Diy interconnects RCA connectors.

@dayemo - glad to see you’ve moved away from "conventional" geometries :-)

I too used the Furutech FP126g rca plugs on previous IC’s, but I found the KLE Innovations plugs provided so much more detail and a more well defined and deeper bass. Perhaps the combination of the geometry and the plug accounts for this?

As I said previously - theKLEI RCA’s are silver "coated" copper and I found the bass improved as I moved up the product line.

The other thing is - running the wire in parallel is open to noise induction, which effects clarity.

QUESTION: is the signal and neutral conductors in your cables the same gauge?
- I have found I get a better defined and deeper bass by making the neutral conductor twice the gauge of the signal conductor. Food for thought :-)

Anyhow - it sounds as though you have tried many things and found a formula that works well for your system.

I don't think there is just one solution, but we all benefit from sharing our experiences :-)

Cheers

As far as my cables having wires running parallel, I don't hear any
"noise" as you put it. They're just more open sounding than any Ic's I've had in the past. And those had alot of insulation material around the wires. Now,is it because of the Neotech Upocc wire I'm using,or the wires running flat and parallel? I can't actually say.  The ground wire total awg is close to the Eichmann ratio which is 1.4 times thicker than the signal.
Having experimented with the gold plated enameled ooc wire,and the Jupiter cotton or silk,I do believe that the sound is better with little or nothing around the wire itself. My cables wires are held together by a strip of packing tape. Which as you know,is very thin. All it does is keep the wires from moving around and crossing over one another.

I do agree,the KLEI copper Harmony was significantly more detailed than the Furutech 126G. But,I would say that it's because of the silver coating on the KLEI plugs,since both are using copper pins. The only difference is the silver on the KLEI plugs. But using thicker guage silver wire,in ratio to the upocc copper wires,increased the amount of detail just as much.
My initial test was between tow cables I made,identical except for the plugs.Thats when I realized the KLEI Copper Harmony was producing less bass to a noticeable degree. Increasing the awg from 24 to 22 might have made up for this,but I didn't bother. I sold that cable to a guy who was happy to be able to get it from me. He bought some other cables I initially made and was impressed. And that one did sound significantly clearer than the older ones I had first made.

But for now,I think the Neotech dg201's from Soniccraft are the way to go. They're just a bit more expensive than the Furutech fp126g I could get on Ebay,but worth it. The only thing I didn't like about the Neotech's were that the solder didn't stick as well. I had to use more and make sure that the joint was solid as it tended to break loose when I moved the wires around after I soldered them. In comparison,the Furutech's formed a solid joint the first time. Now the Neotech's dg201 have a slightly bigger opening as well,so this is a plus as well.
As far as your design is concerned. I really think you should try the Jupiter silver wire. Or maybe the Cardas bare silver wire. Or,if it's possible,remove the teflon casing from the Neotech wire and use a cotton "piping" sewing sleeve instead. Because that tizz the teflon produces is annoying. Oh,your ears can get used to it,I admit. But when I changed my test ic with the Jupiter silver wire,I then realized how much the teflon was adding to the sound. The same goes for the gold plated occ enameled wire vs the Neotech Upocc teflon wire. The non encased gold wire is more open sounding. And it seems the Ic breaks in faster also. My speakers,especially my new SVS, already have a pronounced midrange.
So the gold wire isn't needed for added warmth. The gold seems to bring the soundstage up closer a bit. And I like a deeper soundstage personally. Especially in vocals. I don't want to "see the singers tonsils"if you know what I mean.

@dayemo - thanks for the additional details on your developments/findings.

I think it would be very interesting if we were able to get together to discuss our individual approaches and compare notes.

I’d also like to compare our two approaches on a single system - I’m all about trusting my ears - sounds like you are also :-)

The fact that you are not hearing any noise in a cable where the conductors are basically "exposed" to environmental noise. supports my findings that (in my house at least) there is "normally" very little noise in a household environment, i.e. provided you allow enough space between cables and ensure you only allow them to cross at angles that minimize the induction process.

But I do believe that all of that is very dependent on location

I had put a halt to any further development of the Helix Interconnects, because better materials might significantly reduce their cost effectiveness - and I’m all about bang for the buck.

I will certainly give your findings some consideration. I also hear Duelund wire (thanks to Grannyring's post in a different thread) might "up the anti" as well.

Will I scratch that itch? Hmmmm, hard to say, but I do have a spare set of cables to play with. :-)

Cheers - Steve

Dayemo,
Sorry for hijacking the post but I've got a question about some power connectors you mentioned in another post, but thought it'd be easier to get you here because the other post is a lot older.  

I also though maybe you're thoughts have settled in a bit since you've had a chance to use them  Do you still prefer the Silver plating in the power connectors from Sonarquest? I've found that there are other sellers on epay that are selling the same thing for a lot cheaper , but silver isn't available.  I don't want copper because of tarnishing and the need to clean them, which leaves gold or rhodium. Have your opinions changed?  Is it worth paying more for silver?  I can get 10 pairs of gold or Rhodium for $100.  BTW, although I do listen to jazz, most of my music taste is for rock.  Given that I'm older and my ears are tired, I like it less pronounced on top. FWIW, my Pre, Amp and DAC are all tube driven.  
Thanks,
Don

1donskee,
I've tested all the different Sonarquest plugs and the silver plated ones,on my system,seem the best. I've done comparisons on my Emotiva powerstrip main cord as well. This cable affects all the other components that are plugged in to it as well. I can say this,I wouldn't believe ac connectors could make a difference if I hadn't done these test on my own. It just doesn't make logical sense to my reasoning mind. But I can hear the subtle differences. And I've done tests which involve other people listening as well. Once I point out what to listen for on a particular song,they could hear the differences.

The silver ac connector is the most extended and "airy". The bass is slightly deeper and faster, with more overall impact. The soundstage is bigger overall,but maybe slightly less defined when compared to the copper. The rhodium soundstage is closer but the sound is not as dynamic or extended. I like the copper better than the rhodium. The gold is rounded and smooth. It seems warmer in the bass and mids. So my conclusion is,for the best overall,the silver wins. But if you're trying to tame a brighter,edgy system, the copper will be better. The copper soundstage is the best in 3d imaging but just slightly smaller than the silver. The gold is close to the copper,but the bass is not as good. The rhodium is neutral,but to me,a little "bleached" and cool sounding. The power cords,and connectors,even affect the sound on my Sony Bravia tv speakers a bit. Why,I don't know.
If you have the money,try buying silver and copper Sonarquest and do a mix. I have three main components,amp,pre-amp,and cd player. The pre-amp and cd player are plugged in to the Emotiva powerstrip. The amp is direct into the wall. Plugging the cd player,or pre-amp,directly into the wall,also changes the sound slightly. It seems to reduce the treble a bit. Like going from the silver to the copper.

Since I've written about my experiences,I changed speakers. I went from the Energy RC-70 to the SVS Ultra Towers. The SVS towers are notably better in most areas. Although,the midrange on the Energy RC-70's were slightly richer,it's the only thing I'm missing. But the power cables differences are more noticeable on the SVS Ultra's.