[feverfive]

Sorry to bump this thread, but just wanted to quick vent b/c I THINK the ESW9a that I ordered from Beach Camera are not legit. It's so damn hard figuring out though, as I keep seeing different criteria for checking. The cups DO appear to be wood (they have grain, and do not have the sheen of the plastic cups). HOWEVER, based on a translated page linked to in another thread, the packaging is suspicious; build quality isn't shoddy, but isn't exactly stellar either; and THERE WAS NO WARRANTY CARD. I just sent a email to Beach Camera voicing my doubts.concerns... The lack of a warranty card was a major alarm bell to me, even if the physical evidence isn't for certain...

 

[Palpatine]

Hopefully they will answer your email, and refund your purchase if not legit.

 

[Carlsan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feverfive /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry to bump this thread, but just wanted to quick vent b/c I THINK the ESW9a that I ordered from Beach Camera are not legit. It's so damn hard figuring out though, as I keep seeing different criteria for checking. The cups DO appear to be wood (they have grain, and do not have the sheen of the plastic cups). HOWEVER, based on a translated page linked to in another thread, the packaging is suspicious; build quality isn't shoddy, but isn't exactly stellar either; and THERE WAS NO WARRANTY CARD. I just sent a email to Beach Camera voicing my doubts.concerns... The lack of a warranty card was a major alarm bell to me, even if the physical evidence isn't for certain...

Beach Camera are authorized dealers, they sell the real deal.
If I remember correctly, they are NOT sold with a warranty card in the USA.

 

[SleazyC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlsan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Beach Camera are authorized dealers, they sell the real deal. If I remember correctly, they are NOT sold with a warranty card in the USA.

I bought some ESW9A's from Provantage, also an authorized seller, and they were fake. Left driver was busted so I sent them off to AT and they sent me back a letter saying that the headphones were fake so just because someone is an authorized seller doesn't mean you shouldn't go with your instincts if you think your pair is fake.

 

[Carlsan]

These are the clues that proved that my ebay set were fake,
I eventually got a full refund:

Quote:

1. Documentation is not complete. There seems to be a warranty card but it does not include the serial number of the headphones. it is in Chinese but it does not appear to have an address to send it to like one would expect. 2. Inner coil of the speaker, seen through the holes in the plastic after you take the ear pad off, is copper, not the blueish color that is mentioned on page 2 or so of this thread. 3. The phone cable does indeed seem rubbery. 4. After playing these phones for four or more hours, the sound is not good. I would describe it as muddy and lacking any real detail. Like the sound of low end headsets.

When I received an authentic pair from Beach Camera, I do not remember getting a warranty card.
They proved to be authentic because they passed every other test, including the most important, sound quality.
Granted, this was a year ago, but then you could easily tell the difference between a fake and authentic by the color of the inner coil of the speaker; fakes were copper, real were a blueish. Not sure if that test still stands.

Another list:
Quote:

This may make it harder to identify possible fakes. However, with regard to the ESW9 shown in the pictures at the beginning of the thread things are very clear now: They are in fact fakes! Germania and Feather225, you're right: It's not only the tint/color, but the grain and structure of the wood, too. To sum it up, the fakes differ from the legit ones in the following ways: 1. reddish/pinkish tint of the wood 2. grain and texture less pronounced 3. inferior woodwork (cable bore off by 2 to 3mm from the actual cable entry point, frame-to-wood-fit uneven) 4. Left/Right label stick out by 0.5mm instead of being flat or even recessed 5. small bump on the frame (where the cable enters) is missing 6. driver has different color: copper instead of the original blue color of the coil 7. pads are stuffed symmetrically with soft foam instead of the original slightly asymmetric layout; stuffing seems to be slightly softer 8. The inner diameter of the pads seems a bit smaller than that of the legit ones 9. cable not only feels like rubber but "behaves" like an actual rubber band 10. They just came with a pleather bag, no box, no paperwork

 

[feverfive]

^^ Well, like I stated earlier, I do believe the cups are wood...on the round surface that faces the bracket, I can see little "pits" in the surface, suggesting to me this is wood, not plastic. Further, I pulled off one of the ear pads, and I see bluish color of the inner coil. HOWEVER, the "left", "right" on these headphones are RAISED, not flat nor recessed. The headband leather was also pretty flat, whereas in pics I've seen of legit ESW9, the leather appeared a bit "bunched up".

I don't what to think; probably just being paranoid. Now Carlsan says no warranty card is included in the US.... The packaging it came in still suggests fake if what I've seen here is correct---> Google Translate

My box has mutlitple languages on the back. Other than the bad quality of the box lettering, my box pretty much matches what that site claims is a fake esw9 package.

EDIT: O.K. I'm kinda embarrassed to admit I finally took time to listen to these hp's. They were delivered afternoon of 2/19/10, and I only listened to get initial impressions & snap a few pics w/ my iPhone; had to take off for the rest of the day, then put them on my touch playing pink noise for burn-in. I spent the rest of the time obsessing over whether they were fakes once I realized I didn't get a warranty card. Well, been listening for the past couple of hours through my iPod Classic (sept '09 revision). They sound too damn nice to be fakes. I mean, no one would confuse them w/ $1,000 full-size cans, but they sound very nice. I'm just confused because of the conflicting reports of what constitutes a fake pair.

 

[pomme de terre]

I don't think ESW9A's (the US version) come with the warranty card. Adorama Camera is another authorized dealer in New York that sells them, and they do not come with a warranty card although the phones are real.

 

[LeonWho]

The problem with identifying fakes for the Audio-Technica ESW9 is that there are two versions. The ESW9A and the ESW9.

FWIR, they sound exactly the same, yet the boxes they come in are different. And I suppose that there are minute differences in the design too.

By the way. I love them. Heck, I sold my MS1000i for these.

 

[feverfive]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeonWho /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem with identifying fakes for the Audio-Technica ESW9 is that there are two versions. The ESW9A and the ESW9. FWIR, they sound exactly the same, yet the boxes they come in are different. And I suppose that there are minute differences in the design too. By the way. I love them. Heck, I sold my MS1000i for these.

Yep. I bought the ESW9a's... Thing is, both on the HP's themselves & on the box, the only reference to "a" is right above the UPC code (which, btw, is imprinted directly on the box on a white background...NOT a sticker..as seen in the left pic below) so that confused me a bit as well. ETA: The word "Padauk" is spelled "Paddock" as seen in the pic to the right...

 

[iaudiophile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feverfive /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry to bump this thread, but just wanted to quick vent b/c I THINK the ESW9a that I ordered from Beach Camera are not legit. It's so damn hard figuring out though, as I keep seeing different criteria for checking. The cups DO appear to be wood (they have grain, and do not have the sheen of the plastic cups). HOWEVER, based on a translated page linked to in another thread, the packaging is suspicious; build quality isn't shoddy, but isn't exactly stellar either; and THERE WAS NO WARRANTY CARD. I just sent a email to Beach Camera voicing my doubts.concerns... The lack of a warranty card was a major alarm bell to me, even if the physical evidence isn't for certain...

I also got mine from Adorama and I am thinking that they are fake. They match the features of the fake one in this comparison on this page Google Translate
Also, there is no warranty card, Adorama is supposed to be an authorized dealer, but the lack of warranty card and the comparison pages alone is scaring me, Im thinking about returning these and buy from headroom which is at $268 instead of the 218 i paid at adorama.

 

[cheemo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlsan /img/forum/go_quote.gif <snip> Granted, this was a year ago, but then you could easily tell the difference between a fake and authentic by the color of the inner coil of the speaker; fakes were copper, real were a blueish. Not sure if that test still stands.

If you don't mind removing the ear pads and take a look at the speaker driver.

 

[iaudiophile]

It is blue, can I conclude that these are real just from this observation though, what about the packaging differences, mine are exactly like the one on the right of the google translation page (supposed counterfeit model).

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[AwakenedBeing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iaudiophile /img/forum/go_quote.gif I also got mine from Adorama and I am thinking that they are fake. They match the features of the fake one in this comparison on this page Google Translate Also, there is no warranty card, Adorama is supposed to be an authorized dealer, but the lack of warranty card and the comparison pages alone is scaring me, Im thinking about returning these and buy from headroom which is at $268 instead of the 218 i paid at adorama.

Adorama is legit, so I wouldn't worry about it.

To better clarify: There are two packaging used for these - One for Japan and one for international (gold lettering). Only the warranty card is given for the Japan packaging.

I am not sure if Apple Stores still have them out or not to audition, but you can try to go to one and audition them if you are still unsure about your pair.

 

[cheemo]

I do not have the original box and sold my 9's awhile ago but you should not worry about the packaging as it may change over time. You bought from an authorized seller and if you run into problems you should be covered.

Enjoy your new headphones!

 

[iaudiophile]

thank you so much for the reassurance, I went ahead and contacted Audio Technica and sent the pictures as well as the comparison page, but I tried these on and they sound really good, the bass is amazing to my ears (I am new to the scene) with my fiio e5, and I looked closely at the comparison page and the hp itself matches the real model just the packaging is the same as the right side (see my google translate page above). So I guess it is just the difference in packaging, thanks for telling me about the warranty card fact.

I just jumped to conclusion about Adorama because I saw a post saying beach camera sent them a fake pair, but these sound too good to be fake imo.

Be careful out there please if you are interested in buying these AT ath-esw9!