The FAKE HEADPHONE thread....Please read this first.

If you buy your Sennheiser headphones DIRECTLY from Amazon and Play then they will be real. Both are recommended resellers of Sennheiser.

Websites that do comparisons on real and fake are your only guide.
Sometimes I can only tell real from fake is by doing a side by side comparison with a new pair.

like this from fakeheadphones.com

Search Results amazon sold me
 
Today, I recieved my order of Sennheiser CX400ii from Amazon. I am very pleased with them so far, far superior to the standard Apple headphones I'm used to. I am finding it a bit odd with the feel of them at the moment though, not used to having in-ear headphones.

I ordered them from Amazon.co.uk directly (seller listed as Amazon EU S.a.r.L), not the Amazon marketplace. But after doing my research, I was told that even these may not be legit.

So I was wondering if there are any common ways to identify a fake set?

All the packaging looks right when compared to the pictures shown on the Amazon.co.uk website page, the S's on the ear pieces are not off centre, the in-line volume control does not silence the music just makes it very low...I can't spot any visual defects on the headphones themselves, but am not sure what to look for other than those I have listed.

What is concerning me is that I can not spot the hologram on the packaging, but when looking at pictures online I can't see any holograms either. Also, the pictures on the back of the packaging is of the 2 earbuds and then the whole contents (case, etc), whereas the pictures of the back of the packaging I see online shows the back as picturing each ear piece seperately. If I can later I will upload some pictures.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I feel they are genuine, but I'm paranoid after being told even the Amazon.co.uk headphones could be fake.
 
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Thought I'd put up some pictures I took earlier.

I apologise for the amount, I took multiple pictures of the same areas, but with/without flash, etc. As I just wanted to make sure I gave people the best chance at spotting if they are genuine or not.

Comparing them to here, they seem genuine:
Blast! I Think My Sennheiser CX400 Earphones Are Genuine

The cable wrap and clip (clip not pictured as I don't want to take it out of its bag yet) both look genuine as well, according to here:
How can I define fake cx400??

I have watched a number of unboxings on YouTube, and all the things they point out appear to indicate mine are genuine, however I have come across a number of conflicting comparisons on other websites. For instance, some websites say the grille on the ear-pieces should be flat, others say rounded, there is no clear definitive guide. It is the pouch which is confusing me the most, as I can't figure out what a genuine one looks like (due to the conflicting guides) and I realise that if one piece is fake then the whole lot is fake.

It is this guide that is causing me confusion, as I judging by the grille on this guide mine are fake and the guide for the pouch is odd, as my pouch seems to have the finish of the fake one but the tag of the genuine one (but I'm not sure if the look of the finsh is just the lighting in the picture), guide is linked here:
eBay Guides - Identifying fake Sennheiser CX 400 earphones hi res

If anyone with some experience of these headphones could help, I'd appreciate it.
 

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Thought I'd put up some pictures I took earlier.

*snip*

If anyone with some experience of these headphones could help, I'd appreciate it.
Hi Foster.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I strongly suspect the above phones are, alas, fakes. If it's any consolation, I've just been done by an Amazon seller flogging precisely the above.

Thoroughly annoyed with myself for being so foolish but in my defence the seller was part of the "Fulfilled by Amazon" service (stock kept and dispatched by Amazon must be legit, right? No, apparently) and had a 100% feedback score, even receiving acknowledgements of the receipt of "genuine Sennheisers" from fellow dupes.

The only plus is that the FbA scheme should mean a painless refund, if the Amazon customer rep I contacted today is proved right.

Fortunately, I retained my previous, genuine CX400 II's (the right earphone is damaged, hence the intended replacements) to make a side-by-side comparison, which revealed several inaccuracies. Hopefully the following will help others:

So let's start with the carry pouch. Several discrepancies here, first of all the exterior. The fake's pouch is noticeably smaller, the "S" is shinier and vertically stretched and the square that surrounds the logo's cut-off points are strangely rounded; by contrast, the original's are perfectly squared off.

Exterior

Inside, the difference is even more obvious if you know what you're looking for. Once again, fake on the left, real on the right:

Interior

Moving onto the earphones themselves, probably the biggest give away is the "CX400 II" name plate:

Fake
Genuine

Sadly, yours (as mine) appears to match to the former rather than the latter.

Also, if you look closely, you may notice the connections into the plate look ever so slightly frayed on the fake set; slight imperfections are the overriding theme. ;)

Less instantly noticeable are tiny differences in the Sennheiser logo on the actual buds:

Fake
Real

Apologies for the photo quality, but you may be able to work out that the real set has little rounded curves on the "S" whereas the fake's is square.

Finally, the speaker grille in the fake set is extremely shiny (you can see your reflection in it!) in comparison to the dull sheen of the genuine set's.

More generally, the fake's cheap and nasty build quality is clear when holding both pairs: the wires feel rough, tacky and lightweight. For the most part though, it's annoyingly accurate and I doubt I'd have cottoned on without the benefit of owning a genuine pair and knowing what to spot in a fake from previous forum posts.

In summary then, *don't buy from ExpressDelivery50 on Amazon* or anyone other than a licensed seller for that matter.

Hope you can get something sorted. :smashin:

EDIT: Just to confirm, Amazon has refunded the purchase after receiving the return. *phew*
 
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Hi Guys, Hope this links to the "Fake Headphone" thread.

Have just purchased a pair of RS170 from a seller called GimmeDigi in Hong Kong and being shipped to Australia. Does anyone know if they are a seller of fakes.
Research on feedback from them was a bit scarce, so not so sure.
Bought them for 240AUD (158quid) which was a saving of 42 pounds thinking they were not that cheap not to be legit., but after reading this read this thread im not so sure as i cant find out whether they are an authorised seller or not

Should receive them either tomorrow or the next da.

Any help on the seller would be appreciated.

cheers, Tom
 
this is the "eco packaging" cheaper but genuine

I bought a pair of CX300 of E-Bay in eco packaging, £10.00 but were fake,
i did get my money back, the sound was dreadfull, and knowing what good reviews they had, they had got to be fakes.
 
Don't Buy From iHeadphones! Found this forum today, read the Fake headphones/Grey imports and then checked my earphones out with the UK Distributor and of course they are non-UK ones. I was told that they grey import loads of their headphones. I wish I had found the forum first!:blush:

They are in most of the lists of dodgy shops. How do people get away with this? I suppose I have no warranty now?:nono:

Headphone safe buying guide
 
How much did you get them for. sometimes, if something is too cheap, its a clear sign of a fake... can you post some pics??
 
That's the thing, they were cheaper than everywhere else! That is obviously how they do it, they probably sell fakes and buy all there stuff from dodgy places. Places like iHeadphones suck, it makes me worried to buy stuff from the internet. They must think their customers are idiots, they made me feel like an idiot:(

If it's really cheap don't buy it or at least read the guide on here!
 
Has anyone used base.com?
I'm looking for some Klipsch S4i, and they're selling them here. I'm just paranoid about buying them from anywhere now!

They're also available here on Amazon, under a Fulfilled by Amazon sale, sold by MP3 Accessories. These seem to be based in Ireland and the details reference Soundzdirect Ltd who I believe are an authorised Klipsch dealer, but I'm still not sure. What a minefield!
Cheers,
MarkP
 
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— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
Have you bought Fake Monster Beats or Sennheiser headphones?

If you have and you would like to speak out about it, please contact me. I have an opportunity to help a few people speak out on this issue and hopefully help others avoid disappointment. You must be in the UK, please let me know the circumstances of the fake purchase.

Thank you guys!:)

Please email me using - [email protected]
 
just a quick q. if i was to buy a set of koss headphones from amazon that was shipped and supplied by amazon, i should have not cause for concern right?
 
Possibly not: Monster Cable - Store Locator UK

Just remember that there is a difference between unauthorised, authorised, genuine and fake products

You can perfectly buy genuine products from an unauthorised dealer, it just means if you need to make a claim on the warranty then the manufacturer will probably not be interested. Notwithstanding you should be going to the retailer first under your statutory rights in England

Buying from Amazon direct would be safer than an Amazon reseller. But it appears Monster will not honour any warranty submissions
 
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hmmm food for thought although i will probably end up taking the risk as its very difficult to find koss online
 
Hi all

Been through this thread and now aware of the pitfall of buying fakes from ebay - so was wondering if anyone have tried this seller and whether they are genuine? Their blurbs suggest that they are but just wanted a second/third etc opinion.

Thanks

Vu5ter
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Same price new on Play.com. Or a couple quid more at other sites. Not sure why you would peruse a listing close to the current going rate from an eBay seller advertising a refurb - which you do not know whether is genuine or not
 
Hi All
I recently bought a new model of Beats Mixr heaphone. I compared to my friend's headphone which he bought earlier this year (2012).
We noticed that two headphones are in big difference. We went to authorized distributor and compare with their sample, Finally and unfortunately my headphone is a big Fake.

I share the information here and hope it will be helpfull to everyone.
 

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A silly non-point and cheap shot because all brands are targets for counterfeits. Can we have serious posts please.

Soundtech, if you do not have permission from head-fi your post will be edited for hotlinking
 
How can you possibly deny that the massive amount of faked Beats is a good reason to avoid them? They are faked in massive quantities, overpriced, even the genuine ones are poorly made with SQ well below their price and if 'Dr Dre' ever used them in a studio session I'd be amazed. Leave them for Ashley Cole to parade about in.
 
A silly non-point and cheap shot because all brands are targets for counterfeits. Can we have serious posts please.

Soundtech, if you do not have permission from head-fi your post will be edited for hotlinking

Steven, how and where should i start a serious post.
how can i get permission from head-fi?
i want to make known to as much people as possible.
 

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