Real or Fake Audioquest Sky's

dcoil

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, but there have been several other 'cable' threads in here so..

I purchased 2 sets of Audioquest Sky cables on agon. Not cheap but a decent price for Sky ($600 each). One is a short XLR, the other a 1M RCA. Seller had the box in the pic, but wanted to hang on to it. I now have the cables, but I would like to be assured that they indeed are authentic. I've tried taking the RCA ends apart to look at the construction, but all I can do is unscrew the outside RCA ring or barrel. I can't slide the long ring back down the cable to get a peak at the wiring guts (to make sure it's silver cables in tubes, etc). Does anyone have an idea on how to determine if either of these cables are legit?

danz1906

Can you post a pic of the Cables?
There's two pair of Sky cables on Audiogon going for $525.00

fbm211

how do they sound?

dcoil

fbm211 wrote: »

how do they sound?

Well, compared to my 3$ stock cables, they sound pretty good. Do they sound like genuine AQ cables? That's what I'm trying to determine - I'd love to know! I haven't got a lot of cable experience. I did a lot of research and thought that based on my electronics and speakers that these would be a pretty good fit. Yes, obviously that can only be determined by listening. However, I don't want to be paying $1200 for $20 cables regardless.

I have attached several pics of the RCA cables.

Again, I'd

DarqueKnight

dcoil wrote: »

Seller had the box in the pic, but wanted to hang on to it.

That is a serious red flag to me. Did you ask him why he needed the box if the cables are sold? I have never encountered a seller who refused to include original manufacturer's packaging. Most sellers (and buyers) consider the inclusion of original packaging a plus.

Audioquest cables are a favorite of far east counterfeiters. AudioQuest's website noted that, while the counterfeiters have been able to closely copy the external appearance of genuine AQ cables, they have not been so successful in copying the look of AQ's packaging. Some counterfeiters even had misspellings and grammatical errors on the fake packaging in addition to colors that were off.

If the seller has the original packaging, I would insist that it be included. I would also insist on a copy of the original sales receipt.

dcoil wrote: »

Does anyone have an idea on how to determine if either of these cables are legit?

Send an email to AQ. They should be able to give you some tips on what to look for.

angelsfann02

I also say you should contact the manufacturer. What doesnt make sense to me is how they can be so good at copying the actual product, but the something as simple as packaging? Am I missing something folks? Its cardboard and ink. I would agree with the fact that if the seller wants to keep the packaging, something is quite wrong, why would you need it othet than to sell bogus stuff.....

DarqueKnight

dcoil wrote: »

Does anyone have an idea on how to determine if either of these cables are legit?

The only two sure ways I know of are:

1. They were purchased from a reputable seller who purchased them from an authorized AQ dealer and included a copy of the sales receipt.

2. Send photos to AudioQuest for verification, although, they may need to physically inspect the cables. If they require a physical inspection, they may charge a small fee.

I have PM'ed the email addresses of two AQ employees I have corresponded with. Getting a reply from their "info" email takes a day less than forever.

There are two generations of Sky interconnects. Gen 1 was made up to 2006. Gen 2 has an improved shielding system that contributes to better noise performance. In addition to the internal shielding, there are minor cosmetic differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2:

1. Gen 1 has white lettering on one cable and red lettering on the other. Gen 2 has white lettering on one cable and black lettering on the other.

2. Gen 1 cable jacket has black tick marks in groups of three. Gen 2 has single black tick marks.

3. The Gen 1 box has a picture of a blue sky with a single white bird. The Gen 2 box has a picture of the sun above a layer of clouds.

4. The Gen 1 cables were packaged in a black velvet bag inside a square box. The Gen 2 cables are packaged in a rectangular outer box with a plastic velvet-lined inner case with black fabric outer covering.

Here are some pictures showing the cosmetic differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2 Sky cables. Yours appear to be Gen 1.


Figure 1.


Figure 2.


Figure 3.

The three pictures below are one of my Sky pairs:


Figure 4.


Figure 5.


Figure 6.

This is a picture of the Gen 1 Sky box:

Figure 7.

dcoil wrote: »

Seller had the box in the pic, but wanted to hang on to it.

Was the Sky box in the seller's picture a Gen 1 or Gen 2 box? If it was a Gen 2 box, the seller probably bought a set of Gen 2's and was offloading his Gen 1's, hence, he wanted to keep his Gen 2 box to go with his Gen 2 cables.

By the way, the performance of the Gen 1 Sky is below that of the Niagara. The Niagara is the model just below the top-of-the-line Sky. Therefore, a Gen 1 Sky is comparable in performance to the current Colorado model, which is the third highest in performance.

angelsfann02 wrote: »

What doesnt make sense to me is how they can be so good at copying the actual product, but the something as simple as packaging?

As you can see, the packaging is not so simple. The inner case would be easier to duplicate, since it is just molded plastic lined on both sides with fabric. It would be difficult to exactly replicate the look and feel of the glossy outer box unless the exact paper and ink stocks were known.

AudioQuest used to have pictures of counterfeit packaging on their website, but I don't see them now, just a written warning about counterfeit product.

References

Link: Review: AudioQuest Sky vs. AudioQuest Niagara

Link: Review: AudioQuest Niagara

DarqueKnight

I just looked at AQ's May 2010 retail price list. There are now two models above Sky, for 1.6X and 2.8X Sky's price.:eek:

dcoil

DarqueKnight wrote: »

Was the Sky box in the seller's picture a Gen 1 or Gen 2 box? If it was a Gen 2 box, the seller probably bought a set of Gen 2's and was offloading his Gen 1's, hence, he wanted to keep his Gen 2 box to go with his Gen 2 cables.

He actually had the box for Gen 2 in his photo. When I asked why he wanted to keep the box, he said he paid a lot of money for his two set of cables and 1) it sounded like he set the boxes around to 'show off' how many cables he has (or had?) and 2) he likes the boxes to store other cables in.

zingo

Your best bet is going to AQ and sending them the pictures, or like Raife said, maybe sending them the cables. You are probably less likely to buy fake cables from Audiogon than EBay, but it's always nice to know what you have. Good luck!

DarqueKnight

I counted eight pairs of Sky interconnects for sale on Audiogon. Seven are Gen 1. I am not sure about one pair because the picture is too fuzzy to see the jacket details and the non-white cable is turned so that I can't see the color of the lettering. However, the pair I am uncertain about is offered by a seller who is also offering a Gen 1 pair, so the uncertain pair is probably Gen I also.

Two sellers of Gen 1 Skys state that their cables are the latest "version". They probably aren't trying to deceive. Some people think that the only difference between Gen 1 and Gen 2 is the type of battery pack offered.

Gen 1 Skys initially came with dual-cylinder 24V DBS packs (48 volts total). The dual-cylinder 24V packs were changed to dual-cylinder 36V packs (72 volts total). The dual-cylinder 36V packs were changed to a single rectangular 72V pack. The 72V DBS packs can be purchased separately and some people "upgraded" their Gen 1 Skys simply by replacing the cylindrical 24V or 36V battery packs with the rectangular 72V battery pack. I expect that most of them were unaware that there are internal, and audible, differences between the two generations. This is similar to the situation where SDA 2.3 and 1.2 owners thought they could upgrade their speakers to the 2.3TL and 1.2 TL simply by switching tweeters. They weren't aware that there were crossover circuit differences.

The Rabbit Hole Goes Deeper Than I Thought

The picture below is the box from my Gen 2 Sky cables:


Figure 1. Sky Gen 2 box with cloud picture and Gen 2 jacket braid pattern.

The picture below was taken from the Internet:


Figure 2. Sky box with Gen 2 cloud picture and Gen 1 cylindrical battery packs and Gen 1 jacket braid pattern.

AudioQuest informed me that the cloud picture was only used on Gen 2 boxes. Therefore, either

1. The packaging printer made an error.
2. The box face in Figure 2 is a forgery.
3. Someone at AudioQuest goofed and sent the wrong artwork to the printer.

I'll send these pictures to AQ and get their advisement.

dcoil

DK, you continue to be a wealth of knowledge!

And to update everyone, at DK's suggestion I got in contact with AudiQuest. They asked for me to send some good quality photos of the cables (ends, connectors, cable, etc.). I received a response today from them - "They look perfectly OK to us. You have real cables there."

I greatly appreciate everyones help and input. And it looks like I can now start having some fun with them.

spungal69

To Mr dcoil really

I have just purchased a set of sky's off audiogon the same as dcoil, again the seller wants to keep the box and yep its the other set for $525, Was it a Mr Jarrat that you bought the cables from? and how do they sound? I have a genuine set of Audioquest Amazons so the comparison will be interesting once the sky's arrive.

RickTfromAZ

DarqueKnight,

A belated and sincere thank you for taking the time to post this valuable information. Using it this week, I was able to purchase a legitimate set of Gen. 2 XLR Skys. I am searching for one more set. You are correct about used Gen.2 Skys being hard to find.

I was also able to avoid another set that was extremely questionable. They may be fakes.
You will notice in the pictures below that this questionable set has the Gen. 2 lettering on the male ends, but has the Gen. 1 pattern on the braided sleeves. :eek: This set is presently listed on Audiogon with no pics. I had to request these personally from the seller. I also asked for a photo of the box, but was not sent one. This individual also has a set of Niagaras and a set of K2 speaker cables listed. I also noticed that this individual had ebay ads posted up until a couple of days ago for the same items. I checked back with ebay yesterday and found that all of his items had been removed. He also offers free worldwide shipping. Buyer Beware.

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ptlococo

DarqueKnight wrote: »

The only two sure ways I know of are:

1. They were purchased from a reputable seller who purchased them from an authorized AQ dealer and included a copy of the sales receipt.

2. Send photos to AudioQuest for verification, although, they may need to physically inspect the cables. If they require a physical inspection, they may charge a small fee.

I have PM'ed the email addresses of two AQ employees I have corresponded with. Getting a reply from their "info" email takes a day less than forever.

There are two generations of Sky interconnects. Gen 1 was made up to 2006. Gen 2 has an improved shielding system that contributes to better noise performance. In addition to the internal shielding, there are minor cosmetic differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2:

1. Gen 1 has white lettering on one cable and red lettering on the other. Gen 2 has white lettering on one cable and black lettering on the other.

2. Gen 1 cable jacket has black tick marks in groups of three. Gen 2 has single black tick marks.

3. The Gen 1 box has a picture of a blue sky with a single white bird. The Gen 2 box has a picture of the sun above a layer of clouds.

4. The Gen 1 cables were packaged in a black velvet bag inside a square box. The Gen 2 cables are packaged in a rectangular outer box with a plastic velvet-lined inner case with black fabric outer covering.

Here are some pictures showing the cosmetic differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2 Sky cables. Yours appear to be Gen 1.


Figure 1.


Figure 2.


Figure 3.

The three pictures below are one of my Sky pairs:


Figure 4.


Figure 5.


Figure 6.

This is a picture of the Gen 1 Sky box:

Figure 7.

Was the Sky box in the seller's picture a Gen 1 or Gen 2 box? If it was a Gen 2 box, the seller probably bought a set of Gen 2's and was offloading his Gen 1's, hence, he wanted to keep his Gen 2 box to go with his Gen 2 cables.

By the way, the performance of the Gen 1 Sky is below that of the Niagara. The Niagara is the model just below the top-of-the-line Sky. Therefore, a Gen 1 Sky is comparable in performance to the current Colorado model, which is the third highest in performance.



As you can see, the packaging is not so simple. The inner case would be easier to duplicate, since it is just molded plastic lined on both sides with fabric. It would be difficult to exactly replicate the look and feel of the glossy outer box unless the exact paper and ink stocks were known.

AudioQuest used to have pictures of counterfeit packaging on their website, but I don't see them now, just a written warning about counterfeit product.

References

Link: Review: AudioQuest Sky vs. AudioQuest Niagara

Link: Review: AudioQuest Niagara

There is a ton of good information here, however I am not sure how the Gen I Sky is below the Niagra and equal to the Colorado. The Colorado is copper and the Sky Gen I is silver. I have spent a great deal of time in contact with Audioquest on this subject and I am currently in the process of upgrading all 8 pairs of my Colorados to Sky Gen II. I decided to trade in all the Colorados to defray some of the cost of buying Sky Gen II from an authroised dealer who accepts trades. I haven't received all the Sky Gen II yet but I did receive 2 pairs and attached them to my Oppo 95 DVD player and auditioned DVD Audios for about 50 hours and was very impressed by the Sky Gen II but I was also impressed by the Colorados but after a break in period the Sky definitely have a tighter more focused bass and more air than the Colorados. Is it worth the price? I'll be better able to answer that after I have all Sky Gen II. But to my first point I don't think the Sky Gen I which are silver are equal to the Copper Colorados, neither does Audioquest. I think the information in this thread is Very Helpful but I got frustrated trying to Buy used Sky cables due to counterfits and finally threw in the towel and bought new from an Audioquest Dealer to remove all doubt. I could never have done that if they did not accept trades....

DarqueKnight

ptlococo wrote: »

There is a ton of good information here, however I am not sure how the Gen I Sky is below the Niagra and equal to the Colorado. The Colorado is copper and the Sky Gen I is silver. I have spent a great deal of time in contact with Audioquest on this subject and I am currently in the process of upgrading all 8 pairs of my Colorados to Sky Gen II. I decided to trade in all the Colorados to defray some of the cost of buying Sky Gen II from an authroised dealer who accepts trades. I haven't received all the Sky Gen II yet but I did receive 2 pairs and attached them to my Oppo 95 DVD player and auditioned DVD Audios for about 50 hours and was very impressed by the Sky Gen II but I was also impressed by the Colorados but after a break in period the Sky definitely have a tighter more focused bass and more air than the Colorados. Is it worth the price? I'll be better able to answer that after I have all Sky Gen II. But to my first point I don't think the Sky Gen I which are silver are equal to the Copper Colorados, neither does Audioquest. I think the information in this thread is Very Helpful but I got frustrated trying to Buy used Sky cables due to counterfits and finally threw in the towel and bought new from an Audioquest Dealer to remove all doubt. I could never have done that if they did not accept trades....

The performance hierarchy information regarding the older Gen 1 Skys and newer Niagara and Colorado cables came directly from AudioQuest via email.

Just because a cable's conductors are made of silver, it does not automatically mean it will sound better than a cable with copper conductors. There is more to a cable's sound than the conductor material. A higher grade of polished surface copper can sound better than a low grade of unpolished silver. In fact, poorly executed silver cables have earned a reputation for harshness among audiophiles.

Some significant improvements in metallurgy, shielding and construction were made between the Sky Gen Is and the newer AQ cables.

jon s

IMPORTANT: Be aware that AudioQuest's policy is that if you send them cables to be verified as authentic, they will keep and destroy said cables if they prove to be counterfeit.