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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
williewonka
3,082 posts
 
@pindac...
RE: the IK Mains plug - take a look at these
UK Mains Plugs | Hifi Collective

RE: the wires you mention:
  • when I first started developing the Helix cables I tries several excellent smaller gauge wires - 28, 24 and 20
  • Over time, and with feedback from others trying different wires of different gauge, materials and insulation, it would appear the wires currently mentioned on my web site provide excellent performance
  • however, other members do have a preference for different wires in their system.
The one area that most seem to agree on is that two wires for signal and two for neutral seems to provide a noticeable improvement over a single wire.

I have tried up to 4 wires on the mains cable, but more than two provided no discernible benefit.

The nice thing with DIY is that you get to choose the wires that you believe will provide the best performance and that fit your budget 

I now have two power cord in my system
  • High Power for amps, etc. that use 2 x 14 gauge wires for the live conductor
  • Low Power for Source components that use 2 x 16 gauge wires for the Live conductor
  • I use the lighter gauge on the second to save some money only - both cables have identical performance
  • but you can build one cable for all components if desired 
On all my power cables, the neutral is 2 x 12 Silver Plated Mil-spec stranded copper and the ground is 12 gauge copper wire from the hardware store.

The  PC Triple C wire looks very similar to UP-OCC copper, so I would have to guess that it offers similar levels of performance

From the looks of things, the wires you mention might not be suitable to adapt to the options I have listed above for power cables because you would require too many strands to create the required gauge for the conductor.

Having said that I have been proved wrong on many occasions, so I would encourage you to experiment.

Start with Interconnects, because the wire is much more affordable.
Make one using the wires suggested  on my web site and one using your own wires and see which one works best

My Audio Alchemy (image99.net)

My guess is that you will end up with two cables that sound very good, which you can then try on your components to see which matches each components best

FYI - I currently have two slightly difference interconnects in my system because they each suit different components better.

Hope that is of some assistance

Regards - Steve
pindac's avatar
pindac
2,864 posts
 
Thank You very much for the encouragement and direction. 
williewonka
3,082 posts
 
HELIX INCOMPATIBILITIES.

Amps that use Symmetrical, Complimentary, or Balanced outputs will not sound their best with Helix Speaker cables and the list is growing daily

  • Some D’Agostino Models
  • Some Audio Research Models
  • Vitus
  • Some Musical Fidelity High End Models
  • Pass Labs
  • BAT VK-255SE
  • Some Anthem Models
  • Some Yamaha models
  • Balanced Audio Technology
  • Boulder 500AE
  • PS Audio BHK Signature 300
  • Accuphase E-303

A mono block amp experienced a loud hum when Helix power cables were used - not sure why at the moment
  • Canary Grand Reference

If I have missed an amp/model just post it with the same first line - It makes it easy for me to keep track

I will try to maintain a complete list on my web site

Many Thanks - Steve
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Don't all Ayre amps fall into this category?
provst's avatar
provst
16 posts
 
Don't forget Gryphon.
These were mentioned earlier in the thread as with regards to speaker cables. I cannot tell whether their power supplies are balanced or not.
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