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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
 
Cryo treating most all parts is a nice plus.  It certainly does help somics in my humble opinion.  I may buy a spool and have it cryo treated. Not crazy expensive to do really. 
williewonka
3,071 posts
 
Today’s interesting experience/observations...

As per my post above - I now have the Neotech UP-OCC as the live/signal wires across my entire system - that is except for my power distribution center. The live wires in it was 4 stands of 18 Mudorf Solid silver/gold in cotton sleeve, approximately 10" long

I changed the silver wire to 12 gauge Neotech UP-OCC copper on Monday.

The sound was basically OK, but if I moved slightly off center the image went horribly wrong and sounded like it was bouncing off side walls.

Since I had observed this anomaly during the burn-in process with another pair of interconnects, I let the burn-in continue.

So this evening I listened to my system and the anomaly had corrected itself nicely, as expected, but the system now has a significantly larger image and the bass goes even deeper. The balance front to back is very nice and very detailed and artist placement is very precise. These improvements were easily heard because it now appears that the listner is even more immersed in the image, so it was not something that I really had to listen intently for.

My surprise was due to the fact the amount of wire replaced in this exercise was a mere 10", i.e. out of a power "corridor" that is some 20 ft long in total. And it was a very good quality wire, not just a piece of extension cord from Home Depot

The other thing that changed was the connection to the Outlets on the back of the power distribution center. It was previously just bare wire into the clamp on the outlet. But this time I soldered small spade connectors to the UP_OCC copper

This just goes to show - even the smallest changes can yield some very gratifying results.

So, was it the wire, or the spades?

I’ve promoted the use of spades on my power corridor for a long time.

For me, this confirms that using them can be very beneficial

The spades are nothing special, just spade connectors from my local Car Parts or hardware store - $20 for 65 pieces

The quest continues - even though I told my wife - "That’s it" :-)

Regards - Steve
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massagevermont
9 posts
 
Fascinating information, Steve.

I have a good bit of Neotech wire that just arrived along with my spades. Now I’m waiting on my mil-spec wire to arrive. Can’t wait to get started.

Cheers,
Chris
b_mueller
45 posts
 
I have settled on an AC cable design, where I use Duelund silver 3 mm cable for the hot wire (I know with its silk/oil insulation it is not officially approved for high voltage) and 2 runs of Jantzen copper/silver 12 awg runs for neutral and one run for ground. Plugs are Viborg copper/gold. Burning in with FryCorder II for 72 hours. I use this for the amplifier. Sound is very rich with increased texture on all notes - as if each tone would shimmer in many more colors. Also very natural sounding, no stress.
ketchup
688 posts
 
Chris at VH Audio marks the "pull end" of his wire with tape when he cuts a length off.  Do you guys usually build your cables with the pull end at the source end of your ICs or do you put it at the other end?  Has anyone ever even tested this?  Chris simply said that directionality is subjective and did not say if one orientation is better than the other.  What's your experience?  I'm specifically referring to the UniCrystal OCC Airlok wire.
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