sergiofucchi Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 They are identicals 1) http://www.visuals-switzerland.net/en/preamplified-microphone/3251-sound-devices-hx-3-stereo-headphone-amplifier.html 2) http://www.headfonia.com/superlux-ha3d-amplifier/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramallo Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Also the box are very close, the Superlux comes with the elastic transparent plastic over a carton structure like the SD. (Maybe the same manufacturer?) I have two Superlux and works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 http://www.superlux.com.tw/productInfo.do?pdctid=05e5fcdd-8508-458d-902c-f53652aa1bde&pdkid=34b7f451-a2f6-4d74-8a1d-5a0176f1272a&level=2&lv0=1 what about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundslikejustin Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 How has this company not been sued into obliteration?? They are obvious copies of many big audio manufacturers. A quick look around reveals Sound Devices, AKG, Schoeps, Shure, Nagra, and Rode imitations, just to name a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Southern Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 How has this company not been sued into obliteration?? They are obvious copies of many big audio manufacturers. A quick look around reveals Sound Devices, AKG, Schoeps, Shure, Nagra, and Rode imitations, just to name a few. Is there any possibility that these companies are licensing designs to Superlux for foreign consumption? Wishful thinking, I'm sure, but I suppose it's possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_tatooles Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yes, the Superlux is a 100% copy of our HX-3. So too is the included documentation. The PC board layout was either photocopied or they measured and layed it out exactly the same, errors and all. While companies like Shure and AKG (Harman) have the resources to go after this kinds of products, the legal costs just to do due diligence on this would cripple a small company like Sound Devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_tatooles Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Is there any possibility that these companies are licensing designs to Superlux for foreign consumption? Wishful thinking, I'm sure, but I suppose it's possible. I can only speak for Sound Devices, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Also the box are very close, the Superlux comes with the elastic transparent plastic over a carton structure like the SD. (Maybe the same manufacturer?) I have two Superlux and works very well. You should return both of these to the retailer if not too late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I think that is a totally reprehensible rip off of a very well designed product. It's terrible that they can get away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 and there have been rip-offs of Rycote and Sennheiser windshields too. the chinese seem to have a penchant to copy it all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramallo Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 You should return both of these to the retailer if not too late. Is too late :-( (Several months old), but I'll write the seller about this issue. The seller and european importer is a major online company called Thomann www.thomann.de http://www.thomann.de/es/superlux_ha3d.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramallo Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Look at this http://www.superlux.com.tw/productInfo.do?pdctid=05e5fcdd-8508-458d-902c-f53652aa1bde&pdkid=34b7f451-a2f6-4d74-8a1d-5a0176f1272a&level=2&lv0=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 I hate it when I see this. It really irks me when I see rip offs of things that are really really close but one little thing is different so the person that did the ripping off can claim they didn't, but this stuff. This is just a blatant copy with a different name on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Knock offs are a big part of sales in the consumer audio area. A company like Thomann sells originals (like an SM58) and cheap lookalikes by their own brand. To me, as long as the knock offs have a clearly different brand name (as in Superlux) than the originals, and don't have the same quality (which at the price difference is more than likely) I don't have a problem with that. Many consumers don't want to spend the money the originals cost and don't need the quality anyway. Whoever needs reliable equipment will go for the originals. I don't believe Superlux harms Schoeps or SD sales noticably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramallo Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Knock offs are a big part of sales in the consumer audio area. A company like Thomann sells originals (like an SM58) and cheap lookalikes by their own brand. To me, as long as the knock offs have a clearly different brand name (as in Superlux) than the originals, and don't have the same quality (which at the price difference is more than likely) I don't have a problem with that. Many consumers don't want to spend the money the originals cost and don't need the quality anyway. Whoever needs reliable equipment will go for the originals. I don't believe Superlux harms Schoeps or SD sales noticably. The problem is this device is more than a simple copy, is near to original (Machine, box and manual). This is the reason that I had the idea that this machine was made by the same manufacturer, but I read in this thread that is a knockoff. Is very bizarre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 " Is very bizarre " not really... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimPitot Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 It's bizarre that a legit company like Thoman would carry these shady goods. I think SD should have a serious word with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent R. Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 Half of thomann's inventory is somewhat a knock off. They make good money with it. I'm not surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 A look at Behringer's history, for one example, shows that this sort of thing isn't unheard of near our corner of the audio world. Mackie, Aphex, dbx, Roland, and others have all sued Behringer. Not all successfully, but all presented pretty compelling evidence. A bummer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behringer#Recent_developments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent R. Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 "On November 30, 1999, the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington, dismissed Mackie claims that Behringer had infringed on Mackie copyrights with its MX 8000 mixer, noting that circuit schematics are not covered by copyright laws." Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Just because they lost the lawsuit doesn't mean that Mackie wasn't right. Behringer's gear unquestionably copies other company's designs... the problem is, the designs can't be protected by patents or copyrights in most ways. I always thought that was a terrible miscarriage of justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 I heard a story about Behringer getting pissed when one of their contract manufacturers knocked off Behringer's products and sold them FOR EVEN LESS MONEY. This may be apocryphal, but it's a good story. Oh. Small world. From Sound on Sound: "The Superlux CMH8 mics are only a few of the products manufactured by Tenlux Electronics, based in Taiwan. The company... continues to manufacture microphone products for many companies including Sony, Sharp, Electrovoice and Behringer." http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan02/articles/superluxmics.asp So maybe Tenlux knocked off Behringer, Schoeps, Shure (even a 520/Green Bullet clone), and who knows whom else (besides Sound Devices). Well that brings us full circle on the sordid tale of Superlux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergiofucchi Posted August 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 I think that Sound Devices buy its electronic circuits and components from China and from others countries of that Area. So it is possible that the electonics of Sound Devices is manifactured by Superlux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 <Yes, the Superlux is a 100% copy of our HX-3. So too is the included documentation. The PC board layout was either photocopied or they measured and layed it out exactly the same, errors and all.> from Jon Tatooles - President of Sound Devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Mayer Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 I think that Sound Devices buy its electronic circuits and components from China and from others countries of that Area. So it is possible that the electonics of Sound Devices is manifactured by Superlux. Absolutely not. Every Sound Devices product is designed in Reedsburg, WI. The only time(s) a Sound Device product has appeared without the Sound Devices name on it is when we OEM'd some products for our friends at Shure. Luckily, since a good majority of our products are now software driven, the chances that something major like a recorder or mixer will be copied are nil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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