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
@divertiti,

The idea here is to build two individual XLR cables into one. If you do that, then this is the build.

* Two twisted pairs with each individual twisted pair going to pins 2 and 3. Be careful not to mix up the wires when soldering to pins 2 and 3. Use your multimeter continuity setting and double check as you build.

* Two TFA 16 gauge conductors on the ground .... pin 1.

This is not about total gauge. It is about making two ICs into one. So no, one 15 gauge conductor is not the same or as good as the two 18 gauge twisted pairs!

Also, thicker gauge reaches a point of diminishing returns once you get lower than 16 gauge in ICs.

Thanks for the input and confirmation @grannyring Do the ground conductors that make the helix shape need to be also twisted pair or should it be two helix just slotted into each other? If the ground conductors need to be made into twisted pairs first, i imagine it'd be hard to make it into a helix after. Also my current RCA already have the ground helix, would be easier to add a helix than to try to straighten it first then make it into a twisted pair.

Lastly would it be a huge compromise on SQ if I only doubled up on the signal wires and left the ground as single run?
The helix ground on your xlr is never a twisted pair, but always a coiled helix. It is not a huge sonic degrade if you just use one conductor as the helix. However, two sound a tad better. 

If using two wires on the helix, then just coil them up side by side on your drill at the same time.  Very easy to do.  I have been able to uncoil the TFA wire once coiled.  Took my time and did a good job of getting it straight again. 

I would use a 4-4.5 to 1 ratio on the helix to pin 2&3 conductors if just using one conductor. 
WRT - "I have been able to uncoil the TFA wire once coiled."

An easy approach - I simply place the coil back on a rod and then pull on the wire straight - effectively reversing the winding process.

That way the strands of the Mil-spec wire does not get knotted up with any extra twists.

Regards - Steve