[reincarnate]

It has been amusing noticing the almost complete lack of original engineering in so many products today. It seems like everything is a clone, even though there are attempts to cover up the fact. So if you spot a clone of another product, post it here. I'll start with a few:


Dvd Players

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Scroll down to the Onkyo - DV-SP502 Universal DVD Player and read what Kris has to say:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-b...20DVD%20Player



Amplifiers

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Originally Posted by thylantyr

More comedy. The Behringer EP2500 is a cloned version of QSC RMX 2450 .... {less big tranny} and the Tapco Juice J2500 looks like a Behringer EP2500

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/closeup/J2500--Main

vs.
http://media.zzounds.com/media/brand...f18b5844ad.jpg




Studio quality amp, no fan and both balanced and unbalanced inputs. For $180 bucks. Have your cake and it eat it too. Yummy!
http://www.behringer.com/A500/index.cfm?lang=ENG


BTW, the Behringer A500 appears be the similar to the Alesis RA500:
http://www.alesis.com/products/ra500/index.html

Here is the Alesis RA500 being advertised. Notice the price is double the similar/identical Behringer A500.
http://www.bananas.com/productdetail...ower-Amplifier



A/V Processors

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http://www.audioholics.com/productre...orReview05.php



Lessons learned: don't be fooled, as appearances can be deceiving. And don't overpay, as can cost dearly for brand loyalty.


Please post your own results. Thanks!


P.S. Animal clones not allowed. However special exemption is granted for clones of Angelina Jolie

 

[Fraoch]

It's possible they are not "clones" but it's in the same spirit - I've heard that Lexicon amps are made by Crown.


This is not cloning, rather it's OEM manufacturing.


If this doesn't fit with the thread let me know and I'll delete it.

 

[reincarnate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fraoch It's possible they are not "clones" but it's in the same spirit - I've heard that Lexicon amps are made by Crown. This is not cloning, rather it's OEM manufacturing. If this doesn't fit with the thread let me know and I'll delete it.

You raise a good point as to what criteria should we use to call two similar products a clone. How about also including it if they are related. Lets expose the "counterfeits" or unauthorized "knockoffs" too.


I vote for anything that is within the same family, as the main point of this thread is to provide (all in good fun) entertainment.


We can also expose, document, educate the consumer to this all to common situation today. (Has it even gotten out-of-hand?) That is, lets find out the product secrets that manufactures try to keep to themselves.


If any manufacture wants to vent (from being victimized) then that is ok too. All sides are welcome, just don't get upset for bringing this potentially tender subject to light.

 

[Fraoch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by reincarnate You raise a good point as to what criteria should we use to call two similar products a clone. How about also including it if they are related. Lets expose the "counterfeits" or unauthorized "knockoffs" too. I vote for anything that is within the same family, as the main point of this thread is to provide (all in good fun) entertainment. We can also expose, document, educate the consumer to this all to common situation today. (Has it even gotten out-of-hand?) That is, lets find out the product secrets that manufactures try to keep to themselves. If any manufacture wants to vent (from being victimized) then that is ok too. All sides are welcome, just don't get upset for bringing this potentially tender subject to light.

Yes, very true.


In OEM manufacturing, there's no "funny business" going on from the manufacturer's standpoint. They are building the device under contract from the company putting their name on it and selling it.


However the consumer could feel they are being "duped". If what I heard about Lexicon's amps is true, Lexicon is seen as a high-end elite line while Crown is more of a pro-audio workhorse. Not that there's anything wrong with either, but certain consumers may not like the implications on "cachet" value.


Cloning is more of a serious matter for the manufacturer as their device has been reverse-engineered in a semi-illegal (or even completely illegal!) way. What's interesting is the consumer may feel the exact opposite of OEM manufacturing - they may feel that they are getting an identical product for less.


Of course, the cloned product may have substandard parts, but that's another matter.

 

[ekb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fraoch I've heard that Lexicon amps are made by Crown.

I thought Lexicon amps are made by Bryston.


Ed

 

[jdcrox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ekb I thought Lexicon amps are made by Bryston. Ed

You are correct. Although Lex has a new line out now, no idea who makes them.

John

 

[sjoh]

Hello Everyone,


I think both Lexicon and Crown are parts of the same company.


Sejin.

 

[Fraoch]

Sorry guys, I was just going by this post :

Quote:

Is the dealer carrying Crown selling the professional gear, or the home theater gear which I believe is rebranded for Lexicon??

 

[4WR]

Bryston DID build Lex's until Lex wanted them to stuff more amps in one box than Bryston was comfortable with. Rather than compromise their good name Bryston told them to take a hike and now Crown builds Lex.

 

[spyboy]

Lexicon, Crown, HK, Infinity, JBL and others are all part of Harman International.


Harman International is so huge they can afford to release buggy receivers by HK and get away with it year after year after year.


That is the bad news. The good news is that the affiliation has allowed HK to incorporate Logic 7 from Lexicon and offer speaker/room EQ at a fraction of the price of Lexicon.

 

[TrojanHorse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fraoch In OEM manufacturing, there's no "funny business" going on from the manufacturer's standpoint. They are building the device under contract from the company putting their name on it and selling it. However the consumer could feel they are being "duped". If what I heard about Lexicon's amps is true, Lexicon is seen as a high-end elite line while Crown is more of a pro-audio workhorse. Not that there's anything wrong with either, but certain consumers may not like the implications on "cachet" value. Cloning is more of a serious matter for the manufacturer as their device has been reverse-engineered in a semi-illegal (or even completely illegal!) way. What's interesting is the consumer may feel the exact opposite of OEM manufacturing - they may feel that they are getting an identical product for less. Of course, the cloned product may have substandard parts, but that's another matter.

You are starting to assign shades of meaning to the terms here...

Contract manufacturing might mean the company is building multiple versions of an identical product and rebadging it (cloning) or building something to the seller's specifications that is not necessarily sold under any other guise (OEM).


Then you also have things that have the same guts but are not necessarily implemented in the same way (see PC video cards or motherboards for an example, also many DVD players) So the circuit boards are built and sold, and then the end vendor packages them and sells them. My interpretation was that this particular style was what the OP was originally referring to, but identifying all modes is interesting none-the-less.


Then of course, you have outright design thievery. I imagine that's hard to prove.