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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
divertiti
223 posts
 
@williewonka Thanks to your post that sparked my curiosity, I tried my spare helix interconnect using Mundorf single run barewire in cotton and absolute harmony as Spidif cable between my streamer and DAC ($4.5k each), and it performed great. In fact I had some Nordost Valhalla 2 AES XLR cable on hand and I had both plugged in to switch back and forth on the inputs. I couldn't tell the difference after quick switching between the two input from the listening spot. 

I'm sold! Now the question is do you use double run for Spdif or keep it single run? Also is there an optimal length for spdif cables?
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
@divertiti - Thanks for verifying the Helix IC as a SPDIF - it’s been a while since I used SPDIF, so knowing it works with great components is very much appreciated.

WRT..

Now the question is do you use double run for Spdif or keep it single run?
Good question - I’ve been asked that question many times i.e. before the Double shotgun version was tried, and I always said "a single run"

But after the success of the Double Shotgun - perhaps two would work better?

But then again we are dealing with digital signal that represents 0’s and 1’s , which I believe is not as critical as analogue cables, so perhaps two wires is overkill - I would stick with one.

The other factor is my old SPDIF did not use the same solid copper or solid silver wire that are currently in use, so it was probably not as "capable" from an analogue perspective, but it still performed very nicely as a SPDIF interconnect.

@Grannyring is using a twisted pair for D+ and D- on his USB cable

Also is there an optimal length for spdif cables?
I assume you are asking about HELIX geometry SPDIF cables?

There probably is, but because the signal is not "reflecting" to the same extent as a cable having a more standard geometry I would "questimate" that it is probably quite long, much longer than I would care to wind a helix coil for. :-)

I have tried a 2 meter cable and could not tell any difference between it and a 1 meter cable.

My final SPDIF cable was a 1/2 meter long and I observed the same great results as with the 1 and 2 meter cables.

Hope that helps

Regards - Steve

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grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
Double is always better. Double on both positive and helix. It just is. Is it day and night better? No. Just a tad better and if you want the most out of your build, then go for it! If you are going through the work and effort, then make it the best you can with the conductors you have chosen.

I would not recommend using bare copper wire in cotton for the positive conductors. They will oxidize over time, no doubt about it. Silver or silver/gold is fine!  Food for thought.


williewonka
3,071 posts
 
@divertiti - one last thing you might want to consider if you are planning on using bare wire...

Based on an ongoing experiment I am conducting...
- I used bare copper wire on the signal wire of my speaker cables
- I enclosed the bare wire inside a clear PVC tube
- I sealed the tube at each end with a small piece of Heat Shrink 
- I placed a piece of bare wire on my audio stand for comparison
- because the PVC tube is crystal clear I can observe the brightness of the wire

My observations to date... 
- the wire in the tube is still very bright after almost 2 months
- the wire on the audio stand is definitely turning a lot darker

So if you use bare wire (copper or silver) you might want to consider inserting it inside a Teflon tube and seal it at both ends with a piece of heat shrink (with adhesive)  in order to slow the oxidation process.

I suggest using the Teflon tube because it is much thinner, so you can still opt to use the cotton tube/sleeve to dampen vibration if desired.

Regards - Steve


divertiti
223 posts
 
All really interesting ideas gents. @grannyring When you say double is always better, have you tested that idea on digital cables with the same results?

Steve, I'm using only Mundorf silver gold barewire, have you seen those oxidize like copper? Grannyring seems to think silver gold is okay, so just want to make sure
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