Some Dishonest Chinese Manufacturers Are Counterfeiting High-End Headphones. A Story About Fake Headphones.

[Roland68]

The real question is whether we can actually call them counterfeits, they use the same drivers. If you didn't know, the drivers are made in China. Companies like Abyss and ZMF only designed the frames, the designs and technology itself isn’t really theirs. That’s why you always see “patent pending” on their products.

Without knowing more about the background, it's impossible to say.

If the driver wasn't developed by JPS Labs at all, but simply purchased cheaply, then the original price would be outrageous anyway.

If they developed it themselves and have the components manufactured cheaply in China, even though they suggest to the buyer that it comes from the USA, then they only have themselves to blame.
It's no secret that large quantities are repeatedly produced that bypass the customer/manufacturer. As an American or European manufacturer, you have to know this; it's a basic requirement for doing business in China.

The third possibility is that they have a headphone model from the Chinese manufacturer, or a modification of it, produced for themselves.
What would then be the clone?

The fourth possibility, and one that manufacturers can never rule out, is that someone independently copies a product without using the original manufacturer's existing resources. That's unfortunate, but is often encouraged by a completely excessive selling price. This is the actual definition of a clone, but it doesn't say anything about whether the clone is worse, better, or equivalent.

 

[TubeFan#1]

Without knowing more about the background, it's impossible to say.

If the driver wasn't developed by JPS Labs at all, but simply purchased cheaply, then the original price would be outrageous anyway.

If they developed it themselves and have the components manufactured cheaply in China, even though they suggest to the buyer that it comes from the USA, then they only have themselves to blame.
It's no secret that large quantities are repeatedly produced that bypass the customer/manufacturer. As an American or European manufacturer, you have to know this; it's a basic requirement for doing business in China.

The third possibility is that they have a headphone model from the Chinese manufacturer, or a modification of it, produced for themselves.
What would then be the clone?

The fourth possibility, and one that manufacturers can never rule out, is that someone independently copies a product without using the original manufacturer's existing resources. That's unfortunate, but is often encouraged by a completely excessive selling price. This is the actual definition of a clone, but it doesn't say anything about whether the clone is worse, better, or equivalent.

What I was able to find is that a white-label company located in Canton Province is the one that manufactures the drivers. And not only for Abyss and ZMF, but for several other brands as well. From what I read, if you pay a fee, you can get exclusivity for a specific driver, and they’ll only sell it to your company. If you don’t pay for the exclusive rights, the drivers are available for general sale. That’s why you can find the Atrium and Verité drivers everywhere. Likewise, the Caldera driver was available for a while, but I imagine ZMF paid for the exclusive usage rights.

 

[spede]

I have a pair of legit Abyss 1266, paired with a DIY amplifier and resistor network (as you know, they’re almost impossible to drive to their full potential). Recently, I had the chance to compare the clones with the real ones. I’m ashamed to say this, but the clones are on the same level as the originals, their timbre is even a bit more accurate. The Abyss tends to get slightly lost when many strings are playing at once. Other than that, the bass, detail, transients; everything I love about the Abyss was there. A friend has wanted to buy my Abyss for a while, and I always said no, but I accepted his offer a few days ago, and the clone is already on its way. It feels crazy to hold on to a $7k pair when I can replace it with one that costs 800 bucks.
I sold my calderas for the exact same reason, chinese clones are taking over the industry. Spending more than one grand in a pair of headphones is starting to sound like crazy talk.

You mind posting photo where you have these both? I want to believe you that I could snug 1266 performance for $800 but reality of that might or might not vary in internet.

 

[spede]

Wow thanks! This certainly raised my interest.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Maybe we'll get US fakes of Chinese products.

Collectibles like ceramics have been counterfeited in the US and elsewhere for a long time. Is it a Ming vase? Maybe.

 

[RPoitou]

My JVC headphones cost me €14 in the local supermarket and they're quite good enough for the 10 minutes per year that I use them.

 

[WBFTL]

Hello everyone.

I find your discussion very interesting. I am Chinese.

I would like to recommend a TV series to everyone.

This series tells the story of a business genius named Ding Yuanying who meticulously plans a "Robin Hood" style business war to help impoverished villages escape poverty and achieve prosperity. This series has sparked profound reflections on cultural attributes, moral ethics, and the essence of human nature. The series touches upon many issues related to speaker manufacturing and legal disputes between companies of all sizes, issues that coincide with the points of contention discussed in this article.

This TV series is called “天道”. It means The Way of Heaven
I'm glad you can find it on YouTube:

You can translate and watch it.