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
@lemonhaze - actually, that ratio is what is posted on my website.👍 If required you could reduce it to 2:1, because unlike interconnects, where the signal and any induced noise would be amplified, making that noise an issue, whereas any induced rfi/emi induced into the speaker cable would not be heard above the amplified signal from the Amp, so the number of turns is not as important. So, interconnects a ratio of 3.1 is recommended And for speaker cables 2.5:1 is recommended Regards |
Thank you @williewonka |
@williewonka, great thanks. I will be visiting my home country South Africa for a few weeks and will take the speaker cables, a PC and a pair of IC's with. I will also be visiting my mates at 'the old farts club' a bunch of good guys who are not cable deniers and will be able to report on their impressions when I return. One of them owns Mark Levinson monos and Magico 5 speakers so it will be interesting and fun. |
@williewonka you asked "Any Thoughts? Steve" I know that there is a spirit of investigation on this thread and there will be discoveries made as a incremental way forward and quite possibly backwoods. I introduced a individual to PC Triple C, they have not looked back, they also know my interest in Helix Design and FINEMET as an alternative to Ferrite. With all the good things already happened they bought into SAEC SL 5000 Cables, which I feel ticks boxes in relation to my own interests shared. . The Supplied RCA Connectors were compared to KLE RCA's and KLE were the chosen type. The investigative mind did not rest and other RCA's were considered of which WBT Low Eddy was a selection. This RCA was the new chosen design and the idea to couple it to a purpose produced same design interface Connector took on a must try out on a list. This is where I was introduced to the evolving use of SL 5000 CCC > OEM RCA and SL 5000 CCC > WBT's. ( I missed the period of KLE's being in use) I trust the system owners judgement and I know the system very well. The WBT's used as a the Cable Termination and on Chassis has changed my whole thought process about what can be achieved and what really can be achieved, the impression left is very good. Maybe it is just one of those leaps one has to take, there is also the analogy where if nothing is ventured nothing is gained. |
I have built the Helix cables for a few years now and have tried the many combinations suggested as they were made available on Steve’s site. I have recently switchover a Neotech 2 x AWG18 UPOCC power cable for a 14 AWG Duelund PVC on my Bryston 3.14 DAC streamer. I am quite surprised by the results. The Duelund seems to handle the sound texture way better than the Neotech version. Less harsh on the high frequencies, better instruments separation and a small increase in the spatial details department. My guess is that the cable type have more noticeable effects on low level source components than preamp and amp. Experimenting is the only way of finding what suits your ears.best. |
