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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
pindac's avatar
pindac
2,864 posts
 
Good News, That your investigation of the Hum was located on one Channel Only and the Swapping over of the Tubes in the Channels showed the Hum problem had migrated to the opposite channel.

This is one of the benefits of using Valves in a System, by following a couple of Simple Preparation Rules, Valves can easily be exchanged.
Trouble Shooting to discover if a Problem is within a Valve, or if the Issue is Upsteram or Downstream from the Valve can be proven relative easily.

The Downside of using Valves in a System is that if a Third Party measuring device is not used to confirm the condition of a Valve, the use of the Valve is a done at ones own risk.
I have had 60 Year Old Valves give a reading that Measures beyond Factory Spec, and Brand New Valves that do not offer a reading to produce a Measurement.
   
The Speedy Access that you have to the Tube EE is a very valuable assistance, when there is a raised concern.

From a personnal viewpoint, especially after the reassurances being offered about the Helix Cable to support your inquiries.
I would put the Helix Cable back into Service and assess its usage for the Benefits that are bing Perceived.  
williewonka
3,082 posts
 
@jambaj - I don't want to worry you, but regarding 
So I actually had the Cayin HA-300 for a year and 5 months, and two months ago, my one of Psvane ACME 300b tube flashed white and resulted in a -20dB drop on my right channel. Turned out it fried a wire-wound resistor.
and 
He swapped out the resistor per the factory schematics, tested the amp and said everything worked out and he said the amp is in great condition.
If a wire wound resistor fails it is probably because it is operating close to it's upper power handling limitations. Which implies the components selected by the designers may not be best suited for the task.

Simply replacing the resistor to "factory specs" might result in the same problem occurring further down the road.

My technician "upgraded" to resistors that could handle the actual load with ease, because he felt the designers were "pushing the limits" of the resistors they had originally selected

I think if I were in your position, especially since the amp is on for prolonged periods, and especially since you had an issue with the Psvane tubes as well - I might want to get a second opinion, i.e. before something else happens

Regards - Steve

jambaj0e
46 posts
 
@williewonka
I have been in direct contact with Cayin’s engineer in China, and have even forwarded some of your questions and concerns, too. For example, in regards to the wire wound resistors:

" As for your question on the wire-wound resistors such resistors are designed and chosen to protect the amplifier. Such resistors will burn first if there were flashing tubes which can cause extreme high current. If without such protection the extreme current will go to the Power Transformer directly and burn the Power Transformer. Please kindly note."

So in that way, these wire-wound resistors (different from the other resistors I've seen inside based on the factory photos. They're the gold one sitting underneath the pink Takman transistors in between the 300b sockets here: https://7review.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/CAYIN-HA-300-2.jpg)
Post removed 
williewonka
3,082 posts
 
@jambaj - Thanks for taking the time to reach out to the engineer

So basically - the designer of the Cayin amp has elected to use a "sacrificial resistor" as a circuit protection device

And here was I thinking that’s what fuses were for.:-)

But seriously, I have also looked into this further and it appears there is no right or wrong way, just a choice made by the amp designer

QUESTION: Should a resistor be "used in place of a fuse" ?
  • some believe fuses should be used to protect the circuit
  • others believe fuses degrade sound, so using a resistor for this purpose is an "acceptable risk" in order to achieve the best sound quality possible
  • Some designers use purpose built breakers
Here an interesting thread on Agon that discuses a similar topic
Tube Amp - Output Power Fuse Protection | Audiogon Discussion Forum

So which "design" does a person choose ?
  1. If "flashing" is a rare occurrence, then selecting amps like the Cayin you are hedging your bets that it will "likely" never happen, but if it does - you accept the risk and pay for the repair each time, but sound quality will be optimum, however, the more you use it "the more likely" it is to happen
  2. OR - you select an amp that uses a fuse/breaker to protect the circuit, in which case you "may" suffer some sound degradation

It’s a similar style of "choice" I recently made...
  • My previous Naim amp was very good, but the power supply Caps only last around 10-12 years before failing - it wqs designed that way - mine failed and that repair was around $400 and took about 4 weeks
  • Other amps - like my current Bryston, comes with a 20 year warranty - so it will likely not fail, and possibly go on to run for even longer.
For me - I do not like being without the "hub of my system" for any length of time, so I replaced the NAIM with the Bryston.

My choice, but I now have peace of mind in that the design: does not rely on components that WILL fail (i.e. the capacitors)

In my case - it is guaranteed that the caps WILL fail at some point
In your case - it was just an occurrence that may never have happened

One thing for sure - we now understand the design approach used in the Cayin, the problem that only "may" occur and the outcome, which is of great value going forward..

Regards - Steve
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