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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
rego
378 posts
 
@williewonka, 'conundrum' the Extension Cord is obvious weak link in the chain because of Voltage Drop Concerns (contact points etc.).
A dynamic gain is a gain ... suggesting the use of 'Type D' Cable as a replacement for existing  One) Cable 'Type A' and Two) 'Type B' the lesser of the three cables.
Tinned Copper seems to me to be an Ideal choice though ... 
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
@mawe - thanks - I was NOT taking into consideration the implications associated with the number of strands and the width of each strand, together with the dielectric constant of the insulation - I was merely looking at the relative conductivity of the metal in each wire type in the electrical pathway.

@rego - thanks also - I forgot to take into consideration the impact of the connectors and the voltage drop across each "section" of the electrical pathway.

Thanks guys - much appreciated

Regards  - Steve
  


b_mueller
45 posts
 
Hi Steve
Thank you for posting European alternatives to the MilSpec wire, very much appreciated.
I believe you are not alone with your observation that short pieces of different metals inserted to a longer wire change the overall sound. For example, this is how Franck Tchang from ASI produces his interconnects and loudspeaker cables..
In the meantime, I have built and installed my first helix power cable according the posted recipe, from wall to the LessLoss firewall distributor. I have also experimented with ferrites (from 1 up to 14 pieces) that snugly fit around the live wires, and I could replicate what has been posted elsewhere: they suck out the life of the music. 

williewonka
3,071 posts
 
@b_mueller  - Thanks for the feedback,   especially pertaining to the use ferrites - good to know.

I've seen other posts that promote them, but I have never used them on my audio system cables.

Cheers - Steve
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
QUICK UPDATE: I’ve just replaced the live conductor in my 11 ft Helix Geometry extension cable, with a 12 gauge solid copper wire from Neotech
- the wire replaced was 12 gauge Duelund tinned copper with polycast insulation

I purchased the wire from HiFi collective...
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/soct-neotech-solid-core-copper-wire.html

"Neotech`s SOCT type wire is 99.999% high purity UP-OCC copper solid core wire, sheathed in red, heat resistant Teflon. Can be used for speaker wire, mains cable and general hook up wire"

I removed the Teflon insulation and inserted the bare wire into a cotton sleeve to reduce the Dielectric Constant to around 1.3 - down from 2.1 of teflon

The wire is quite stiff, i.e. compared to 4 strands of the 18 gauge Solid copper from VH Audio that I have used in other power cables, but since the description states it is suitable for power cables I assume it is pliable enough to take some reasonable amount of flexing without breaking

The immediate results were quite noticeable
- improved clarity and dynamics
- improved control and a little deeper bottom end.


Now I’m not about to replace the live conductors in my heavier duty cables, but if anyone is constructing new power cables, this wire works out to be a little more affordable and I believe it would perform a little better than the wire from VH Audio, due to it being a single conductor.

My reasoning:
- The wire from VH Audo is 18 gauge, so it requires 4 strands to make a 12 gauge live conductor.

From this link: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wire-gauges-d_419.html
- 12 gauge single core current carrying capacity = 34 amps
- 12 gauge 4-6 core current carrying capacity = 16 amps

So there should be improvements in the handling of transient peaks.

Initially, I only used stranded wires, for improved flexibility, but it is quite evident that solid wire is superior, i.e. provided you take reasonable care when flexing (no tight 90 degree bends)

Regards - Steve.





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