Duelund conversion to DIY Helix Geometry Cabling

@fai_v - this appears to be an older amplifier. The balanced symmetrical design is relatively recent,  I also saw no warnings on picture of the amp (rear view) that indicates the amp is a balanced symmetrical design.

I believe the Helix cables will work with this amp

Regards - Steve

RE: The Ultimate Helix DIY Cable - I forgot to mention that when winding the helix conductor ..

• I initially cut both the wire and the tubing to the appropriate length
  • I left enough wire to form a 1" tightly twisted section at each end of the conductor
  • so the tube was 2" shorter than the wure
• but when I finished winding the coil there was 4" of wire at the free end
• so you need to make the tubing longer than the wire
• e.g. On a 3ft cable I would recommend making the tubing 6" longer than the wire and trim to the correct length once would
• I believe that the wire forms a tighter coil than the tubing so you end up with excess wire

Other than that - break-in is proceeding very nicely.

Regards - Steve

@williewonka - I always wanted to understand the signal flow and what is claimed to be directional wire.  I know when you get to OCC quality the wire is drawn/produced in a certain way and there is a consensus that signal flow should follow that direction.

My specific question for DIY speaker cables - If you buy into this directional approach, should you have positive and negative runs in opposite directions?

I have used a lot of Furutech Alpha hook up wire and have followed their directional arrows.  

Can't claim that I can tell a difference, but this one kept me up thinking last night....

Marty

@mbolek - you have touched on a subject that I am yet to observe, despite having tried it many times with a variety of cables - e.g. power, interconnect and speaker cables.

I do not doubt the observations of others - i.e. a cable sounds better in a specific direction.

• is it due to the metal of the wire?
• is it due to the insulation?
• is it due to the geometry of the cable?
• is it due to the connectors of the cable?
• is it due to the socket in the component?
  • sockets/plugs is an area that can cause lots of issues
  • I would not be surprised if this is the cause of this phenom

Since I have never observed this phenom I no longer account for it in my builds and so far I have not been disappointed.

But you do make a valid point - should the wire be reversed for the neutral?

• With the exception of fully balanced symmetrical designed amps and balanced power distribution systems
  • Helix cables are not suited to these
  • and I lack the experience in this design approach
• In Single ended systems, electrical energy flows in one direction, from the power station to ground/neutral - it just happens to pass through our components along the way
• granted the polarity changes in an audio signal, but the energy will always flow from source to "ground"
• so if I had to GUESS - both wires should be aligned in the direction of the energy transfer
• but it is not something that I would account for in my cable builds

Sorry I could not be of more assistance

Regards - Steve

@williewonka -Thanks for your feedback. Lots of different parameters that can affect the sound. For me, I rely on good conductors, low mass connectors (or no connectors), and secure connections. Rather be listening to music than pondering all the variables....

I like building cables, not as extensively as you, but it’s a nice hobby.

Helix build with the bare UP-OCC is in my near future. Although, after listening to some Zavfino stuff, I’m really impressed. At their price points, I’ll be hard pressed to build anything that looks and performs as well.

Appreciate all your attention to the details and real world feedback.

Marty