[Editorial] CDs and Compact Cassettes, certainly not original, directly from China! Is this new music piracy?

Let's face it: the so-called ChiFi wave is a phenomenon to be undeniably reckoned. The offer of components is vast and ranges from super-cheap to very expensive gear, with all the variations between these two extremes. Obviously, among original and even good sounding products, there are components designed without any logical plan (we have reviewed several of these) and others that are just inglorious clones of glorious vintage HiFi components.

All this doesn't surprise me too much, as it's part of the wild and aggressive marketing plan that has always characterized the Chinese industry. What amazes me is to discover the cloning procedure has not applied to HiFi components only, but has been extended to contaminate the world of musical media.

I have just discovered, with great amazement and some perplexity, that music albums - both in CD and Compact Cassette (!!!) formats - can now also be found on, hear hear!, Aliexpress. Given the extremely low prices, I have serious doubts that they are original, in fact they certainly aren't, but their availability on the well-known Chinese online store suggests more than one reflection.

It is clear that there is a market, perhaps a niche, limited one, but it does exist. China is unbeatable in this field: intercepting the market's desires and satisfying them at low prices. You can find more or less everything, typically rock classics (Queen, Guns'n'Roses, Nirvana, Metallica etc.) and the buyers' reviews are even very positive. I have long learned to be wary of the judgments made by non-expert consumers on audio quality, just look at the blunders you read on Amazon, but it is impossible to deny that there is supply and demand. The cost, more or less, is €8 for a compact cassette, and a little more for CDs, plus possibly a couple of euros for shipping. Sometimes shipping is included in the asking price.

One of the stores where these albums can be found is Art Lives Store, but there are others too. Even more surprisingly, in this store, you can find some bizarre HiFi LPCD, described as follows (their English, not mine!):

In other words, these are - if I understand correctly from the imaginative automatic translation of Aliexpress - reissues on CD of vinyl records, ripped and then converted to digital. For example, this Queen album is a 3-CD box set, with the band's greatest hits, at a cost of €27, including shipping. On the cover you can read a pretentious Perfect HiFi Sound Quality, then Lossless Fever and also an embarrassing Vinyl Records tag.

In another store, you can buy apparently original CDs and cassettes, like this Metallica's “...and justice for all” CD, at a cost of €15 including shipping. Naturally, the The Dark Side of the Moon Compact Cassette could not be missed, at a cost of €13 including shipping. Will die-hard TDSOTM collectors resist the temptation to grab a Chinese clone of their favorite record, to add to the other thousands of different versions they already own? I doubt it.

Real 33 rpm vinyl records are also available, but at very high prices (between €50 and €80). I couldn't figure out if it was original or cloned material. It is sometimes stated as simply “used”. Of course, buying used vinyl on Aliexpress, at these high prices, redefines the very concept of a risky purchase.

In conclusion, I observe with concern and suspicion this unscrupulous commercial system, which apparently makes a mockery of royalties and intellectual property. I like Chinese companies when they design and build new products, designing them from scratch, much less when they unscrupulously clone and exploit someone else's intellectual work. When will there be a Chinese clone of TNT-Audio, where all the reviewed products sound good? :-)

To tell the whole truth, for years we have been receiving requests from phantom Chinese internet providers asking us to register tnt-audio.cn domains and similar variants. Their hope, obviously, is that we will oppose it, paying the other party so as not to create confusion. We have, of course, always declined the offer.

DISCLAIMER. TNT-Audio is neither a shop, nor a HiFi company or a repair laboratory for HiFi components. We don't sell anything. It is a 100% independent magazine that neither accepts advertising from companies nor requires readers to register or pay for subscriptions. If you wish, you can support our independent reviews via a PayPal donation. After publication of reviews, the authors do not retain samples other than on long-term loan for further evaluation or comparison with later-received gear. Hence, all contents are written free of any “editorial” or “advertising” influence, and all reviews in this publication, positive or negative, reflect the independent opinions of their respective authors. TNT-Audio will publish all manufacturer responses, subject to the reviewer's right to reply in turn.

April 2024 editorial

New music piracy from China?