[igotyofire]

this thread scares me that my recent purchase of ath-m50s could be fake. i hope 110.00 shipped to my door wasn't too cheap. I know msrp is 199.00 and amazon sells them closer to 150.00 , ebay seller was "tsi-tn" these are my 1st purchase of this style of headphone. Im guessing fake headphones will sound terrible?

 

[Kernmac]

If it is too cheap it is probably a fake. However you can not judge a fake based on price alone, people selling fakes might sell them just below retail price to a) reduce suspicion and/or b) make more profit.

Don't base "fake or not" buying decisions simply on price,or the seller's posted photos for that matter, buy from recognised dealers and eliminate the risk. I find it amusing how people post ebay "sellers" photos at Headfi asking whether they are fake or not. Have you ever thought that the seller could simply be using genuine photos? Why would you take photos of your fake when you could post genuine article photos?

People, buy from recognised dealers, or risk getting a crap product. Neither price, or posted photos are any evidence that you are getting the real deal.

 

[captian73]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is possible to get good deals on headphones, especially on the internet, but I personally would never buy from an unauthorized dealer. Yes, you might pay a little more, but it's better to save your money up to pay for the real deal than waste your money trying to get a too-good-to-be-true deal from ebay or the like. I keep wondering why people never learn, but they don't seem to, and keep looking at ebay for the lowest cost rather than using common sense.

Until now, that was my main shout on fakheadphones.com "buy from authorized dealers" however I've just bought a pair of fake Sennheiser CX300 II's straight from Amazon.co.uk.

fakeheadphones.com » I think Amazon has sold me fakes!

The title of the post should read "Amazon has sold me fakes." So now I'm wondering how far does this whole counterfeit business go. If Amazon are capable of selling fake Sennheiser's, then they capable of selling other fake items!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubo /img/forum/go_quote.gif AKG has a FAKE ALERT on their web site where they ask you to report fakes which they say are recognizable by their low quality.

is there a direct link tot he page? I'll stick it on fakeheadphones.

 

[Bubo]

AGK Site Page for reporting FAKEs

Counterfeit Warning


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx






Quote:

Originally Posted by captian73 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Until now, that was my main shout on fakheadphones.com "buy from authorized dealers" however I've just bought a pair of fake Sennheiser CX300 II's straight from Amazon.co.uk. fakeheadphones.com » I think Amazon has sold me fakes! The title of the post should read "Amazon has sold me fakes." So now I'm wondering how far does this whole counterfeit business go. If Amazon are capable of selling fake Sennheiser's, then they capable of selling other fake items! is there a direct link tot he page? I'll stick it on fakeheadphones.

 

[Bubo]

I know a buyer for a major retailer in the US who lives near HK, he buys lots of electronics and other stuff.

The Chinese even do knock off cars where they steal the designs from the competition and beat them into production with a look alike.

The knock off products in China are to be avoided, which is why Chinese with money will only buy at the factory store and are willing to pay full list to get a real product. It's more than snob appeal.

The knock offs typically have to hit a cost basis of 1/20th of the real products, so they must be taking something out.

Someone knowledgeable in fasteners told me that 40-60% of every batch of "rated bolts" from China fail when they test them, the problem is so bad they now test 100% of every bolt shipment their customers order from Chinese suppliers because they are cheap, a true statement. I can't wait until the knock-off aircraft bolts make their way into the commercial jet fleets.

The buyer has purchased some knock off product that looked OK to him, they failed in a month or two.

To their credit, the Chinese are now worried about protecting their countries brand name since they poisoned everyone's dogs and babies with poisoned milk and lead paint toys, so they are making some effort to clean their act up. They still have a long way to go.

Only purchase using a credit card so you can claw back the money if the product is fake, also ask the vendor in writing (e-mail) who manufactured the product.

You may piss them off, but if they know they are selling knock offs you can then take your case not only to the credit card company but also to the Postal Inspectors (USA); who take a dim view as being used as a vehicle for a fraud, The inspectors can seize a business, its books and bank accounts based on suspicion of an ongoing fraud or criminal enterprise. The word Postal Inspectors strikes fear into the hearts of even the slimiest vendors, typically they will roll over the second you mention the Inspectors. Game over.

After the business, inventory, building, books and bank accounts are seized and possibly the assets of the owners, the case can take years to work through the courts.

The commerce sites will also take action if you report a problem, Amazon is quite good about this, e-bay also watches this closely from my experiences.

AKG reports that fakes are finding their way even into their own dealers.

With all the press the 702s are getting, I'm sure the fakes are in the pipeline if not on the street.

Buyer be ware.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx

Quote:

Originally Posted by FraGGleR /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any updates on the K702's? I found some Chinese "Wholesalers" that have some ridiculously good prices on some pretty popular phones. One of them even admits that some of the phones are made by the Sennheiser OEM factory. Could these be "third shift" products where they simply make the same stuff but sell it cheap? I'd love to know what the SQ differences are, because if the fakes sound ok, does it matter if they are fake?

 

[dcpoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by captian73 /img/forum/go_quote.gif so ESW9's in comparison to a pair of Bose which would you think would be more popular? I don't see the ESW9 as popular at all. Grado's maybe... High end Sennheiser yes, but counterfeiting the ESW9's... it just blows my mind why someone would want to copy such a low volume headphone when there are more popular choices... and yet they do. starting fakeheadphones may have tainted my view, but I don't take anything for granted now.

Take into account that these counterfeiters are in china and their main market is china. A luxury model from a japanese brand will be much more popular to the non-audiophile, general populace than a grado or sennheiser that they've never heard of. and the bose just look cheap.

 

[haloxt]

captian73, open the two earphones and compare inside. If you "think" they are fake the best way to prove it is to look inside. I really am getting irritated by that fakeheadphones.com site, they make a lot of accusations without proof. Just "I think it's fake".

 

[Duncan_McCloud]

Any news on the Ultrasone PRO 900 ? i was thinking about purchasing them on iheadphones...

 

[charliex]

Number ONE rule - NEVER ever buy headphones from China or Taiwan - 999% guaranteee that they are fake knock-offs. It's that simple.

 

[Spasticteapot]

I might point out that Tymphany makes drivers in China now, including the Vifa XT ring radiators and Peerless HDS woofers. There's nothing inherently wrong with Chinese manufacturing.

That said, my next headphones are likely to be custom-made. Buying the drivers as replacement parts from Sennheiser means a 0% chance of fakes.

 

[fldrice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by igotyofire /img/forum/go_quote.gif this thread scares me that my recent purchase of ath-m50s could be fake. i hope 110.00 shipped to my door wasn't too cheap. I know msrp is 199.00 and amazon sells them closer to 150.00 , ebay seller was "tsi-tn" these are my 1st purchase of this style of headphone. Im guessing fake headphones will sound terrible?

They're not fake. If they came in the AT box with a warranty card its genuine. $110 shipped is not too cheap considering I could get these phones locally at any Guitar Center-like store for $150.

 

[haloxt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duncan_McCloud /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any news on the Ultrasone PRO 900 ? i was thinking about purchasing them on iheadphones...

This is the original article: Fake Ultrasone (Proline 900) My heart is broken

Quite frankly, I think this guy is being extremely irresponsible when he says "Stay away from Ultrasone's on ebay from the far East. I hate to say it but please don't touch them....you'll save money in the long run!"

We need actual proof that they are counterfeit, all I see now is someone fearmongering. I already said that sometimes you can get the pro 900 under $400 brand new, the 208 euro price is not out of the question, perhaps it was really damaged by handling. The price could also be due to him wanting to sell one fast on ebay to prove to people it is legit and get positive feedback. The evidence provided by Matt that the pro 900 is "probably fake" is nice of him but still I think it is safe to buy a pro 900 on ebay if the seller guarantees authenticity. There's so many parts to a pro 900, if you think you have a fake one send me pics and I'll tell for you.

I posted pics on this thread before, add these to the list and I have more pics if you need, but really if counterfeiters replicate the same things in these pics they deserve the money.

http://img34.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=cimg0102i.jpg

Also I have to ask, is fakeheadphones.com just trying to scare people from cheap dealers and push them to people who sell at MSRP?

 

[captian73]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif captian73, open the two earphones and compare inside. If you "think" they are fake the best way to prove it is to look inside. I really am getting irritated by that fakeheadphones.com site, they make a lot of accusations without proof. Just "I think it's fake".

I'm sorry you're not happy with fakeheadphones.com, but what are you doing to help people who are getting ripped off daily by unscrupulous sellers? fakeheadphones is my attempt! I get a lot of support from Sennheiser Bose and Audio Technica who seem to be happy with the site.

I don't get it right 100% but i always say I'd rather say something and be wrong, than do nothing and be right. I don't need to open the fakes up, it's all there on the site. I've yet to come across a pair of fakes that are identical.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quite frankly, I think this guy is being extremely irresponsible when he says "Stay away from Ultrasone's on ebay from the far East. I hate to say it but please don't touch them....you'll save money in the long run!"

Well I'm afraid Ultrasone UK didn't look at it in the same light you do. Again haloxt, what are you doing to help people stay away from fakes? I like to hear. And for the record, I've yet to come across any manufacturer who has told me that they allow their headphones to be sold on ebay, or that allow their dealers to sell on ebay, so please try again!!

Maybe you want to come on and give everyone some support, instead of gripping about the site. If Ultrasone, Sennheiser, Bose, Audio Technica and the like can get behind it, why can't you?

Finally, I always ask the manufacturer what I can and can't publish, and so if the advice is "stay away from ebay" or "stay away from goods from the Far East." it's because a manufacturer has given me permission to post those comments. so nice try but you're wrong!

 

[haloxt]

All throughout your article on the CX300 you said you don't feel sure, I'm just giving you some advice on how to be sure. If you've contacted amazon and sennheiser about the CX300 I'd like to know if they agree with you in your opinion that they may be fake.

 

[Duncan_McCloud]

Just heard an italian guy (like me) who have already purchased 3 pair of headphones from iheadphone. Last was ultrasone PRO 900 after he sold a pair of ED 9 (not purchased there). He excluded that those are fake.