2. cables
  3. 156742-1458

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
 
Thank you for this update Steve. You have been working! Seems your result is somewhat system dependent. I find the VH wire more refined and not as up front sounding. I am very familiar with the Neotech wire as I have used it in builds (electronics) for many years. In my system I find it a tad forward and forced compared to VH. Now this is subtle thing and not day and night different.  I find the VH wire a tad more refined and less forward. Too forward sounding is a sensitive sonic area for me so my subjective taste kicks in here.  

I recently used the Neotech copper in my power cord and while I love it, it is more forward sounding and would not use it in my other power cords because of that.  System balance is good right now and I am afraid to mess with it. 

So many variables from system to system, room to room, person to person that I think we are now down to system synergies and preferences. I really don’t think one is the best option for all situations and systems.

I do like the Neotech silver & gold conductor very much, but they don’t offer it in a gauge I would want (18-20).


oldears
386 posts
 
I don't know about the Neotech 18 ga solid core, but your description reminds me of short balanced cables I built a long time ago with Furutech FA-13S 16ga OFC solid core cable. The Cu is very maleable and the cables can be formed and stay where you put them. They had a somewhat sweet string sound.
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
@goose - all updates will be there next week - I was waiting for the upgrade to the IC's before making changes to the site update.

The content of the site is still relevant, it is just missing the Neotech wire. There are no changes to the fabrication approach, just the wire used for the signal or live conductors
   
Basically - I will  now be including the Neotech wire on my site, in addition to the VH Audio and Mundorf wires.

The only difference in this thread - I mentioned that I removed the insulation on the power and speaker cables.
I will not be covering this approach because of the related tarnish/oxidation issues, which I am finding are too difficult to overcome for the average DIYer.
I believe leaving the insulation in place is not too detrimental to overall system performance and I do not want to recommend an approach if it means that the wire has to be changed in a couple of years after it has turned green and impacting performance

As @grannyring just posted above, we are now talking about very small personal preferences and system synergies...
- On my system I prefer the Neotech
- On his system he prefers the VH Audio
- and if we were able to listen to each others systems we would probably agree on the choices we have each made for those systems.

There is very little difference in performance between these two wires - they are both excellent choices.

Perhaps combining them throughout the system might be the right choice for your system.

@oldears - agreed, Furutech does make some very good solid core wires. I recently heard from a fellow DIYer about how pleased he was when he upgraded his power cables with a 12 gauge Furutech solid core  wire.

There are just so many wires - and so little time :-)

Hope that helps - Steve


wig's avatar
wig OP
1,202 posts
 
@ williewonka @ grannyring

Outstanding information and evaluations!

Wig
wig's avatar
wig OP
1,202 posts
 

Quick DIY Helix Interconnects Update!

Guys,

I have been experimenting with different wiring for over 4 months now and can report the cabling I am using and offer you 2 options:

Option 1: If you are looking for a tad more resolution over your copper cabling, I recommend removing the copper and adding 2 runs of Zenwave Audio 26 Ga (Neotech Teflon solid OCC silver/gold).

Option 2: If you are wanting even more resolution without sacrificing a thinning of sound with all silver and love the beauty of copper (I do), I recommend 1 run of Zenwave Audio 26 Ga silver/gold and 1 run of Zenwave Audio 26 Ga solid OCC pure silver wire.

I also tried up to 4 runs of wires per interconnect and couldn’t really discern any differences and after corresponding with several wire distributors and cable builders and the theme is that 2 runs of wiring is all that is really needed and 24 gauge was the type with minimal skin effect; 26 gauge got me close to that…


Wig


More to discover