One company is countering this practice in order to protect their brand, their customers and their investment.

UK's Tellurium Q, one of the newer players in the audiophile cable market has told StereoNET today they have partnered with Authentic Vision, a high-tech company specialising in state-of-the-art encryption and authentication of physical products.

Geoff Merrigan, Director of Tellurium Q told StereoNET:

We have chosen Authentic Vision because of the concept they are bringing to the market. Such a simple yet effective use of technology to benefit our customers. There is always a danger of any manufacturer’s product being counterfeited, that is just a fact of life in this day and age. So we have decided to act proactively and safeguard our customers before it ever becomes an issue and with Authentic Vision on our side it never has to.

Monster, TaraLabs, Nordost and many more have become the victim of counterfeiting, some even being called out as fake by unknowing owners who routinely on-sell them via StereoNET and other classifieds sites. It's a real problem, as it not only potentially damages a brand's reputation but has the potential to destroy a brand's credibility.

Tellurium Q's move to partner with Authentic Vision will allow customers to securely check the authenticity of their cables just by scanning the warranty card with the 'Check If Real' free app available for iOS or Android.

Merrigan continued:

Such a simple yet effective use of technology to benefit our customers. There is always a danger of any manufacturer’s product being counterfeited, that is just a fact of life in this day and age. So we have decided to act proactively and safeguard our customers before it ever becomes an issue and with Authentic Vision on our side it never has to.

From October 2016, all Tellurium Q's warranty cards will feature a highly secure, irreproducible randomised 3D holographic image with an ecrypted datamatrix. A quick scan of the warranty card via the Check If Real app instantly authenticates the product's authenticity. The app will also provide automatic access to product registration and extended waranty once confimed as authentic.

Peter Kostur, VP of business development at Authentic Vision added:

We are particularly happy that Authentic Vision was able to work with Tellurium Q and ensure all the customers about the origins of their purchase without any lengthy processes or examinations – one scan is enough – which is the easiest to use authentication solution for customers worldwide.

A great initiative from Tellurium Q giving customers assurance and peace of mind when investing in the Tellurium Q brand.

Tellurium Q is distributed in Australia by Audio Magic.