counterfeit spikkers destroyed in FL

[MAB]

never even heard of L - Acoustics.

They are one of the great innovators in the field, festivals and live music as we know them today exists because of them.

home - L-Acoustics

Welcome to L-Acoustics. We set the benchmark for pro audio sound systems and are always at the cutting-edge of audio technology.

www.l-acoustics.com

Likely the counterfeits aren't even worth a fraction the cost of destroying them. Like a fake Ferrari, no performance at best and likely dangerous (yes, counterfeit PA speakers with tens of thousands of watts of power applied is without a doubt a safety issue.)

 

[dmilller]

Likely the counterfeits aren't even worth a fraction the cost of destroying them. Like a fake Ferrari, no performance at best and likely dangerous (yes, counterfeit PA speakers with tens of thousands of watts of power applied is without a doubt a safety issue.)

Not necessarily true. The Chinese may have copied the design and sold it locally. Then some had the idea of export.

The chance that L-Acoustics is doing anything that can't be duplicated in Asia is near zero. It's also very unlikely that L-Acoustics does all it manufacturing in France with French parts.

 

[MCH]

Not necessarily true. The Chinese may have copied the design and sold it locally. Then some had the idea of export.

The chance that L-Acoustics is doing anything that can't be duplicated in Asia is near zero. It's also very unlikely that L-Acoustics does all it manufacturing in France with French parts.

The link does not work for me, but if it is the same case posted here a few weeks ago, it was an American company that rents pro equipment for concerts that commissioned the fake speakers and instructed the counterfeiter how to make them to look real so that they would rent them as quality equipment.
Here another link, can't tell if the same case:

French manufacturer destroys counterfeit high-end speakers in Tampa

A manufacturer based in France called L-Acoustics sent their people to Tampa where fake speakers were seized.

www.fox13news.com

 

[GXAlan]

never even heard of L - Acoustics.

They are one of the top 3 brands for touring artists/events. Meyer Sound and d&b being the other two. Taylor Swift uses D&B. Metallica and Ed Sheeran run Meyer Sound.

Only Meyer Sound has made any effort into the residential space, but even then except for the Amie, it’s all custom integration.

Peter Gabriel Tours with L-Acoustics K Series System – FOH | Front of House Magazine

fohonline.com

Dream Theater Takes North America’s First L-Acoustics L Series System on Tour - L-Acoustics

L Series gives PRG’s crew on the Dreamsonic tour great sound and big power in a smaller footprint that’s easier to carry, load, fly, and use

www.l-acoustics.com

Lorde: Melodrama Tour — North America – L-ISA

Project Description New Zealand native Lorde captivated the international music scene in 2013 with her debut single “Royals” and album “Pure Heroine” which topped charts around the world. In 2014, she curated the soundtrack for “The HungerGames: Mockingjay- Part 1” and provided the song “Yellow...

l-isa.l-acoustics.com

 

[dmilller]

The link does not work for me, but if it is the same case posted here a few weeks ago, it was an American company that rents pro equipment for concerts that commissioned the fake speakers and instructed the counterfeiter how to make them to look real so that they would rent them as quality equipment.
Here another link, can't tell if the same case:

French manufacturer destroys counterfeit high-end speakers in Tampa

A manufacturer based in France called L-Acoustics sent their people to Tampa where fake speakers were seized.

www.fox13news.com

Thanks. Interesting. So the counterfeits couldn't suck.

 

[pavuol]

I'm confused with the "high-end" term used in the article, cause the only product where manufacturer itself mentions it is with their "in-ear monitors" [pdf catalog]
Did they mean "high-end" counterfeit, like the best craftmanship among fake products?

 

[MAB]

Thanks. Interesting. So the counterfeits couldn't suck.

But that's the opposite of what L-Acoustics said:
"L-Acoustics representatives said the knock-off’s damage their brand, and they don’t sound as good for people who buy tickets to concerts."
Not that I 100% believe L-Acoustics, they have every right to bellow about how bad the knockoffs sound. But their gear is the top standard, and they innovated and invented large segments of the sound reinforcement market. So it is actually difficult to imagine some hacks making good sounding knockoff of what is a very technical product, L-Acoustics (and Meyer Sound, etc.) are not just drivers stuffed in cabinets.
I don't blame L-Acoustics. Very offensive and outrageous counterfeit of one of the premier brands, used to play music to people who paid hundreds or thousands of dollars per seat. And to be clear, fantastic sounding live music are a possibility these days because of companies like L-Acoustics.

 

[DVDdoug]

Whats all this nonsense about destroying things, sounds like we have endless ressources.

'Reminds me of the "cash for clunkers" program where the government would pay for your old car and then destroy it. I think it was supposed to improve the economy. Some wise commentator said, "You don't create wealth by destroying property."

Why not remove the brand elements and gift them to schools, social or cultural projects or NGOs who cannot afford tech but might need it. As long as there is no health risk it should be put into proper use instead of satisfying some weird idea of retaliation.

And that reminds me of another story - There was a mixing (or mastering?) engineer who worked at lots of different studios/locations. So for consistent sound, he carried around a pair of Peavey speakers to use as monitors. I don't remember why he chose them, but maybe because they are more rugged than typical monitors which don't usually even have grills. Anyway... people were giving him a hard time... So he had some emblems made with the name of some rare-exotic European speaker or monitor manufacturer. Whoever made the emblems spelled the name wrong but nobody noticed and he started getting comments like, "Ooh! I've heard-of those!"

If the name would have been spelled right it would probably have been a trademark violation. But he wasn't selling or distributing counterfeit products and, plus the company probably would never know about it.

 

[dmilller]

But that's the opposite of what L-Acoustics said:
"L-Acoustics representatives said the knock-off’s damage their brand, and they don’t sound as good for people who buy tickets to concerts."
Not that I 100% believe L-Acoustics, they have every right to bellow about how bad the knockoffs sound. But their gear is the top standard, and they innovated and invented large segments of the sound reinforcement market. So it is actually difficult to imagine some hacks making good sounding knockoff of what is a very technical product, L-Acoustics (and Meyer Sound, etc.) are not just drivers stuffed in cabinets.
I don't blame L-Acoustics. Very offensive and outrageous counterfeit of one of the premier brands, used to play music to people who paid hundreds or thousands of dollars per seat. And to be clear, fantastic sounding live music are a possibility these days because of companies like L-Acoustics.

It would be dumb for the rental company to order any counterfeits other than equal quality. Of course they may be dumb as they did get caught.

But I assume I significant portion of L-acoustics success is software. Yet the bulk of the income may be derived from speaker rental. While L-Acoustics would like strive to make their interfaces proprietary, that is not always possible.

If the L-Acoustics spokesperson didn't bring up quality they too would be incompetent. Successful companies with real IP also have BS in the mix too.

 

[MAB]

It would be dumb for the rental company to order any counterfeits other than equal quality. Of course they may be dumb as they did get caught.

But I assume I significant portion of L-acoustics success is software. Yet the bulk of the income may be derived from speaker rental. While L-Acoustics would like strive to make their interfaces proprietary, that is not always possible.

If the L-Acoustics spokesperson didn't bring up quality they too would be incompetent. Successful companies with real IP also have BS in the mix too.

I can't speculate. We have no way of knowing who led whom down this path. Or where L-Acoustics derive the bulk of their income. It does seem an oversimplification to say their success is software, perhaps you should look at all of the new elements they introduced over the years. And hard to imagine random drivers in boxes any where near 'equal-quality' to what they produce.
The whole thing is crooked. Probably best not to speculate too much. I think if I worked for a company as elite as L-Acoustics, and had been ripped off in such a bold way, I would want to get the axe out too.

 

[GXAlan]

II think if I worked for a company as elite as L-Acoustics, and had been ripped off in such a bold way, I would want to get the axe out too.

+1

And I don’t think you have to be elite. At a tier lower than L-acoustic, d&b, and Meyer are companies like Yamaha, QSC, and the more value priced JBL Pro. (The flagship JBL Pro are very good). These may not sound as good as the flagships but you certainly can rest assured that with proper rigging, the speakers aren’t going to fall on your head.

If you look at something like Nikon, they had premium cameras where the eyelet strap came of or Canon where the hotshoe came off.

For something like these speakers, they are constantly being moved back and forth as rentals.

The reliability and safety is dependent on what Se7en Sounds commissioned. If they specified premium rigging components, it could be OK.

We have a statement that it is not the same quality.

L Acoustics has economies of scale. Since these were presumably one off knock offs (at least in the U.S.) it can be pricey to make them.

Last, if they debadged them, there is little to prevent a bad actor later to reapply the brands.

The big companies are designing their rigging well beyond the requirements with lots of safety margin. These knockoffs may be like the OceanGate sub with “sufficient” safety until it isn’t.

Don’t hate the company for destroying counterfeit products and adding to the carbon footprint of the world. Blame the companies that broke the law.

 

[egellings]

“This approach, however, is feasible only when steps are taken to ensure the goods involved are not sub-standard, defective, dangerous or hazardous.”

Disposing of counterfeit goods: unseen challenges

www.wipo.int

I don't really see how a speaker could be hazardous or dangerous if it does not have amplification built in, requiring a power cord. It could be if it's a big tall speaker and little kids are around. A speaker certainly could be substandard or defective, for sure.

 

[GXAlan]

I don't really see how a speaker could be hazardous or dangerous if it does not have amplification built in, requiring a power cord. It could be if it's a big tall speaker and little kids are around. A speaker certainly could be substandard or defective, for sure.

There are speakers that are designed to be hung over the audience or performers.

 

[egellings]

There are speakers that are designed to be hung over the audience or performers.

View attachment 325300

They could do some real harm if their supports failed, I 'spoze.

 

[SCR]

Not necessarily, most line arrays can also be used as ground stacks in smaller setups.

 

[GXAlan]

Not necessarily, most line arrays can also be used as ground stacks in smaller setups.

That may be true, but you should look at the Se7en Sounds website to see how they were using the counterfeit gear. Vast majority of their photos and packages are hanging line arrays.

Se7ven Sounds Music

Welcome to Seven Sounds Music

7soundsmusic.com

Se7ven Sounds Music

Welcome to Seven Sounds Music

7soundsmusic.com

I get that it feels wasteful to destroy these speakers and I agree that it is wasteful to engage in counterfeiting.

 

[Sokel]

I agree on destroying and in a spectacular way,they must make a paradigm out of it.
A great bonfire maybe?
About environmental issues,it's been established for sometime now that we should always seek the source,the beginning of the chain of destruction and the beginning is the production of counterfeit stuff.

I can understand that in certain countries copying is considered art and flattery,heck,China even has a whole village copying art and the good ones at copying are considered great artists!
But even if it's a tradition there,they have to think that this is not the case in the rest of the countries,IP is valuable as any property.
It doesn't look so bad at the first glance but it's exactly the same as if someone physically straight robbing you in the street,let alone the physical harm some of these stuff can cause,their materials are sometimes banned in most of the countries.

 

[threni]

Interesting. I have a friend recently bought a 'Chibson' (chinese Gibson) acoustic guitar. Surprisingly, the quality, playability, fit and finish is impeccable. Eyebrow raising, in fact.

This is arguably a greater threat to Gibson than the crappy clones, since it is of equivalent quality at 1/8th the price.

I have a Chinese Gibson - it's called an Epiphone. The Beatles were big fans. I saved around £1000 getting this vs the equivalent Gibson. (I saw a YouTube video where mine, the Gibson and another Epiphone were compared. No difference whatsoever, essentially. Some people grumble about resale value but it's a tool/hobby, not an investment.) I appreciate that the Epiphone/Gibson situation is not your average "chinese clone" scenario but my first guitar was a very cheap Japenese copy of a strat (I think). It was rubbish but it got me started - there's no way teenage me could have afforded (or my parents justified) a strat so I might have never got into guitars. As long some someone's QAing this stuff, or you can check it out and return it if it's duff, and no-ones getting mugged off with a counterfeit then it's all good.