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
Thank you so much for all your work in this matter - I got inspired and decided to join the bandwagon. I will build power chord with Viborg plugs, Chris VenHaus Airlok copper 18ga wire and Duelund 600VA wire. Now, I live in Europe with 230V mains. So I conclude current is lower and I will be able to safe on diameter needed for the same power (half the Amps), right? Also, I have read that running neutral and ground in opposite helix turn might be beneficial. However, does this not make the assembly more difficult and the final cable will be less stable? I very much welcome your sensible comments. Best, Bruno |
Thank you very much for your answers, mawe and Steve. @Steve, actually I got this idea of using opposite helix directions for neutral and ground from you website. http://www.image99.net/blog/files/b4d5249616a56bdabfd28b5580db6cec-79.html However, after re-reading, I realize I may have misinterpreted. The mixture of two winding directions is not described actually. I was planning to use Chris Airlok wire for the LIVE conductor (three runs), and admittedly the Duelund wire for the neutral and ground. But I can see that this stranded wire may not be suited to maintain the helix winds. The thing is that shipping charges from Canada to Europe are prohibitive, especially compared to the cost of the Mil-Spec wire. Now, I am not sure whether there is an European alternative to the Mil-Spec wire. |
Hi Steve Thank you for posting European alternatives to the MilSpec wire, very much appreciated. I believe you are not alone with your observation that short pieces of different metals inserted to a longer wire change the overall sound. For example, this is how Franck Tchang from ASI produces his interconnects and loudspeaker cables.. In the meantime, I have built and installed my first helix power cable according the posted recipe, from wall to the LessLoss firewall distributor. I have also experimented with ferrites (from 1 up to 14 pieces) that snugly fit around the live wires, and I could replicate what has been posted elsewhere: they suck out the life of the music. |
I have settled on an AC cable design, where I use Duelund silver 3 mm cable for the hot wire (I know with its silk/oil insulation it is not officially approved for high voltage) and 2 runs of Jantzen copper/silver 12 awg runs for neutral and one run for ground. Plugs are Viborg copper/gold. Burning in with FryCorder II for 72 hours. I use this for the amplifier. Sound is very rich with increased texture on all notes - as if each tone would shimmer in many more colors. Also very natural sounding, no stress. |
