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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
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
Nice update and info Steve! Thank you. 
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
Speaker Cable Update - with just over 250 hours on the cables they are settling down nicely

There were some moments where things got "Twilight Zone" strange, but they did not last

The improvement I was most intrigued by was  the perception of three dimensional space, which has improved to the point where reverberations, apparently from overhead is making the perception of being in the concert hall that much more realistic.

Dynamics, clarity and details are improved over the 14 gauge Neotech wire and with the improved imaging and focus adds to the perceived reality.

But I do find the amount of bass did not change from the 2 x 18 gauge solid copper from VH Audio. However, the amount of texture within low frequencies on certain tracks has improved considerably, which made the bass sound a little "lighter", but more enjoyable

I am/will monitor the brightness of the copper wire inside the PVC tubing. I am hoping that sealing each end of the tube will prove to be an effective deterrent to the oxidizing process.

Hopefully by the time the bare copper has oxidized, an alternative to Teflon Insulation  will be available - perhaps foamed Teflon ???

On the positive side - the move by cable companies to the more advanced insulation types is trickling down to the parts providers, so there is a real possibility of foamed Teflon becoming more  of a standard in the near future.

With that - I will sign off :-)

Regards - Steve

williewonka
3,071 posts
 
@facten - welcome to the Helix Club :-)

As @wig said - give them a couple of hundred hours burn-in for a stable sound - they will still improve a little after that - generally a bit more in the area of fine details.

They can exhibit some strange behavior between 20-60 hours, but that will subside.

Power and speaker cables also have a very positive impact - but the IC's are a nice place to start.

Regards - Steve


facten
2,745 posts
 
@williewonka

Thanks Steve. I have 40 hours on them at this point , thus far all good

wig's avatar
wig OP
1,202 posts
 
@facten

When you hit the 75-100 hour mark, you will notice the sound stage opening up  with more depth and layering.

After 125-200 hours, your staging is beyond the boundaries of your loudspeakers, layering and depth much more tangible with details rendered clean, extended and very natural sounding.

Your system will continue to improve with the addition of more Helix cables...

Wig😁

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