Sha1rholder
Member
Counterfeits of certain mid-to-low-end HiFi headphones, such as Sennheiser IE800S, AKG K702, Shure SRH1840, and Beyer T1 3rd, have been widespread for a long time. It has reached the point where even I wouldn't dare to purchase these headphones on online second-hand market. Recently counterfeiters have shifted their focus from low-end to high-end headphones. They are no longer just copying appearances but are replicating the entire headphone design, including drivers and cavity to pass off as genuine.
a fake 1266
Abyss was one of the first brands targeted, likely because the 1266 has significant distortion, uses a single-piece magnet in driver, and features a relatively low structural complexity, making it easier and cheaper to replicate.
magnet from a fake 1266 (same as real one's)
You can see that some counterfeits label themselves as X1226 (6500 rmb) to distinguish from genuine products, while others shamelessly steal Abyss trademark outright. Most exported 1266 units sold without packaging are counterfeits. These are often marketed as "factory stock", claiming to be unofficial products privately leaked by OEM factory of Abyss and thus not officially certified. In reality, they are all fake.
x1226
XK Audio is one of the most well-known counterfeit headphone workshops. He released its flagship called Serene (6999 rmb) months ago. The driver design of Serene is very similar to the Susvara, although the appearance and build of the product are completely different. This is because Hifiman takes intellectual property protection very seriously, leaving no manufacturers daring to counterfeit or even mimic its designs. However, if you examine the driver's appearance and sound, you can still notice some similarities.
Serene, this is not a fake
XK Audio has also plagiarized other headphone brands. He claimed that some of the drivers comes from the same supplier as the original products. Sadly he appears to be honest, but in order to avoid being perceived as promoting fakes, I will not mention which Hi-End headphone manufacturers bought driver designs from which suppliers.
XK Audio products
After releasing the Serene, XK Audio began developing a subflagship planar headphone called Liu Yun (流韵), which plagiarized the T+A Solitaire P. However, about a month ago, he announced that Liu Yun "did not meet their standards" and needs a redesign.
the Original Liu Yun, a fake Solitaire P
The actual reason is more complex. Hifiman Susvara Unveiled was released in June when the development of Liu Yun is almost completed. XK Audio thinks the driver and cavity design of Susvara Unveiled is more advanced than Solitaire P, more suitable as their subflagship, so he decided to plagiarize the former instead. The just-completed original design of Liu Yun was later found to be sold to another counterfeiting workshop, JoiAccoustics (悦之音), which was priced at 4699 rmb and named SS-Phantom P.
SS-Phantom P
Brands counterfeited by JoiAcoustics include not only T+A but also some models of Grado, ZMF, Denon and Abyss. They've even replicated Diana series too. I don't understand what kind of idiots will buy those.
JoiAcoustics products
Not only counterfeiting workshops but also some honest Hi-Fi brands share the same OEM suppliers and production lines with premium major headphone brands. It's not difficult for a group of people with degrees in material science, physics and acoustics to copy a headphone. In modern headphone industry relying on supply chain, there's no longer an all-round headphone expert.
So do not trust your eyes or ears too much and think you can distinguish fakes once upon you see and hear them. Trust anti-counterfeiting measures instead.
Domestic audiophiles are rarely fooled by these high-end counterfeit headphones. As a result, these counterfeits are priced far lower than genuine products, with most buyers knowingly purchasing fakes. However, I am aware that some individuals purchase these cheap fakes domestically and resell them abroad at high prices. Therefore, please exercise extreme caution when purchasing second-hand headphones without packaging!
Whatever how good is the sound or price, selling fakes are shameless and unacceptable.
a fake 1266Abyss was one of the first brands targeted, likely because the 1266 has significant distortion, uses a single-piece magnet in driver, and features a relatively low structural complexity, making it easier and cheaper to replicate.
magnet from a fake 1266 (same as real one's)You can see that some counterfeits label themselves as X1226 (6500 rmb) to distinguish from genuine products, while others shamelessly steal Abyss trademark outright. Most exported 1266 units sold without packaging are counterfeits. These are often marketed as "factory stock", claiming to be unofficial products privately leaked by OEM factory of Abyss and thus not officially certified. In reality, they are all fake.
x1226XK Audio is one of the most well-known counterfeit headphone workshops. He released its flagship called Serene (6999 rmb) months ago. The driver design of Serene is very similar to the Susvara, although the appearance and build of the product are completely different. This is because Hifiman takes intellectual property protection very seriously, leaving no manufacturers daring to counterfeit or even mimic its designs. However, if you examine the driver's appearance and sound, you can still notice some similarities.
Serene, this is not a fakeXK Audio has also plagiarized other headphone brands. He claimed that some of the drivers comes from the same supplier as the original products. Sadly he appears to be honest, but in order to avoid being perceived as promoting fakes, I will not mention which Hi-End headphone manufacturers bought driver designs from which suppliers.
XK Audio productsAfter releasing the Serene, XK Audio began developing a subflagship planar headphone called Liu Yun (流韵), which plagiarized the T+A Solitaire P. However, about a month ago, he announced that Liu Yun "did not meet their standards" and needs a redesign.
the Original Liu Yun, a fake Solitaire PThe actual reason is more complex. Hifiman Susvara Unveiled was released in June when the development of Liu Yun is almost completed. XK Audio thinks the driver and cavity design of Susvara Unveiled is more advanced than Solitaire P, more suitable as their subflagship, so he decided to plagiarize the former instead. The just-completed original design of Liu Yun was later found to be sold to another counterfeiting workshop, JoiAccoustics (悦之音), which was priced at 4699 rmb and named SS-Phantom P.
SS-Phantom PBrands counterfeited by JoiAcoustics include not only T+A but also some models of Grado, ZMF, Denon and Abyss. They've even replicated Diana series too. I don't understand what kind of idiots will buy those.
JoiAcoustics productsNot only counterfeiting workshops but also some honest Hi-Fi brands share the same OEM suppliers and production lines with premium major headphone brands. It's not difficult for a group of people with degrees in material science, physics and acoustics to copy a headphone. In modern headphone industry relying on supply chain, there's no longer an all-round headphone expert.
So do not trust your eyes or ears too much and think you can distinguish fakes once upon you see and hear them. Trust anti-counterfeiting measures instead.
Domestic audiophiles are rarely fooled by these high-end counterfeit headphones. As a result, these counterfeits are priced far lower than genuine products, with most buyers knowingly purchasing fakes. However, I am aware that some individuals purchase these cheap fakes domestically and resell them abroad at high prices. Therefore, please exercise extreme caution when purchasing second-hand headphones without packaging!
Whatever how good is the sound or price, selling fakes are shameless and unacceptable.
