I know my testing has opened my eyes. And the only way I’m buying cables anymore is if I test them myself or rebuild them myself. It’s just too easy to fake them.
Have you guys ever wondered why 90% of these cables have GLUED ON plugs? It’s because anyone would be able to simply unscrew the 3.5mm plug and see everything right there as plain as day (fake or not). So, glue the plugs closed so they can’t see what’s under the hood, so all they’ll worry about is how pretty all those braided wires look.
And you hit the nail on the head with the unskilled labor. That was my point - I am VERY skilled, and even building a true 8-core wire was a stretch for my skills. And I wasn’t even doing mmcx or 2-pin! All I was doing was cutting off the 2-pin ends, and soldering 2.5mm plugs in their place to make a full size headphone cable). The 2.5mm plugs I used have 10xs the soldering surface area than a mmcx or 2-pin plug.
So if I had that much difficulty (when I am not only highly skilled but I also had 10xs more room to work with) then there is no way on earth I believe that there’s any more than a few wires connected to 90% these 8 and 16-core IEM cables.
Sure, a manufacturer might build a real 16-core IEM cable for ad photos, or to send to a reviewer. But the ones they’re mass producing for general sale in their factory and selling for $24 are gonna be fake, and I’m willing to bet $100 cash on that belief. I hope someone takes me up on the bet and proved me wrong.
I think the only hope of a true 16-core IEM cable is a hand built cable from a small specialized boutique builder. And I’d expect to pay $250+ for it. Plus I’d want photographic proof taken during cable construction before I placed an order. And a boutique cable builder would be willing to do that.
The point is to look at buying an 8 or 16-core IEM cables for the looks. It’s a fashion accessory. Some of the 8-core cables might be real. But 99% of the 16-core cables will be fake.
In the future, if I’m buying a pre-made cable I’m going to stick with 4-core cables. Why? Because 4 core cables are impossible to connect any less than 4 cores (L+, L-, R+, R-). You can’t fake a 4 core cable and have it still be a functional cable.