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
Showing 8 responses by williewonka
@lemonhaze - actually, that ratio is what is posted on my website.👍 If required you could reduce it to 2:1, because unlike interconnects, where the signal and any induced noise would be amplified, making that noise an issue, whereas any induced rfi/emi induced into the speaker cable would not be heard above the amplified signal from the Amp, so the number of turns is not as important. So, interconnects a ratio of 3.1 is recommended And for speaker cables 2.5:1 is recommended Regards |
@norco74 and @pindac - gentlemen, thank you for your posts above. They contain excellent information, in that they provide alternate thoughts/products/feedback for other readers to ponder and try out. As I have said many time throughout this thread, if you have a favourite wire or connector, then try it. The forumala posted on my web site is just a starting place. But for me it is also the final state of my nation. The expense (time and money) has been significant and I like the sound I now have, so for the time being I’m sitting back to enjoy the music. I would encourage people to try different wies and connectors, because they all make a difference. You may find a combination that may or may not suit your ears, so be aware that it can be time consuming and costly in order to select te combination your ears find most satisfying. The really nice thing is - the Helix Geometry makes those differences very noticeable, which makes everything a little easier. Regards - Steve |
@sasho - please use this wire calculator in furure to calculate wire diameter As yu can see the diameter of the 14 gague wire wil be 1.6277 mm so the inside diameter of the tube should bs around 25% larger, which is 2.034mm You will not get an exact match, so opt for the one closest to the calulated amount Regards - Steve |
@abolive - generally speaking - you are correct - i.e. for power cables. Those regulations are primarily to protect the consumer and guard against cable/component failure Any cable that connects a component to the mains for general sale has to conform to a set of guidelines that pertain to flexibility, insulations and current carrying capability, etc... This is because the regulators do not know what use/abuse that cables will be subject too.
The "deterrent" seems to be UL or CSA or BSA Certification, which is normally required by insurance companies. However - the power cable on that lamp from china sitting on oyur bedside tables is probably not UL certified If you look at my website you will see warnonogs pertaiing to building the Helix cables. Audio cables are not "generally" subject ot a lot of flexing. and the higher the quality of copper used will allow the capability to be flexed more often. If you build the cable yourself you should have a pretty good idea of the kind of abuse it can take, so it is up to YOU to make sure it will perofrm well. Solid wire can take a lot of bending and straightening before it fails, so it should be OK for audiophile use Regards
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@abolive - just to assure you further - If you make a cable using good solid copper wire, the cable will adopt a "natural. curve" once attached to components. You can of course use a tighter curve if space is a premium, but even a really tight bend in the cable should not approach the right angled "L" shape reqquired to fracture the wire when used under "Normal Use" To get copper wire to fracture, I had to use a pair of pliers and force an "L" shape in the wire, and then wigggle it back and forth several times But to be on the safe side, just allow the cable to show you it's natural curve and use that Regards - Steve |
Here is the thread the contains the links to the carious PDF files that contains the construction details for the Helix DIY cables https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/diy-helix-geometry-cabling Regards |