[immtbiker]

If they are fakes, hats off to the counterfeiter.

It's possible that they were real, and they took out the original drivers and substituted them with something else, and reassembly caused a lot of the imperfections (except for the wood). They're pretty close.

Can't wait to see the limited edition ESW-10JPNCHN knockoffs

They'll probably cost around $100 US due to their rarity.

Note: the OP said he didn't receive a box, so any speculations about the cardboard and other materials is irrelevant. No documentation too! that's what leads me to believe a driver swapout.

 

[chi2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LostOne.TR /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you sure the seller will actually refund you? You mentioned the seller seemed to know about the shady origin of the cans, if so why did they even sell them.

The seller lives in Switzerland. His business model seems to be to import electronic goods from Hongkong. When I e-mailed him the first time to inquire he insisted the phones to be original. When I got them and mailed him that they are fakes he basically said yes, but they are still good headphones.

As he's local and has a business going on the ebay-clone internet auction platform "Ricardo" he's interested in not getting negative feedback. This and his word make me optimistic regarding the refund.

 

[Stevesebastianb]

Difficult to say?

The wooden cups on yours do not seem to be properly seated? Maybe someone had opened them up and did not do a good job of putting the cups back together.

Is the plug on your cable gold plated or silver? From the photos they look silver color?

Do you know anyone who has a legit pair you could borrow to do a apple to apple, side by side review?

 

[Lamenthe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker /img/forum/go_quote.gif If they are fakes, hats off to the counterfeiter. It's possible that they were real, and they took out the original drivers and substituted them with something else, and reassembly caused a lot of the imperfections (except for the wood). They're pretty close. Can't wait to see the limited edition ESW-10JPNCHN knockoffs They'll probably cost around $100 US due to their rarity. Note: the OP said he didn't receive a box, so any speculations about the cardboard and other materials is irrelevant. No documentation too! that's what leads me to believe a driver swapout.

That sounds really inefficient for counterfeiters. Either way, comparing them with real ESW9s, they don't look like they were just reassembled. But I guess any number of things is possible when it's coming all the way from Hong Kong.

 

[chi2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stevesebastianb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is the plug on your cable gold plated or silver? From the photos they look silver color?

It is gold plated and thus not different from the legit version.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stevesebastianb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you know anyone who has a legit pair you could borrow to do a apple to apple, side by side review?

A direct comparison would certainly be ideal, but I guess the trivia game "find the ten differences" can be considered solved.

 

[Stevesebastianb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chi2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is gold plated and thus not different from the legit version. A direct comparison would certainly be ideal, but I guess the trivia game "find the ten differences" can be considered solved.

^^^I think the price paid was probably a dead give away, that and the fact there was no packaging. But if you could loan a legit set, then it would set your mind at ease and you could also compare the sound as well!

 

[chi2]

Just a very short follow-up: I was fully refunded and returned the knock-offs yesterday. Anyone buying a used ESW9 or a new one from an unknown source should keep in mind that there are in fact fakes in the market.

Take care,
Urs

 

[jamontoast]

Hi guys,

I've been watching a set of ESW-9s on ebay, lucky I found this thread:

Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 Headphone [GREAT BARGIN] - eBay Earphones, Headphones, Earphones, MP3 Player Accessories, Electronics. (end time 27-Feb-09 15:33:47 AEDST)

DEFINITELY fake, which is very disappointing

The ebay listing even says 'don't know if this is original or a copy' so this immediately raises the alarm!

The crappy pleather bag, the poor stitching, the low wood quality and the really shaky writing on the 'right' tag indicate that we definitely have a ESW-9 fake problem here, which sucks.

Headphone counterfeiting makes me mad, because of the poor quality of the clones, and the blatant rip-off prices these go for. Sony rip off headphones go for $60AUS on ebay here in Australia

 

[chi2]

I agree, these are fakes for sure. The plague is spreading.

 

[mitch_o]

Hey guys, I'm really excited to potentially be picking up a pair of these from a seller, but I'm a bit concerned about the legitimacy of this pair. All I have to judge on before I drive over there (a fair-sized drive) is pictures of the unopened packaging.

Would any of you be willing to post pictures of what your (legit) box looks like? I'm mainly concerned about the back of the box, as there is no warranty sticker or serial number on the back of this one (though I'm not sure if there is supposed to be).

I've attached the pictures below, and I would love to hear what you all think. Thanks so much!

 

[Kernmac]

Purchase from legit sources only. This not only prevents you from getting ripped off, it supports the legit sellers and keeps them viable. If the deal seems to good to be true, then it probably isn't a good deal. Buying second hand from someone can be a good way to get the real deal cheaper than you would otherwise, but you must check out your seller, the answers are often there if you look. Buying supposedly new for well below wholesale prices is a fair indicator that the product is fake. Retailers have significant markup, and some can discount, however massive price reductions are not possible unlesss, either the retailer is making a loss on a particular item to get out of it, or the supplier has offered a deal to get out of the product. Retailers (bricks and mortar or via the Net)that only sell the dicount product are unlikely to have obtained the product from the supplier (particularly with current stock product) as the suppliers normal retailers would complain bitterly about the poduct being heavily discounted so that they can't sell the "normal" stock. There will always be fake product on the market, buyer beware- if it is super cheap, it is unlikely to be super.


mitch o - the box looks exactly like it is suppose to. Warranty etc is inside. It is impossible to tell you whether these are fake or not from your photos (although the wood looks different, more grain). Ask yourself is the price too cheap? And what evidence do you have that the seller is legit? (EG: Feedback etc.) If you know nothing of the seller and there is no feedback, then the risk is obviously higher.

 

[jkleejk]

i am encounter the fake ESW9 last weekend which is selling only $20+, it sound horrible, even worse than fake ES7. I know that shop very well, so they told me the truth.
comparing to the real ES9, i can see the fake ESW9 wood cup isnt smooth & its color is so much lighter than the real 1. The real 1 has much darker color & it is nicely polished.

 

[chi2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkleejk /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... i can see the fake ESW9 wood cup isnt smooth & its color is so much lighter than the real 1. The real 1 has much darker color & it is nicely polished.

As the fake ones I (temporarily) had were pretty smooth and nicely polished the finish of the wood may not be one of the key criteria - while the color and grain of the wood certainly are.

 

[mitch_o]

Thanks for the responses guys, and I do of course understand the risk. Just to confirm with some of you others though - this model isn't serialized on the back of the box, right?

thanks

mitch

 

[Dalmane98]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitch_o /img/forum/go_quote.gif this model isn't serialized on the back of the box, right? thanks mitch

The back of my box looks just like yours...and mine are not fakes...