Counterfeiting

It is said that no one can resist a bargain. But when is that bargain just too good to be true? There are many scams and traps out there and this is also true on the world of hifi and video.

Software
This is probably the most common issue. Both audio CD’s and DVD movies are prime for copying, from the simple backyard person with a computer, CD / DVD burner and a colour printer to elaborate factory setups overseas. You can even buy machines that do automatic bulk copying for reasonable prices. These copies are then usually on sold at markets for very low prices compared to the originals. The main issue here is a breach of copyright. Artists who create the music deserve to be paid for their work just like anyone else who creates for a living. It is no different than stealing. Imagine making a copy of this magazine cheaply; no writing, photography or research involved and then selling it for half the price. No doubt you wouldn’t like it nor agree with it. While we all see the big music companies as some sort of evil force controlling the market, ignore them and think of the person or band that has actually made the music for you to enjoy in the first place. They all struggled at some point, most musicians still do. If somebody gives you a copied disc or emails you some music and you like it, go and hunt down the original and buy it. The quality will most likely be better anyway; plus you’ll often receive liner notes as well.

The same applies to DVD movies and here quality is often the issue. With all the different encoding systems available for audio these days and the copy protection systems built into the discs themselves, these are quite hard to copy but software exists to do so through not so reputable channels. You are likely to be getting poor quality that may be missing sections of the movie or extra features. It may have even been videoed by hand in a cinema! Remember too that if you ever sell pirated music or movies, the fines are very high. Even being in procession of such products can cause issues, imagine being stopped at Customs after that trip overseas with several copied movies. Not worth the trouble…

Cables
I read on an Internet forum recently about fake Nakamichi cables for sale on a large Internet auction site. The person was interested but a bit suspicious and contacted Nakamichi direct to find out more. What they found out was that apparently they do not make cables. So someone out there is using the name illegally to sell these cables. Why? Because most people in hifi circles know the name and relate it to good quality as Nakamichi were well know for very high-end cassette players many years ago. So the counterfeiter is making these cables obviously very cheaply and trying to sell them for a handsome profit on the back of somebody else good name. If you bought these, which I am sure many people did around the world, you would have ended up with well-below par cables and have wasted your money. If you actually received anything at all… So the moral here is to check the bona fides of whatever you are buying to ensure you get your $ worth!

Speakers
Most people by know should have heard about the infamous “white van speakers” Basically they travel around the streets of suburban Australian cities and tell people they were making a delivery but there was a mistake and they have an extra pair which they are happy to sell you well below the listed cost. They will have a price list that displays a very high price for the speakers; “and you can have 50% off!” Of course they are actually worth virtually nothing, very cheap materials but with a name that might sound familiar. They may (and some other audio companies) often use a slight variation on another well-know hifi company’s name so the average punter might think they have heard it before and this follows on to their thinking that it must be “good stuff”.

Hifi Products
Many hifi companies have become very successful and quite well known. This leads to other not-so reputable people wanting to take advantage. Some brands have had their names copied as mentioned above but more worrying is they have their products copied. Many companies use contract manufacturing; this is a factory that produces the item on their behalf. This is often where the problem starts as some people in that factory may on-sell the so-called same item to others but with a different name. But the products are not the same, changes have been made to reduce the cost otherwise they would not be able to compete. The outside may look identical but inside cheaper and lower quality parts have been used instead. This results in lower quality music and lower reliability. They will also not be approved or tested for the intended markets. Warranty and support will be virtually non-existent. These products are most often sold via Internet auctions or unscrupulous dealers trying to make a quick buck. They have no issues riding on the hard work done by official distributors. After all, if the distributor hadn’t done the hard work promoting the product you wouldn’t know about that product in the first place!

Written by Leon Gross, originally published in Audio & Video Lifestyle magazine.

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