Now the Duelund 16 ga makes a wonderful IC......very good in this position!
Showing 49 responses by grannyring
I am using the Duelund 16ga on the high pass portion of my AZ Crescendo speakers. I was using the WE 10 ga as my sole cable on my biwire speakers. I kept the WE10 on the bass and now have the Duelund 16ga on the highs. Much more detail for sure. Not sure if it is too aggressive however? Only 12 hours of burn in however? Not sure if it smooths out over more hours. We will see. A little too much of a good thing thus far in my system and to my ears. On great recordings I love the Duelund, but on less than great it is a little harsh for me. I forgot got to mention I also used the Duelund 16 as jumpers up to my highs. I liked it better than the WE 10ga alone. Thus far it is smoother than the Duelund 16ga run from my amp to the highs. I hope the Duelund wire mellows out with break in. If it does, it will be perfect. |
Thus far I prefer the Western Electric 10 gauge wire over the Duelund 16 ga for speaker wire. The WE is far more full bodied and easy sounding. The Duelund is just a tad to thin sounding and too alive for my system. This is after 20 hours of burn in on the Duelund however. I just don’t think it will change enough however to compete with what I like about the WE 10 gauge wire. |
Interesting on how system synergy is everything. I changed my USB cable from the very good DH Labs Silversonic Mirage to the Curious USB cable. They are both very good USB cables. The Curious is warmer and a tad more rounded and full bodied. The DH Labs has more air and perhaps a tad more detail. Bottom line is I now prefer the Duelund 16ga driving my speakers mids and highs. The only thing that changed was the USB cable. It is all about total system synergy. What sounds great or best in one system may not in another no matter how " good" the wire. |
I like the Duelund better than the WE10 now with my current system changes. The Duelund was too bright before, but now perfect with my slight system changes. It is all system compatibility and dependent and our preferences can change as our systems change slightly. I have found cotton sounds better...more open in every situation I have compared, thus my Supra comment. But I like openness and that is a subjective thing... Right now I use the WE10 on my bass crossover board and Duelund 10ga on the mids and highs. Nice combo! I have also owned a vast array of high end speaker cables with my current combo as good as any and better than most😁 |
Also avoid binding posts. I mod my amp and speakers to only use binding posts as clamps, never to conduct signal. They also degrade sound in very obvious ways once you learn how to bypass them. Bare wire to bare wire is so much better sounding. Output wires from the amp are clamped to my speaker wire directly. Same thing on the speaker end. Just think about that mass of brass covered in a thin coating etc... Avoid those binding posts! Even the best connectors and posts are bottlenecks. The improvement is shocking folks. Best mod I do and have done. Since the Duelund wire is tinned it will not oxidaize etc... I use it in my speaker crossovers and amp also. |
This is the seller you want. He is the real deal and who we use. http://www.ebay.com/itm/per-foot-Western-Electric-AIW-10ga-STRANDED-cloth-covered-gray-PAIR-/2316636... |
I would not biwire. Just strip off about 5 inches and run the cable from the bottom posts to the top in a continuous run. My posts have holes that I ran the wire through. This is how I would do it. I love the WE10 on the mids and highs even more than the bass. I think you will like it better than the Kimber. Give it time to burn in however. Do not terminate....just strip and use bare wire. If you find it too warm sounding, I don't, then the Duelund 16ga would be ideal for you. |
Nice ride through Iowa! Awesome! Jealous for sure. Agreed on the WE10 wire. I love it. I suggest the poster try one run as I say above. Iit is possible two separate runs will sound better. But perhaps not. Depends on speakers, amp etc... In my system I found no big difference. 100 watt amp with AZ Crescendo speakers. |
I still own my highly modified and upgraded set of AZ Crescendo speakers. Love them. Yes I have made many sets of ICs using the Duelund 16ga wire. I tried the 20ga and just prefer the 16Ga. The 16ga is a tad warmer and less lively. It is also more full bodied in my rig when used on some tube amps. The 20ga is more lively and for some that may be preferred. No shield, just a simply twist. |
The 16 gauge Duelund has all the detail of the 20 gauge, but a quick comparison to the 20 gauge can make one think the 20 ga is more detailed. Its’s just that the 16ga is more complete with improved weight and body. Listen to both over a two week period and it becomes obvious that the 16ga has all the detail, but it is presented with more top to bottom balance. The upper frequency details don’t leap out for attention, but rather draw you into the music in a more nuanced and natural manner. I also believe there are system and listener preferences that must be understood for the best choice. The Cardas line of RCAs gives nice touch of natural warmth and smoothness. I have found the KLEI Absolute Harmony to be very neutral and resolving. |
Sorry, just saw this. Yes the SLVR as the gold version was just discontinued. Pretty much the same connector as the outer barrel is just silver plated instead of gold. I did not try the Duelund, but would be interesting. The Switchcraft is not as smooth, resolute or nuanced as the KLEI. The Switchcraft is a great value for sure and they sound very good and balanced. They are a tad nervous sounding compared to the KLEI however. This is a slight thing, but this quest for the best sound is about degrees. Ha! |
Yes I have used those connectors when making some cable harnesses for my living voice speakers. The interesting thing is I made the harnesses with bare wire and listened that way for about a month before Using the connectors. I can tell you the differences between bare wire and these connectors! At first the KLEI banana connectors sounded just a little bit brighter than bare wire. However this did go away after about 100 to 150 hours of use. I will tell you that I thought the connectors did not add or subtract anything from the bare wire. This is a very good thing in my opinion. And actually this is the first connector I can honestly say is as good as bare wire. Just be aware that it may sound a tad bit brighter first but that will go away with time. |
I think 20 ga is not the best idea when used as a jumper to the highs. I would use 16ga and have. No need to make jumpers at all if you use bare wire. Strip the wire with enough bare wire length to first wrap around the woofer binding posts and then run them up to the highs. Less hassle, less complexity with fewer breaks and connections/terminations. Will this sound as good as true biwire cables? No way to know as you have to try to really know as it is speaker dependent. Run 16ga for the highs and 12 ga for the lows. |
After reading your post again I think you are using the method I outlined. I would connect the 16ga to the highs and try the 12ga as a jumper to the lows. Better idea in my opinion. 20 gauge is not wise as a jumper as you will find the result lacking in weight and body (bloom) compared to the 16 or certainly the 12 ga. |
I just finished making a set of Duelund quad core wound jumpers using 4 runs of the 16 gauge Duelund wire terminated with the excellent Furutech FP203G spades. I jumped from the bass posts up to the highs on my Dali Epicon 6s. I am very pleased with the initial sound. Very. The combined gauge is 10. |
SCM, Not enough burn in for sure, but more going on here. Also, the 16 gauge with speaker less than 95db is not a good match...,especially with long runs. Need more info.... Was it an SS amp with speakers less than 95db effecient? If so, not an ideal match. Under 8 ohm speakers? Perhaps 4 ohm? If so, not the best match for 16 gauge single runs. |
The tin plating is part of the sound and Duelund did not use it to ward off corrosion which is no longer an issue with today’s better wire coating.....including oil impregnated cotton. So it is there for the tone. It is a fine stranded copper wire and I would not try to remove the tin, I don’t you can anyway. It is part of the wire. So yes the wire and cables sound better with the tin. You can buy stranded Duelund copper wire in cotton without the tin. It does not sound as beautiful. |
Yep it takes about 100 hours. 12 gauge a tad longer and 16 gauge you are all but there after 75 hours. But they never sound as bad as I read in his statement... never. Especially the ICs made with the 16 gauge. Wonder how they were built? Soldered professionally etc..... Did he shield them? If so, that will dull them. Something is amiss. This conductor does not go from awful and unlistenable to the best I have ever heard during break in. Just not what this wire does. It may be the connectors? Soldering job? How were they constructed? Need to know more about the system also. In the end no wire or piece of gear will please everyone for a myriad of good reasons. But I have not heard of the Duelund stranded and tinned wire in cotton being so bad it was unlistenable and worse than cheap zip cord in essence. The Aphile world is always full of surprises! |