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Duelund conversion to DIY Helix Geometry Cabling

I have been an avid user of the Duelund cabling for over two years now and have used them exclusively in my system with great results. I have built many for friends and have used a full loom of interconnects, speaker cables, power cords and an extensive wiring modification for a previously owned balanced power conditioner utilizing Duelund 600V PolyCast wiring which was transformative. My cabling desires can be a little addictive as I have owned and evaluated 40+ brands of cabling costing more than an entire stereo system!

Over the past six months I stumbled upon a thread here on Audiogon in regards to a Helix designed cabling and as you probably already know, I just had to look a little deeper into this cable design…After a month of studying and sourcing parts, I decided to reach out to the designer/architect, Williewonka who gave more insights and philosophy on how the cable came into existence.

That conversation got the ball rolling in converting one of my KLE Duelund interconnects to Steve’s Helix designed which only entailed replacing the neutral with a Mil-Spec 16 AWG silver-plated copper wire with the neural wire being 3 times longer than the signal wire and of course the “Coiling” of the neutral wire : )

After the modification was complete, I was not sure what to expect from the Helix cabling but I was quite shocked with the results with “ZERO” burn-in time…The sound stage became much wider/deeper with a much tighter/focused image and clarity/transparency is like nothing I have ever heard in any cabling regardless of cost. In fact, I just sold a full loom of a commercially designed Helix Cable that’s renowned around the world and has more direct sale than any cable manufacturer; these $200 DIY Helix Cables walked all over them…

I believe you will hear the same results as I have and have heard back from friends who have already modified their Duelunds with the same results; WOW! Remember the cables will need 200+ hours to burn-in and settle into your system. My system is now 90% DIY Helix to include IC, SC, PC and Coax with each cabling adding its beauty of an organic and natural presentation that draws you into the fabric of the music.

You can tailor the sound of your cables using Duelund, Mundorf silver/1% gold, the outstanding Vh Audio OCC Solid Copper or Silver with Airlok Insulation or your favorite wiring and you can change it at any time…

 

http://www.image99.net/blog/files/category-diy-cables.html

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/difference-in-sound-between-copper-and-silver-digital-cables

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/adding-shielding-to-existing-cables

 

Enjoy,

Wig


128x128wig
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
@corelli - WRT

Is this wire non-directional?
If you mean...
- will the wire sound different when connected in one direction as opposed to being connected in the opposite direction?
- then I would have to say that I have never attempted to maintain wire directionality in the signal or the helix, i.e. during the build process

But I did try connecting a pair of IC’s in the various L/R channel permutations and observed no difference.

NOTE: I do use different colors of heat shrink at each end of the cables so I can maintain a specific direction once the cables are burned in.

Perhaps the effects of wire directionality are far less apparent with the Helix Geometry, i.e. when compared to cables having more "convectional" geometries.

Regards - Steve
corelli
947 posts
 
Thanks Steve.  I suspect with "unicrystal" wire, directionality becomes less of an issue.  
b_mueller
45 posts
 
Thank you so much for all your work in this matter - I got inspired and decided to join the bandwagon. I will build power chord with Viborg plugs, Chris VenHaus Airlok copper 18ga wire and Duelund 600VA wire.
Now, I live in Europe with 230V mains. So I conclude current is lower and I will be able to safe on diameter needed for the same power (half the Amps), right?
Also, I have read that running neutral and ground in opposite helix turn might be beneficial. However, does this not make the assembly more difficult and the final cable will be less stable?
I very much welcome your sensible comments.
Best, Bruno
mawe
34 posts
 
@ Bruno 
I also live in EU and still think you should use min 2x 18awg for the hot/life and 2x 16awg for the neutral + ground. I use this even for my low power LPS Shanti for my AlloUSBridge Signature. If you’re using a high power amp it could be beneficial to use 3x 18awg. I have ordered the SonarQuest Plugs directly from the original China Website and it was flawless regarding delivery, less than 10 days, no Importtax nor addition VAT and shipping cost included. So for 38€ I got IEC and Schuko plug with silverplating in clear housing. I prefer the clear housing, as you can see the better how the cable is fitted into the IEC clamping.
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
Bruno - Winding the neutral and ground in opposite directions will complicate the build process and will make the cable much thicker.

But - Will it make an audible difference?

If you wound the ground around the Live wire and then would the Neutral wire(s) around the Ground/live wire assembly in opposite directions it would provide a greater gap between the Live wire and the Neutral wire. This should provide some benefit.

However, the power cables I have made are all 120v and not 230v, so the higher voltage may cause more interference., which means the additional space would be an advantage.

Could you please post a link to the site where you read this  - I would be very interested in seeing related information before providing a definitive YES or NO answer

Many Thanks. - Steve


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