Duelund conversion to DIY Helix Geometry Cabling

Power Cable UPDATE: So today’s venture replaced the Cotton Sleeve on the power cable to my amp with the PVC tube mentioned above.

The cable had been completely burned in
- I removed one of the Spade connectors
- inserted the wire into the tube
- placed heat shrink with adhesive at both ends to "seal" the tube
- reattached spade connector and the mains connectors

The improvements, although quite small, were immediately discernible.
- more detailed venue acoustics
- improved clarity, textures and harmonics
- more precise image focus and artist placement

Orchestral tracks sound more spacious and focused and Pipe Organ music (in a church venue) exhibited an improved "perception of height".

I believe there is a downside to being able to reproduce music to this level of detail...
- The "engineered" venue acoustics on (some) tracks that were recorded in the studio have a tendency to now sound a bit "fake" - there is just too much echo/reverberations to be believable

However, the tracks recorded at the venue sound amazingly lifelike. e.g. there is more separation between the the various sections of the Orchestra in width and depth.

Considering the price of this upgrade - About $1.30 - I would say it was worth it. :-)

It would seem the key is to reduce the amount of surface area of the wire that touches the insulation. The Dielectric Constant (Dk) of cotton is around 1.3 and Air is around 1.1

I think the PVC tube is now my insulation of choice when using bare wire for the conductor. Teflon would probably have the same effect, but is considerably more expensive in comparison

I think I have probably squeezed the last ounce of performance out of my copper power cables - I have no plans to try the same thing with the Neutral wire, it would be far to complicated a venture.

Speaker cables are up next for the exact same treatment..
- I’ve decided to try a single 14 gauge bare Neotech UP-OCC wire
- inside the same PVC tube

Will keep you all posted in a couple of weeks

Regards Steve

Speaker Cable Update. Bare 14 gauge Neotech Solid wire inside PVC tube...

First - I would NOT recommend the PVC tube for any cable over 6-7ft long, simply because the PVC is quite supple and "grippy", which makes inserting the bare wire quite troublesome. I believe the Teflon tube would not suffer the same issue and would probably be just as effective..My cables are around 9ft long and it took some effort to get the wire in the tube.

So, right from the get-go the 14 gauge Neotech (bare wire) in the PVC tube sounded better than the 2 x 18 gauge Vh Audio wire...
- Bigger image
- improved Artist separation and focus - more space around artists
- slightly faster dynamics
- improved clarity
- improved details

That lasted for about 12 hours and then things started to get a little weird...
The image started going a little crazy, with some instruments darting around the image. Also, standing 4ft to the right of center, the central voice appeared to come from the side wall but not from reflections off the wall. But in the listening position it was perfect.

With the VH Audio wire, standing in the same position the artist was always in the center.

So today was day4 (approaching 100 hours) of the burn-in process and I am glad to report the rather flakey image issues have been "cured" and I think things will improve further.

With this wire I now have a full appreciation of what @grannyring refers to as :the "wall of sound".
- the image extends in every dimension and very "3D like"
- improved Artist separation and focus - really is like "being there"
- dynamics are the most realistic yet experienced
- improved clarity - again, like being there
- improved details - you’ll definitely hear new things on pretty much every track.
- speakers? - what speakers? - totally invisible!

The only concern I have with going the bare wire route is whether the bare copper will tarnish/corrode inside the PVC (or even Teflon) tubing over time and impact sound quality.
I did "seal" each end with a 1" piece of heat shrink (with adhesive on the inside) in an attempt to at least slow down the oxidizing process.

Perhaps leaving the Teflon insulation in place might prove to be the best route?
- the question is how much does the Teflon (molded onto the wire) impact sound quality?

I’ll let you know if I ever have to replace the bare wire :-)

BTW - finally fully experiencing that "wall of sound", makes this upgrade well worth the cost and effort. It is immense, enveloping and very compelling.

Until the next upgrade :-)

Regards - Steve.

Great stuff! My guess is the 12 gauge with molded Teflon jacket in place would sound even better on your speaker cables.  I use 2-10 gauge conductors per leg in my speakers cables as an FYI. Sounded better than a single 10 gauge per leg.  These are not Helix cables however. I use Helix jumpers up to my mids and highs. 

Wonder if Chris at VH Audio would consider making his solid core Airlock copper in a 12 gauge thickness? That would be the ticket in my estimation. I also think the bare copper will oxidize over time, but how much and to what sonic impact? Not sure. 

WRT bare wire - the one advantage of the PVC tube is it is perfectly clear, so I can see any oxidation. The wire is very bright right now and easily seen.

I'm wondering if coating the wire with a very thin coat varnish or urethane would work?

Anyone know what the coating is on transformer wire? 
- That is very thin and probably lowers the impact of insulation

Cheers - Steve.