After I had discussed my somewhat adulterous love affair with both mix-style and Skullcandy headphones, I noticed a huge spike in traffic for the search term “fake mix-style”. Intrigued, I decided to do a bit of sleuthing on my own, and discovered that not only were there mix-style knock-offs, but that they were cheap and readily available on the local market.
So, how do you tell a fake mix-style product from the real deal? I still have a spare headset purchased from Tokyu Hands Shibuya during my last Tokyo trip, but I also went out and bought one of the fakes from a local dealer that I found online, so that I’d be able to conduct a proper investigation.
I will not be divulging who it was or where their store is, but a bit of creative Googling will yield you some answers. In fairness to the shop-owners, they will tell you outright that you are purchasing a counterfeit, but not all sellers are as forthcoming as they are so this post aims to protect you from the unscrupulous ones.
Please note that in all succeeding photos, the ones on the left are pictures of the genuine mix-style, while those on the right are from the counterfeit.
Let’s start with the packaging. AFAIK the printing and the stickers on both boxes are identical. However, the box on the original has a stiffer body — both the cardboard and the clear plastic window are more resistant to squashing compared to the box for the fake. The quality of the paper also feels different — the original feels weightier and the inside lining sports a very faint yellow tinge, while that on the fake feels more flimsy and is flat white on the inside.
Another huge tell-tale sign is the cable that connects the headphones to the sound jack. On the original mix-style, the cable is attached to the headphones, but in turn it is attached to an extension cord about a metre long that terminates with another sound jack. On the fake, the cord leads from the headphones directly to the jack in a metre-long stretch.
Moving on, a quick inspection of the leather insulation for the headphone cups reveals that while the originals are clad in a smooth, buttery genuine leather shell, the fake comes with wrinkly synthetic leather that feels hotter to the touch and is more prone to inducing sweat in and around your ears. The ear cups on the original are also wider by a couple of millimetres compared to the counterfeits.
When you look at the headband, you will notice that the original actually comes with a slightly narrower headband compared to the fake. The plastic also feels more sturdy in the genuine mix-style than the fake. The most telling sign however is the embossing of the brand logo on the inside of the right-side headband for the original mix-style; the fakes do not bear this embossing on either sides of the headband.
Last but not least are two non-physical indicators to help you tell the originals apart from the fakes: sound quality and price point. The bass is richer and more punchy with the original mix-style, while the treble is more peaky on the imitation mix-style which sometimes interferes with bass quality. As for the pricing, there is a huge disparity between the two: the original is worth about JPY 4000 (or PhP 2000), while the counterfeit only fetched a price of PhP 500.
If you’re looking to invest in a pair of good-looking midpriced headphones, it pays to do your homework ahead of time. Good luck and I hope you score your own pair of mix-style headphones very soon! 😀
JPOP Manila 
Ah thanks a lot, though I must admit the smoother surface does look a lot more appealing.
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Where the real ones sell?… yes asia?
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yes, and HMV JAPAN.
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But still, is the 500 peso headphones still worth it like you just want to listen to your iPod, mp3?
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in my opinion, no. having heard what a genuine pair can do i won’t waste my money on fakes which sound like crap. although the sound quality is not as excellent as professional deejay headphones that can cost several hundred dollars, the richer bass and crisper treble from genuine mix style are still better compared to the tin can sounds coming out of the fakes.
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Hello.. Where do you think I can buy authentic Skullcandy headphones online that shoulders the shipping fee? LOL
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some stores offer free shipping — just keep shopping around until you find one that stocks the headphones you want. GOOGLE helps.
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Hi. I read on yesasia that some buyers felt that the any that came with the headphones were alittle light and flimsy. Is it supposed to feel like that?
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Sorry I meant box
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the box of the original is laminated cardboard so it is flimsy to a certain degree. it’s just that the boxes that come with the fake are even more flimsy. for example, the box from the original will not bend or fold until you sit on it, but with the fake if you just put it in a bag for short periods it gets all crushed and bent out of shape.
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Thanks. You say yesasia sells authentic mix styles, but the pictures provide on their website are blur and I can’t really see the wording on the headband
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i know that YESASIA sells authentic headphones because i bought one from them already, and it was identical to the one i bought in TOKYU HANDS SHIBUYA six months before that (i bought a spare just in case i broke my first one).
i still have both headphones with me and both are still working — although the headband on the one from shibuya is already loose and has chipped in the middle (where the headband folds).
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Thanks so much!! When I saw these, I immediately wanted to buy them xD my dad found a pair under $50 on a Korean website that were definitely real. Your information helped a lot!!!
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Is this real? because the infomation seems right but the price seems like its fake. – http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MIX-STYLE-stereo-headphones-portable-design-black-/170541806832?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item27b51574f0#ht_771wt_654
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check out the cord on the third ebay photo and compare it to the photos shown above (on the second row: left is original, right is fake) — it’s definitely fake.
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Hello, I bought mine on ebay and the mix style logo is on the outside.. o__o.
Here are some pictures of the headphones I received.. o__x
They were only USD $10.50 so I don’t expect them to be real. The seller said they were manufactured by OEM.
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all headphones — original or counterfeit, have the mix-star logo on the outside, but the fakes do not have the second logo hidden on the inside of the band. if the item you purchased does not have the second logo, it is most probably a fake.
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Hi,
I just recieved my headphones in the mail and they are everything you descrtibe except for the buttery leather.
I have uploaded a couple photos of the headphones that you can take a look at.
everything is as you described except for the leather! :@
I’m just wondering if i actually got what i paid for?
http://s1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/thenaplover/
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hi jaykay — sorry but your album is set to private mode so i can’t access your photos. anyway, the difference in the quality of leather for the headphones is a known issue, leading me to suspect that the manufacturer switched suppliers for the leather covering of the foam cups.
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oh ok.
so it means they are authentic except they decided to use crappier leather insead of the real deal.
==
thank you for your info.^^
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yep, pretty much. sorry you didn’t get the quality you expected 😦
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Hey! I’ve read your post and before I buy some mixstyle headphones, I would like to know if CDJapan is a reliable site to get the authentic ones, since I watched the one I want (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=NEOACS-2666) and seems to be fine, but comparing other(http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=NEOACS-2672)I don’t know if it’s me, but they seem to be fake >_> (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=NEOACS-2672), thanks for your useful info ❤ !
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i’ve never purchased headphones from CDJAPAN, but they usually are very reliable when it come to authenticity so i think it’s no problem purchasing items from them. also, if there is even any problem you can always return the item to them and they will refund for it.
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Wow, that sucks, I got a pair fro Ebay from a comapany called elecoom. Only differences? I got mine for 42 cents. xD
Either way, not really expecting them to be that good!
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Bought my fake ones for P250 in some china store, but i am not having problems with this one, though i am not guaranteed with the sound quality, i dont know if many months later this will be awesome as a cracking tin can with cockroaches having —– its worth it, anyway i was after the design :))
anyway, what is that thing again? the one the extra cable/cord/idk in the auth one? btw great post, for that one, i have prevented my self boasting about that Fake Mix- Style Headset 😀
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that’s a cord extension. in authentic mix-style the cord is actually very short — just enough to have a PSP at arms-length with the headphones plugged into the jack. if you need a meter long cord for — say, an iPod stored in your hand bag, you need to connect the one metre-long extension cable.
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hello, i would like to thank you for this useful article, im a nob at purchasing things online and i dont have a credit card yet, and my rents wont let me use thiers. Luckily the mixstyle earbuds and headphones made its way to my local virgin megastore, in the middle east, in doha.
was just wondering if the mixstyles i bought were the authentic ones, you know how on the headbands they have the printed/raised mix style logo in white? mine is in black lol, i got the black purple one. I checked mix-style.com and compared it to my headphone, the box was different too, mine didnt have the “stereo,portable design” written on it. other then the leather insulation (looked like the fake one), everything was good, the reason im worried is because i spent QR 200 on it, which is more than USD 50, maybe an extra 10-20 bucks, im still unsure over the authencity of my mix styles cuz it cost a fortune xDs one question: on the fake boxes, do they have the hologram mix style kinda sticker on the under side? thanks in advance
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hi there! i’m afraid the only authentic mix-styles with black headbands are the two collaboration models with ARASHI TO ROCK and LIVE FREAKY DIE FREAKY — which are black and white and black and red respectively. as for the box, real or fake they both do not have a hologram sticker. however, the new sticker could be a recent addition to the box, to distinguish real ones from fakes.
overall, it’s very hard to tell if the set you got is real or fake, since i personally have never heard of a black and purple model mix-style. the box design is also radically different from the ones i have. it could be an entirely new model i have never heard off, or a very very fake one that doesn’t event bother pretending to be real.
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sorry, mine is the normal white star/purple ones, and its a normal model. Its just the mix style print logo on the sides of the headband, ( not the whole headband hehe) is black, my headband is like the normal mix styles, white, but after seeing alot of the headphone pictures, mine seem to differ in the brand logo that has been raised/ printed on the sides of the headband, instead of just plain white the “Mix-Style” is printed black. other than that i used this article as a guide when i bought my pair, looked carefully inside the box, looked for the extension and it was there, the printed made in china thing, they seemed to have it 😀 sorry for not asking so clearly 😀
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thanks for the clarification — looks like you got yourself an authentic pair 🙂 good job!
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really useful article for me~ thank you muchly! ^o^ i just ordered pink star mix-style from yesasia a couple days ago. can’t wait!!! which brings me to this question: what are good ways to store away the headphones so that it wont break as easily? (on-the-go and at home) :3
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@yanwai i use a drawstring pouch lined with a small hand towel (you can actually sew it on too, but i am too lazy) to keep my headphones safe inside my hand bag during commutes 🙂
@ichiya yes — yes asia is a reliable source for mixx style, but you can also opt for HMV JAPAN since they charge purchases in japanese yen and therefore are slightly cheaper 🙂
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This article is great! I was going to purchase a fake pair at $20 CDN… the seller said the sound quality is great/isn’t bad and is like the headphones you could purchase at an electronics store.. but I’m really picky with sound (I’m a filmmaker/editor so sound really matters) and reading your article clarified some things a bit. 🙂 I think I’ll try to save up for the one on yesasia, so far that’s the only site I can use that sells it for a reasonable price 🙂 I’m also worried about the fake pair breaking… not like I’ll really use them everywhere I go but I want to have a stable pair for use at home haha
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holy shit. I just came back from p-mall and after I read this I bought fake ones. T^T plus the store doesn’t give refunds.
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oh no 😦 i hope you didn’t pay too much for it
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even my mix style is only Php500 it is still original
mot like the other mix style cost Php200
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even my mix style is only Php500 it is still original
i highly doubt that.
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Wow, this article is really helpful! ^_^ Thank you for posting this and comparing the headphones!
One of my friends has “Mix-style” identical to mine, and she said she got it for $10 USD at an electronics store. I bought mine online on YES ASIA for $50 USD. I was really confused, because the design on my friend’s looked off, even though it was the same pair. (There were “R” and “L” stickers on the sides too.) I was pretty sure it wasn’t real…
I was wondering though: I have everything that the genuine pair has, but the leather is not smoothly round (?), and I got it from YES ASIA, like I said before. Would that make mine genuine or fake? o_o
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I am dying to get this headphones likes all of you but I don’t know any source where to buy it. There is this one store in facebook called sai shop or somethin but it looks weird since it cost 15 dollars. Plss check it out if u guys have the time and tell me. Thxxxx
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Actually, Fry’s (Electronics) has been selling a pair of headphones for $10 that look extremely similar to mix-style ones but they are from different brands. I have heard that another company was making headphones “inspired” by mix-styles and I guess that this is it. I haven’t tried any of the headphones but hope to get a mix-style from YesAsia. I read some reviews and they said that it only lasts for a few months. Is there a way to make them last for about a year or longer?
Sorry for the long post, but i’ve read all that you posted here and it seems like you don’t get enough thanks. So Thanks for all of your help!!
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What’s with these mix-style headphones, anyway?? Of all the headphone brands out there, this could possibly be the most imitated. Even “jejemons” (I might puke with just the mention of their names, ugh!!)are constantly seen with these brand of headphones, whether they be fake or not doesn’t matter since in my opinion, mix-style could be associated with those “jerkjerkmons” (spelling it that way feels better). I wouldn’t want wanna be associated with them in any way by buying one mix-style headphone. We don’t wanna be thought of as a “jerkjerkmon”, right?? I’d rather just buy any Phillips/Seinheiser/Bose with a plain design… Sigh…
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So I just received my mix style headphones today and am not sure if they are fake or not. (I got them from audiocubes)Instinct told me they were because they feel cheap and the “leather” around the earphones seems so thin and paper-like – definitely not real leather. I could rip it so easily. Also, I did NOT receive and extension cord with my set, even though on the bok it clearly states that it comes with an extension cord! 😦 Weird. The writing on the side of the ear piece “mixstyle” is also in black. Wire seems kinda thin and is aout 1 meter in length;longer than my arms reach. And you know the part where the wire comes from each side of the headphone and connects in the middle for the rest of the length of the cord? Well it connects only after about 10 inches which doesn’t give much space, and the little black thing that connects it does not slide up and down…I dunno if that whether that contributes to it being either real or fake…Other than those things, everything else seems fine. The quality is decent too.
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I really hate they are making fake headphones. Who ever it is Chinese or other coüntry they are fücked in the head. They are fükin making fake shits and selling the prodüct, I think they are fückin cheap cünts. They don’t have süch knowledge to make good prodüctivity. Who evers copying prodüct they shoüld füked away from the world. Fück yoü COPY FÜCKS!!!!!
I’m really Angry Aboüt This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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any way thaks for making notice and sorry for saying f word many times. But i’m aungry!
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Hahaha I don’t mind the fake one, it looks nice and has a decent sound quality. I got it from a local mall. I just like the look of it. I don’t think I would spend 50$ USD on something I don’t use often (especially when I only use it at home.) I got it for 15$ USD.
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Geez! $500 for fakes! Highway robbery! I was kinda bummed when I picked my mix-style headphones up at an Anime Convention in Northern Ohio, when I got home and plugged them into my iTouch i was disappointed to find that only one side of the headphones worked. Sound was shotty, i had to turn the volume all the way up to hear it clearly. It wasn’t till after the fact that I looked online to find that there were fakes. I hadn’t heard of them before I just saw them thought they were super cute and only paid $20 for. I was excited to find them that cheap since i had been wanting that type of headphones for a while, my ears are abnormally small and ear buds (even the smallest ones from Skullcandy) stretch my ears to the point it hurts.
I suppose though for now, the fakes will be okay for cosplays and such, but will have to look harder for the real ones next time.
thanks!
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to be fair, the amounts stated are in philippine pesos, not us dollars — however, you still pretty much overpaid for a fake 😦
sorry hun — and you’re right, maybe you can use them to cosplay instead. they were featured in everything from LUCKY STAR to the korean girl group 2NE1…
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are the fakes just as good as the authentic ones?
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quick answer: the fakes are far worse, quality-wise.
long answer: see post for details.
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ok thanks! where can i get a real one for a cheap price?
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USD 50 on YES ASIA, AFAIK.
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My dad came home the other day with a pair of orange ones for me. But after reading this article, I’m sad to say they are fakes. But, his heart was in the right place, and I can use ’em until they break..then maybe use ’em for cosplay or whatever.
I’m going to save up for a real pair though, because let’s face it, they are cute.
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if they work just fine and you’re not too picky about sound quality then you’re in good shape 🙂 i think your dad will also feel appreciated if he sees you using his present all the time 🙂 cheers ❤
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I’m sooooo glad I found this before I bought some off eBay :O thanks so much!
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no worries! please support the mix-style people and buy an original if you can 🙂
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I got fake ones for $20 aud. I don’t really care coz the only person who knows they’re fake is me. I’m also looking to buy REAL Dr Dre Beats, pricey I know but worth it.
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Hi, I was reading your article. I keep not wanting to trust that Yes Asia site, but I was looking at this website and was wondering if you could tell me anything about it:
http://www.audiocubes.com/product_info.php?products_id=2513
But it says authentic product of Japan? I thought the authentics were China made?
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the originals are made in china, and are available only from japan (even the korean and hong kong versions are imports) — so the audiocubes guy wasn’t wrong.
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I got one for 22myr (7usd) ,i didn’t know that was fake until i read this article.
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Hi , I just bought a pair of Mix-Style Headphones on Ebay, and it was not over 10 bucks. After reading your article, I got scared because the ones I bought were cheap. So I was wondering if you can see for yourself and see if they’re good
I’d also like to note that before you see the picture, it would look different from what the original mix-style headphones look like.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-Headphones-earphones-iPod-MP3-MP4-New-blue-/150694933636?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item23161e3484#ht_1966wt_1185
PLEASE REPLY SOON(:
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I’m VERY cautious about yesasia selling fakes as well. I recently purchased some Japanese Manga comics from yesasia. I didn’t know their location, so I expected the order to arrive from Japan. However, my order arrived from Hong-Kong! The books were clearly cheap chinese re-printed knock-offs, and NOT original Japanese comics. The quality, colors, paper, size etc didn’t match the same books I bought in Japan.
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Perhaps you purchased the HK versions by accident? YESASIA sells both Japan and Kong Kong versions — not just of manga, but CDs and DVDs as well. They are clearly marked “Japan-version” or “Asian-version” (HH version) on the sale page.
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