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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
3,072 posts
 
@in_shore - RE: not connecting the ground...

My personal view...
  1. if there is a ground pin on the IEC socket of a component then the component has been designed in such a way that in the event of some kind of internal failure then the user will be protected
  2. in such cases, the ground SHOULD NOT be disabled in any way
  3. If there is NO ground pin then having the ground wire in the cables makes no difference.
  4. I believe it may contravene electrical codes
  5. it is certainly the first place an investigator will look
I realize this is a favorite method of many audiophiles to eliminate noise that is often referred too as "ground loop hum",

More often than not, this problem arises when you combine certain components...
e.g. amps that have a grounded power cable - with other components that DO NOT have a grounded power cable.

Components with Wal-Wart power supplies are prone to this problem

e.g. I have a Bluesound Node 2 (ungrounded) and a Simaudio Moon phono stage (grounded)
  • If I only connect the Node 2 to my amp I get a hum
  • if I then attach the phono stage the hum goes away
  • this is because the neutral side of "the system" is actually grounded via the phono stage
  • this approach is used in many amp designs
This is a common problem, so if I ONLY want to use the Node 2 and NOT have the hum, I have a little wire lead that I attach to the NEUTRAL of any UNUSED INPUT on the amp and the ground pin of the mains supply.
- VOILA! - no more hum

This effectively ensures the neutral side of the circuits in ALL connected components are now at ZERO volts - where they theoretically should be

I came across this issue about 12 years ago when I purchased a NAIM amp. Turns out the circuits in NAIM amps are designed to "ground" via their source components.
I investigated my source that caused the problem and found a small voltage on the neutral side of the components circuit
- it was NOT at zero volts relative to the mains ground
- grounding the neutral solved the problem

PLEASE NOTE: this solution IS NOT a remedy for all hums
- some hums can be caused by circuit malfunctions or imbalances.

e.g. I recently saw a video that demonstrated how a seemingly good tube from one manufacturer caused a severe hum in an amp.
Please note - The solution above would not fix this issue.

Apologies for the long post - I like to provide context :-)

Regards - Steve

pindac's avatar
pindac
2,501 posts
 
I have started to Purchase the Wire to produce my first Cables.
I have the 0.9mm PC Triple C Solid Core as part of this order.
It will seem that I am deviating a little from the recommended wire in the cable build posts, but the spirit of investigation is intact.

I also now own regular build PC Triple C IC's that are to be delivered,
along with already mentioned regular build D.U.C.C IC's 

I have also purchased a IEC and UK Mains Plug that can take Crimped Spade Terminations used on the Wire.
My Nanotec Strada 308 PC Triple C Cable can now be compared to two other Power Cables and the Helix Power Cable when it is produced.

I have an inquiry, does anybody know how long a cable is submerged into a Cryogenic Tank and how the process is carried out to return it to a normal temperature ?

I live in a area where there are few Horse Breeding Studs and AI is a common used method for impregnation, hence Cryogenic Tank usage might be able to be achieved.  

williewonka
3,072 posts
 
@wig - did you try the cables with the UP-OCC copper neutral on your main rig yet?

And the verdict?

I am very interested to hear if there were noticeable improvements over the silver coated Mil-Spec neutral version

Cheers - Steve
wig's avatar
wig OP
1,211 posts
 
@ williewonka

I finally made the decision to order some Neotech 12 Ga OCC Copper Wire to replace the Neutral Mil-Spec Wire in my PC and I wasn’t prepared to hear this unbelievable change… The first thing I noticed was complete blackness/lowering of floor noise, much better channel separation, depth, more body/texture with images being more vibrant and articulate.

I’m still shaking my head as my speakers before were “chameleon” but with the Neotech upgrade, my speakers are not there and the sound is more “vinyl-like” and this is with zero hours on the cables. I converted my dual 12 Ga Mil-Spec wire to a single Neotech 12Ga OCC Copper and this wire is robust.

If you convert your current DIY Helix Cables to Neotech, I recommend removing the neutral from your current cables first and coiling the remainder of the cabling around the Neotech OCC Wire that’s on a rod and sufficiently spaced; the longer the rod, the better but 6+ feet would be good depending on the length of you PC.

Again, the change was so amazing that I converted ALL 5 of my DIY Helix PC to a single Neotech 12Ga OCC Copper Neutral Wire totaling $325!

Wig : )
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,441 posts
 
Did you use stranded or solid core? Solid core is very, very stiff! Not sure if solid core is the safest to use long term if one moves cables a bit.  
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