Lost $80 on a fake Thorens TD-160 tonearm cable

Picked up what I thought was a legit vintage cable from a seller on the 'bay last month. Looked perfect in the pics, but when it showed up the shielding was totally modern plastic and the connectors were cheap brass. Tried to get a refund but the seller ghosted me and PayPal said since it was an "as-is" listing I was SOL. Just a heads up to always ask for pics of the actual cable ends before you buy, not just the stock photo. Anyone else get burned by fake analog accessories?

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1 Comment

the_henry4d ago

Honestly, that sucks but here's the thing nobody talks about with these old Thorens cables. The original ones from the 70s were actually pretty basic and had that weird rubbery smell. I've compared a few originals side by side with modern builds and the old ones physically feel different in your hand. The plastic on the original connectors was softer and would get almost sticky with age. Plus the cable itself was way more flexible than any modern replacement I've seen. Tbh if the seller had an actual photo of the whole cable curled up, you could spot the fake by how stiff it looks in the bends.