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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
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
My experience with ICs has always been 16-18 gauge sounds better than 24-20 gauge.  Just my experience. 
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
All this hype coming from people whose ears and brains I've grown to trust has me thinking.  A few years ago I made my own speaker cables from Duelund tinned copper and they are the best wires I've ever had.  So natural and so tonally correct!   But it sounds like this VH Audio OCC is worth a try.  My ICs are all XLR, and they are all silver.  I wouldn't mind getting a little more copper into the system, so it might be worth a diy project making an IC to go from source to preamp.
aniwolfe
752 posts
 
@brownsfan

I have made a few pairs of the DIY Helix IC’s with VH Airlok Copper and its far superior to a Double run of Duelund IC’s I once owned. Its like comparing a Honda to a Ferrari. The DIY Helix also surpassed a pair of $2800 HFC IC’s that I proclaimed as the best cable I had heard under $3k. The people that don’t try these are missing out big time.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Thanks @aniwolfe for the encouragement.   I'm going to get some materials ordered and get to work on 1-2 ICs, speaker cables, and maybe even a power chord.   This seems like a stone that cannot go unturned.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
They are better as @aniwolfe says, but I would not be quite as bold about being “far better” as that is not so clear cut in all systems and ears. The Duelund is warmer and a tad more relaxed in many systems, including mine, which can be a good thing. While I like the increased resolution of the Helix I had to put back in a Duelund power cord to balance out my system’s sound to my liking. It was just a tad too direct and resolute. All Helix cords is great, but bringing back one Duelund cable into the mix really made it perfect for me. In general the Helix cables are more resolute, decrease noise letting in more inner detail and provide better realism. The Duelund cables are warmer, more mellow and darker sounding.

This audio stuff is tricky in terms of saying something is universally better as people have differing sonic priorities, preferences and gear/rooms. I have mellowed my impulse to state absolutes the older and more experienced I get. For me, the Helix cables are very special and will be used in 80-90% of my system.

Bill, I would start with one IC. See what that does, then make a second. Great to add one at a time and listen. I may add back one of my Duelund USB cables for more of that relaxed sound. I use two USB cables. Hard to really know where you will land until you listen for several weeks and the cables have 200 hours on them. 


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