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
@wig , @grannyring  @dbass - I've just been listening to a pair of 1 meter IC's that now has a single strand of 18 gauge VH Audio Solid Copper, in place of the single strand of 1mm dia (17-18 gauge) Mundorf Solid Silver/gold wire. FYI:  I did not use the cotton sleeve as with the Mundorf wire, mainly because the VH audio wire has insulation.

RE: IC's, I can confirm Wig's findings almost to the letter, the only difference being, I found the Mundorf wire to be a smidgeon fuller sounding and a tad warmer, but we are talking about a difference so small the I had to listen intently on my system at least, but again, there may be more of a difference on higher resolving systems. Every other metric we tend to use to assess sonic performance was identical to my ears at least.

RE: Power cables: - I have also now compared power cables and although I did not hear as much of a difference between the VH Audio Silver vs. VH Audio copper as Wig observed, I did believe that there would be a more discernible improvement when used on components capable of higher resolution.

RE: Schroeder method.  - I'll also wait for @grannyring 's observations. - It's an approach that does seem to provide improvements using conventional cable geometry.

To all - Your modifications and observations posted above are invaluable  in shaping the future versions of the Helix cables, since I am but one guy with one modest system, so when others are willing to try other wires and approaches on an array of systems/components I really do appreciate the time/effort/costs involved. 

MANY THANKS - Steve




@wig Thx! for your comparisons
@williewonka Again Thx! for your feedback on these options.

I built the Helix Interconnects with the Mundorf 1mm Silver Gold wire.  I deviated in 1 way from the recipe and used Cardas 1/4 Lb. Ultra pure tin/lead/Silver/copper Quad Eutectic instead of the WBT 4% silver solder.  Am I losing sonics by not using the WBT solder?
@dbass - the solder you have chosen is very good, so it will provide great performance sonically.

The main reason I specified WBT 4% silver on my web site was to get the point across that a "quality solder" should be used..

When I first started using the KLE Innovations RCA plugs I did notice a sonic improvement when I switched from the solder I purchased from the local hardware store, to the WBT.

I now use a  Eutectic solder instead of WBT and have not noticed any degradation in sound quality and the joints are very reliable

Because of the rapid state change from liquid to solid, the  Eutectic solders make a better joint both electrically and mechanically
- By comparison, the WBT solder does not transform as quickly and can result in a poor joint if your hand is a little shaky, like mine

Regards - Steve
@williewonka thank you for sharing your experiments and @wig as well for your findings.
I am ready to build a 1.3m long Helix interconnect and think I'll go for the Mundorf variation.
A quick question:
-- the signal wire is 1mm (18g) silver;
-> what do you recommend for the neutral / return wire?
Regards