Chinese knock-off Driverack PA2

[Seth]

I'm not sure what to think about this. Part of me is yahoo. The other part, dripping with skepticism.

A few years ago, I noticed China was spitting out cloned versions of Ashly DSP processors that claimed to work with Ashly's PC tuning software. They were selling for about $350, when the authentic unit from Ashly retails for about $1400.

I recently noticed a ton of "new" dbx Driverack PA2's selling on ebay for $200-300, when they sell for over $550 at reputable retailers. A closer look and the labeling is different and they all seem to ship from China. The description says the units work with the dbx control software for PC as well as the Android and i-Phone apps, which is a really handy feature in my opinion.

Not an option I'd consider for a professional gigging system. Although, maybe for a hobby system. I wonder how well these units measure up functionally?

I also think the existence of these units is something we might want to educate newbies about. Not necessarily to avoid or seek them out. More so just to be aware.

Example here. Notice it says "Driverack PA2", but doesn't have the dbx labeling on the left of the face.

Do any of you guys have any experience with one of these budget knock-off's?

[Bruce Weldy]

Personally, I'd never buy a counterfeit product. It's unfair to dbx as they are stealing their intellectual property. Now, if they put their own name on it, that's one thing - but they are trying to dupe the public into buying a fake.

Whether or not it works is immaterial.

[Keryn O'Shea]

In Aus, a DBX PA2 goes for around $1200au new, & l haven't seen any used units for sale. So yes, very tempting Seth.
Whether you're a hobbyist or pro... what Bruce said
On AliExpress here they quote $362au plus free shipping, eBay $449.99.
I'm too poor, to buy cheap gear.

[Seth]

Personally, I'd never buy a counterfeit product. It's unfair to dbx as they are stealing their intellectual property. Now, if they put their own name on it, that's one thing - but they are trying to dupe the public into buying a fake.

Whether or not it works is immaterial.

I'll be honest. It took a reasonable amount of thought and contemplation coming up with a response to this. At least ten times, I've typed up 5 or more lines of a response, not been happy with what was written, and deleted the whole thing. After sleeping on it for the night and further deep reflective thought, I can't, in good consciousness argue any avenue or angle to get around what you've written. You're 100% right, I agree, and I feel a little embarrassed and foolish for having suggested it might be a good idea for someone. I acknowledge you for having the wisdom to see things clearly and the fortitude to speak up and stand for what's right.

I've just sent an email to dbx at Harmon and basically said, "Here's what I'm seeing. Are you aware of it? Are you doing anything about it?" I look forward to their response.

There is a gross onslaught of ebay sellers, selling these units. I set out to count the number of listings for "new" PA2's between $200 and $300. I stopped counting at 30 and I wouldn't be surprised if there were twice that many or more.

I am definitely going to mention the existence of knock-off units in the market when I make the recommendation to purchase a Driverack in the future. I'm going to mention them in the context of "don't get burned". However, I don't have it in my heart to ridicule or pass judgement on someone who intentionally makes the choice to purchase a knockoff. To each their own.

I am still curious just how closely the construction and functionality of them mimics the real deal. One of the knock-off units is certainly going to show up here on the forum sooner or later. Perhaps I'll get some answers then.

Bruce, your compass is true and you're an oak. Thanks for being that.

[Seth]

I did a little looking around and it turns out some have already done the footwork, way beyond the scope that I'm capable of doing. The thread is a year old, so the clone/knockoff's have been out there and on the market for longer than I thought. It appears there are differences in the quality of parts used, although many of the major components appear to be genuine. No mention of peripheral functionality differences.

Chinese DriveHack PA2 Hopeful Improvements

[Bruce Weldy]

As the President and Founder of the Cheap Bastard Society, I totally understand the desire to save money. If a company wants to try and reverse engineer a product and change it just enough to keep the patent office at bay and not break any laws, fine....as long as they put their own name on it. I draw the line at supporting a company that is comitting fraud.

But, over the years I've learned that saving a buck up front doesn't always equate to the better deal. An ideal that I routinely pass on to the guys whose mic and guitar cables I'm constantly repairing. If they'd just let me build 'em quality stuff from the beginning, they'd last forever.

As DJ Phatman (RIP) used to say on the forum all the time......Buy once, cry once.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

The chances of the knock offs being the same as the real thing are pretty much zero. The Chinese are very skilled at duplicating the look of the real deal, that's what sells the product, but they don't duplicate the circuitry, as that's what keeps the price down.