Duelund conversion to DIY Helix Geometry Cabling

Happy new year everyone!

I'll finally try to make some cables.

I found two websites for Sonar Quest, sonarquest.net and sonarquestshop.com.

Do you know if they are legit?

I think the Aesthetix Atlas might be with differential output.

Would someone be able to confirm?

Thanks a lot!

@williewonka, Hi Steve,  After having just read the entire long thread with interest and mounting anticipation I have chosen to build some interconnects using your updated 'Ultimate' recipe. 

Are these intended for analogue or digital duties?

I come from a boat building and sailing background and as a professional delivery skipper (now retired or maybe not 😉) have first hand experience with copper wire under harsh conditions. With regards your mild concern over the deterioration or 'weathering' of the bare wire in a tube, may I offer a suggestion closely aligned with the system you used to exclude the unprotected wire from oxidation.

When I rewired my boat over 30 years ago I went to great lengths to prevent/slow the wiring from electrolysis and salt laden air. A product that I find essential is Silicone Grease, please note this is not to be confused with silicone adhesive. When making a wire-joint or terminating to a connector I slide an appropriately sized piece of heat-shrink onto the wire, allowing for good overlap either side of the join or termination. The join is soldered or when not able to solder it is connected by 'marrying' the wires. A married joint is the least bulky and is made by splaying the strands of both wires then alternating the strands as they are introduced and then twisting the strands on each side in opposite directions.  Once joined I liberally cover the joint with the silicone GREASE, slide the heat-shrink into position and then carefully without heating the central part of the joint heat the ends, effectively creating a pocket of grease that completely excludes any air or moisture. Some grease will be squeezed out as it shrinks which can be cleaned away.

I have used this method to connect bilge pumps where the connection is permanently submerged in filthy bilge water. I have replaced burned out pumps on boats I worked on and found the copper as bright as the day I installed them.  When I sold my boat the new owner asked me to install some gear. To do this I had to cut into joins over 30 years old and found them to be as clean as the day they were made!  This grease is also great for lubricating and being a silicone compound actually nourishes plastics and rubber. It's ability to waterproof will be evident when trying to was your hands after using.  

Not audio related but a light smear of this stuff on windscreen wiper blades will stop shudder, quieten the movement and lengthen their life.

Something else that may prove to be useful is the technique I use for getting cables into tight spaces. The average length of a sailboat mast on the deliveries I did is about 14 to 20 meters and getting wires stuffed into the conduit running inside the mast is a challenge. Here dental floss and a fishing weight/sinker helps. When you described some difficulties getting the wires through the teflon tubing I immediately thought of this:

If the T-tube is suspended in a vertical position it should be little problem getting a weighted length of floss to gravitate through the tube. Floss being surprisingly strong can then be rolling-hitched to the wires and simply pulled through. Fly-fishing tackle shops can supply tiny lead split balls that are crimped to the fishing line. If things are a bit tight simply lubricate using your awesome grease 😎

@lemonhaze

. . . and sailing background and as a professional delivery skipper (now retired or maybe not 😉)

Not! LOL.

Nice to read about tips from a fellow sailor on this forum. Did you see ‘Race of the Century’ on Netflix?

My experience is primarily working the foredeck on ocean-racers. I’ve had the good fortune to see countless sunrises/sunsets during my watches over the years – as well as to hear the gun at the finish line. Also, the misfortune of being pummeled by horizontal rain – with raindrops the size of bullets, pounding into square waves for days at a time, losing steerage by reefs, visiting the masthead while under weigh - and heaving-to during a Force 9. What’s not to love! 😎

Re: audio. IMHO, there’s a commonality with the physics of electricity and the physics of fluid dynamics – hydro & aero. When encountering resistance, the flow of electricity has a similar behavior to micro-climates. The result of ‘friction’ caused by obstacles, colliding vectors, eddying, etc. Occurring at connections/junctions – interaction with insulation – purity of wire – et al. It’s all fascinating!

Please continue to share your knowledge and observations.

_ _ _ _ _

Re: Silicon grease & heat-shrink.   Sounds similar to what Purist Audio Design does with their mixtures to counter EMI.

@lemonhaze - WRT

Are these intended for analogue or digital duties?

The really nice thing about the Helix design with the Harmony RCA plugs, is that they can be used for either duty, without reservation.

You also do not need to worry about the length of the interconnects when used for digital purposes

• I have used lengths from 18 inches to 6 ft and not noticed any degredation of sound from either analogue or digital interconnects
• others report the same for Balanced cables also.

WRT the my comments regarding possible corrosion - turns out my "fears", or perhaps a better word would be suspicions, regarding the possible corrosion of bare wires inside teflon tubes were without merit.

In the 18 months since I implemented the first Helix Image Air adaption, I can report that while the initial brightness of the copper has become a little more subdued after the first couple of months, it now appears that any further dulling has not taken place.

Whereas the piece of "sacrificial" bare wire wire that I placed on top of my audio stand for comparison purposes has now become very dull.

So I believe that the glue in the heat shrink I use has been very effective in sealing the teflon tubes.

Others have used hot glue to seal the tubes, which is also very effective

But it is always very educational to hear of other creative solutions to any problem, so thank you very much for your most informative post.

I’m sure other members will also find it very useful

Regards - Steve

@williewonka, Congratulations on a long thread without the usual cable deniers disrupting flow. Good that you find the interconnects work for both analogue and digital. I need to make up a cable with RCA on one end and BNC on the other end to connect to an old Wadia 15 DAC   I don't remember seeing BNC mentioned, can you recommend a good BNC  connector please.