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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


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wig's avatar
wig OP
1,202 posts
 

Helix Power Cords Update!

Got all of my Helix PC built, burned in and have been settling in my system for over 10 days and they are sounding phenomenal! My commercially bought Helix PC was my standard as they beat everything and like my previous experiences with Helix interconnects, the Helix PC exercises the same attributes…

The first thing you will notice is how focused they are with razor sharp and locked in images within the soundstage and of course the clarity, transparency, width/depth/height and a realness that’s quite astonishing. Music and detail are not pushed out at you in a forward way but behind the speakers in a palpable and very organic way and it is almost like your amp signal-to-noise ratio has increased 20 db.

If you do not have a cable cooker, I recommend you place these on a component that you can run 24 hours a day for 7-10 days as I cooked mines for 4 days and it took another 6-7 days of settling before they reached their sweet-spot. You will hear their sonic signature immediately but depth and low-level detail will become more apparent and effortless after burn-in.

The reason I mentioned focus is that when I compare this DIY Helix PC to my commercially bought Helix PC and as good as the commercially available product is, glare is a standout feature in relation to the DIY Helix.

I intentionally added one PC at a time to discern any notable improvements and can tell you that each one made a noticeable difference but the PC on my 2A3 DHT Pre was Dramatic as if my Class A Amp doubled its 18 Watts rating!

The choice of connectors is a personal decision but I compared Parts Connexion CF Rhodium Plugs to Furutech FI-11 and 28 and couldn’t discern any sonic benefits to spend over their $49 asking price for a set! I used VH Audio 18 Ga Solid OCC Copper with Airlok as my live conductors and the number of strands was determined by the component.

It's hard to describe the differences but those familiar with analog will get this; DIY Helix sounds very natural or real verses sounding digital... 

Build one low wattage Helix PC and move amongst your source components to hear for yourself the beauty this cord can make in your system.

Wig


https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/2061#&gid=1&pid=14


lak's avatar
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lak
4,529 posts
 
Wig, thanks for the follow-up.
wig's avatar
wig OP
1,202 posts
 
@ lak

No problem and thanks again.

Ron
williewonka
3,063 posts
 
HELIX PC Update...

I was recently asked what differences could be heard using the Solid Silver VS. the Solid Copper from VH Audio for the LIVE conductor in my PC’s

Since I had just made a 5ft cable using two strands of Solid Copper for the live conductor, I compared it to the PC on my streamer that uses a single strand of Solid Silver from VH Audio for the live conductor. All other wires were 14 gauge Silver plated Mil-Spec. 

To my complete surprise I could not tell any difference between the two wire types.

Perhaps there could be a minor improvement to be had using the Solid Silver wire on components of a higher resolution capability?
- But on the Bluesound Node 2i that I tested the cables with there was no discernable difference.

This Solid Copper wire from VH Audio appears to be exceptional - perhaps I’ll try it on the IC’s :-)

@wig - So glad to hear the Helix DIY’s are working out

I now use Helix PC’s on my guitar amps and they work wonders there also

Have you thought about trying them on a TV?
- they do amazing things for colour and blackness and adds more definition to deep shadow areas of the picture.
- I also had to turn the brightness down on my Samsung 4K.

Regards - Steve
wig's avatar
wig OP
1,202 posts
 
@ williewonka

Thanks for the update and may have to do a shoot out between my single silver PC and one of my copper PC to see if I can discern any differences.

My silver PC is on my tube DAC.

Wig



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