Counterfeit Cables
Friday, 6th October 2017
Counterfeit Kimber Kable has been an issue for many years overseas; now they are hitting the UK.
Urgent warning regarding counterfeit cables
Fig 1. This example has the wooden block missing that you find on genuine Select cables but others have the block present.
As one of the most desirable worldwide audio cable brands, Kimber have long since had an issue with counterfeit cables being sold both within the USA and on the international market. Recently, however, this problem has affected customers here in the UK.
Following a tip off from Kimber regarding a number of fake Select KS-1036 and KS-1030 analogue interconnect cables being sold through the aliexpress website, we discovered that a buyer appears to have obtained some of these cables and is now selling them via ebay UK.
Fig 2. Counterfeiters have gone to great lengths to create a convincing look to the cables but the materials are far inferior.
We are making all efforts to have these removed and are liaising with Trading Standards to address the issue. However, there is every possibility that these cables will appear for sale on other sites and we are suggesting extreme caution when considering a purchase of any Kimber Select cables via a third party at this time.
We have already had a number of customers contacting us about these cables and they are now in the process of attempting to get a refund. If you have recently purchased Kimber Select cables via a third party you can send them to us and we will be happy to check them out for you - phone us on 01539 797300 or email info@russandrews.com for more information on doing this.
Fig 3. The WBT plugs also look convincing - it's possible that you could find these for sale as independent items too.
The cables themselves look entirely convincing to the untrained eye. The counterfeiters have gone to some lengths to make these cables and even the WBT plugs are hard to distinguish from the real thing. HOWEVER, the materials used are low quality made to look far better than they are. The 'silver' wire, for example, is low-quality copper-coloured wire with a thin silver-coloured coating that easily rubs off with a finger nail. Needless to say, the performance is in no way commensurate with the genuine article.
Our general advice is: if it looks too good to be true; it probably is. Ultimately, the only way to be sure you are getting a genuine Kimber cable is to purchase new or pre-owned Kimber Kable through an authorised Kimber Kable dealer.
Fig 1. This example has the wooden block missing that you find on genuine Select cables but others have the block present.
As one of the most desirable worldwide audio cable brands, Kimber have long since had an issue with counterfeit cables being sold both within the USA and on the international market. Recently, however, this problem has affected customers here in the UK.
Following a tip off from Kimber regarding a number of fake Select KS-1036 and KS-1030 analogue interconnect cables being sold through the aliexpress website, we discovered that a buyer appears to have obtained some of these cables and is now selling them via ebay UK.
Fig 2. Counterfeiters have gone to great lengths to create a convincing look to the cables but the materials are far inferior.
We are making all efforts to have these removed and are liaising with Trading Standards to address the issue. However, there is every possibility that these cables will appear for sale on other sites and we are suggesting extreme caution when considering a purchase of any Kimber Select cables via a third party at this time.
We have already had a number of customers contacting us about these cables and they are now in the process of attempting to get a refund. If you have recently purchased Kimber Select cables via a third party you can send them to us and we will be happy to check them out for you - phone us on 01539 797300 or email info@russandrews.com for more information on doing this.
Fig 3. The WBT plugs also look convincing - it's possible that you could find these for sale as independent items too.
The cables themselves look entirely convincing to the untrained eye. The counterfeiters have gone to some lengths to make these cables and even the WBT plugs are hard to distinguish from the real thing. HOWEVER, the materials used are low quality made to look far better than they are. The 'silver' wire, for example, is low-quality copper-coloured wire with a thin silver-coloured coating that easily rubs off with a finger nail. Needless to say, the performance is in no way commensurate with the genuine article.
Our general advice is: if it looks too good to be true; it probably is. Ultimately, the only way to be sure you are getting a genuine Kimber cable is to purchase new or pre-owned Kimber Kable through an authorised Kimber Kable dealer.
Written By Simon Dalton
Comments
reviewed by Neale Robertson
02 Feb 2024
"Mr"
I have just purchased a Reference Powerkord and a Yello 30th Edition from fudge_face4 on Ebayhttps://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/fudge_face4
Upon looking at his profile he seems to be selling rather a lot of Powerkords so I am wondering if he is genuine.
The link to the Yello cable is:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235405128224
The link to the Reference Powerkord is:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/235383991821
The Reference cable has an MK plug with soldered wires and a Bussman 13amp fuse.
Please let me know what you think
Customer Service Reply Hi Neale,
Although it's not possible to give a definitive answer on this without having seen the physical cables - and obviously there is always an element of risk when buying second-hand - from what I can see these do look genuine.
FYI, our own pre-owned items are always guaranteed genuine, fully tested and come with a full warranty - you can see the pre-owned section here: https://www.russandrews.com/preowned-and-clearance/
Although it's not possible to give a definitive answer on this without having seen the physical cables - and obviously there is always an element of risk when buying second-hand - from what I can see these do look genuine.
FYI, our own pre-owned items are always guaranteed genuine, fully tested and come with a full warranty - you can see the pre-owned section here: https://www.russandrews.com/preowned-and-clearance/
reviewed by Stephen
01 Jun 2023
"More Copies"
I have noticed that karingattil_9 & parsifal57 on ebay have listed / sold one or more pairs of fake 1.5m KS1136's recently.Judging by the photos they have plastic wooden blocks and silver coloured copper conductors.
Customer Service Reply Thank you for your message. They are most definitely fake, so we'll do what we can to get them removed. This can be frustrating challenging when the sellers are based in another country though and is a constant thorn in our sides.
reviewed by Stephen
17 Oct 2017
"Mr"
Home-cinema-guy on ebay has been selling many of these over the last few months.Also lamp_924 based in HK is currently selling a range of questionable Kimber items.
Customer Service Reply Thanks for this - we are aware of home-cinema-guy but thanks for the heads-up on lamp_924. The two cables he has on ebay at the moment are not, in our opinion, genuine Kimber.
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