsjong]

Yep, just found some fake ATH-CK5's. Wanna know how it's fake? >

Here's a fake.

I've circled all the points that would make this an obvious fake.

Why it is fake:
1. The logo is imprinted on with thick, white lines.
2. The 3.5mm end-plug does not look like that.
3. The L and R letters are imprinted in white.
4. The CK5 logo is missing.

How to tell if it's real:
1. The logo is in very THIN white lines. Although it doesn't rub off easily, it can, but it surely does not look that thick.
2. The 3.5mm plug should look IDENTICAL to the Panasonic HJE50 IEM's.
3. The L and R are NOT imprinted; they're molded with rubber so you can feel the rubber sticking out.
4. The CK5 logo should be on the underside of the L and R; also molded in with rubber, so you can feel it.


HOPE THIS HELPS AGAIN, POTENTIAL BUYERS!

 

[leofahrer]

I just bought some CM7s off of ebay and am VERY surprised how good they are. I have to admit that the finish is not perfect and they do come without any additional accessory, but that doesn't matter to me considering the price tag.

Taking in account that I don't think that the original CM7s can sound much better for the 120$ they normally cost, I guess they are more or less original, made from parts rejected because of burrs or scratches... though I don't have any idea about what flaw the driver could have...

Maybe I'm just surprised on how good earbuds can actually sound (especially compared to the original Ipod ones) and did in fact buy a fake - just tell me what you think:

 

[leofahrer]

...I'm just burning them in right now, I guess I will give you some further impressions later on, but some first thoughts:
- Very good separation and resolution
- Bass is (with foamies) surprisingly good and precise, though of course not as deep as with full-size cans
- Highs can be quite piercing (more than with MS2s), but are very clear and contribute to the nice resolution

Let's see how they do develop with burn-in time...

 

[retic3nt]

how much did it cost leo? link?

 

[leofahrer]

...it was 15,50 Euro incl. shipping costs...

The seller currently has no CM7s online, but I guess he will be offering them again, as I was the only one buying them and he had some more...

Keep looking at http://search.ebay.de/_W0QQsassZgate868

But you don't have to mind that they come naked, without accessory, without foamies, and without any package or manual and the finish is not perfect. I don't care as long as they sound good, and they do!

Edit: PS: Hey, someone else having joint head-fi some time ago and still having only 50+ posts

- special greeting to you, retic3nt!

 

[Megaton]

I found a site that compares the fake EC7 to a real one.

http://www17.plala.or.jp/ec7/

 

[Elephas]

Great link, Megaton, thanks and welcome to Head-Fi.

My ATH-EC7 has the extended black rubber part. Some new-in-box units I saw also have the extended rubber, so it seems that isn't a reliable way to tell the difference.

The most obvious difference seems to be the shape of the driver openings. The real EC7's have slots, not round openings. The included storage bag is bigger and also seems to be a different material. The one that came with my EC7 is glossy and feels a bit rubbery.

(Apparently, the new ATH-EC700Ti don't have the extended rubber part).

 

[fureshi]

my ec700ti doesn't have the extended rubber on the clip.

and to further complicate matters, the driver openings on them are round instead of slits like on the ec7.

i purchased my pair of ec700ti from hifi in taipei so i doubt that these are knock-offs

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken36 Buyers need to forget about shortcuts and go with proven vendors. In the long run you will be far ahead. If it seems too good to be true, it is.

I agree whole heart here.. A lot of time is often foregone in the qwest for a cheaper product as is, and then still the risk of fake. Plus the risk on top of that of DOA and no Client Service or poor..

 

[wae5]

After my very positive experiences with generic 630s I wanted to try more fakes so I ordered with eyes wide open "AT CH7s, Sony E888s, Sharp MD33s and Senn CX300s" on eBay. I anticipate having fun auditioning these little impostors with my very jaundiced ears and if they're dogs, I'll have some nice baubles for friends who won't know the difference. I'll not judge them before I burn them in. I did this with the 630s and it made all the difference.

 

[hyungryul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leofahrer /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...I'm just burning them in right now, I guess I will give you some further impressions later on, but some first thoughts: - Very good separation and resolution - Bass is (with foamies) surprisingly good and precise, though of course not as deep as with full-size cans - Highs can be quite piercing (more than with MS2s), but are very clear and contribute to the nice resolution Let's see how they do develop with burn-in time...

I think i feel the same way. I received my item from ebay which was advertised "refurbished"

it does have very clear sound with precise base that would be nicer if it was deeper and my cm7's have VERY piercing highs

so these are real refurb units?

 

[hyungryul]

here,
you can tell these ultra cheap units are def. fake
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Aluminium-Headpho...QQcmdZViewItem
black L and R markings, missing logo, short stubby plug and very polished

here is the one i bought
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Audio-Technica-CM...QQcmdZViewItem

 

[applebook]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyungryul /img/forum/go_quote.gif here, you can tell these ultra cheap units are def. fake http://cgi.ebay.ca/Aluminium-Headpho...QQcmdZViewItem black L and R markings, missing logo, short stubby plug and very polished here is the one i bought http://cgi.ebay.ca/Audio-Technica-CM...QQcmdZViewItem

"OEM version for Audio-Technica ATH-CM7 headphones"

Of course they won't have A-T markings.