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
@williewonka I would love it if you tried the VHAudio copper in your ICs and reported back - but I have already ordered the Mundorf wire so that is what I will be assembling next week when it arrives.

@wig What type of cable cooking do you do for your ICs, SCs and PCs?  I have a Frybaby that can do voltage and current conditioning on ICs and SCs and would love to learn from your experiences and usage.

Thanks
Talking a Step Back:
I mentioned in a previous post about making Helix PC’s for my Guitar Amps - for these cables I took a step back in their construction techniques in order to provide a more durable cable
1. I use a 12 gauge Duelund stranded wire with the polymer insulation for flexibility
2. I added a cotton expandable sleeve over the live wire for internal abrasion resistance
3. I use a nylon outer expandable sleeve for external abrasion resistance 

Unlike Audio cables, which tend to sit motionless at the back of a system, guitar amp cables have a more dynamic lifespan and must be able to take more of a beating...
- they are connected/disconnected and flexed repeatedly
- they may get trodden on of lay on rough surfaces

Even with these precautions, from a wear perspective, Helix PC’s ARE NOT as durable as a piece of Furutech cable.

PERFORMANCE: - Due to the more dynamic nature of guitar amps, I really could not tell the difference between the "Audio" and the "Live Music" versions when used on my guitar amp..

I will be posting an update to the web site on this I a couple of days

@dbass - they are coming soon

Regards - Steve





Awesome if you think they are better I will have to build another set of RCAs using the VH Audio Copper.

@dbass - I do not believe they will be better than the Mundorf because silver is a better conductor, but they should offer a similar level of performance for "most metrics", just not quite as dynamic and perhaps not quite as  good at imaging.

I could be wrong - But I've come to realize there are so many variables that sometimes you just have to try stuff to evaluate "a hunch" 

Regards - Steve