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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
3,075 posts
 
@rx8man - I just took a look at the CEC lineup and they are very nice units - which one do you have?

You should hear significantly more details with improved clarity, better dynamics and more spacious imaging.

But sometimes the amount of improvement depends on how good the power supply in the component is.

Having said that - my Bryston B135 integrated, that has three independent power supplies for preamp and L/R channels, surprised me by improving significantly across the board.

Also, Bryston is a company that is known for its quality power supplies, so you can never predict the outcome - you have to listen

Keep an ear out for what I call "venue acoustics" those little reverberations and echoes of the instruments.

On one recording I have of a classical quartet recorded in a small concert room, you can clearly hear a bus drive by in the background - something I had not heard before these cables

Looking forward to hearing your observations

I think you are in for a real treat :-)

Regards - Steve

rx8man's avatar
rx8man
1,481 posts
 
Steve, TL-3N
I’m already hearing what you describe, a car horn blowing outside, someone scuffling or coughing in studio.

Haven’t heard a mouse fart yet🙄

You’re totally correct about power supplies, good, better, best will pretty much determine percentage of sound resulting.

Your cable recipe really works, thanks much.



lionel
3 posts
 
What an incredible read!

Any thought about replacing the SC signal wire using 12g dead soft .999 silver wire (or lower) from Rio Grande?  - $13/ft.

.999 Fine Silver Round Wire, 12-Ga., Dead-Soft (riogrande.com)

Thanks...
williewonka
3,075 posts
 
@lionel - I have tried the Mundorf Solid Silver/gold, which is pretty close to the wire you mentioned just from a purity perspective

However, it seems there is something very special about the UP-OCC copper from either Neotech or VH Audio, because it performed better than the Mundorf.Silver/Gold(1%)

Right now the only wire that might perform better than the UP-OCC copper is the UP-OCC solid Silver wire from VH Audio, which is ..99999 purity and it is created using the UP-OCC process  which is definitely proving to provide exceptional performance

However - everybody has a budget to consider and the Riogrande Wire is a very affordable alternative when compared to the Mundorf Solid Silver and even the VH Audio Solid Copper.

I would "guestimate" its performance would be on par with the Mundorf Solid Silver/gold wire.

So - it really boils down to your budget, but this wire appears to be  worth considering

Many Thanks - Steve



lionel
3 posts
 
Thanks Steve for your thoughts.

One more thing...

My amp uses an IcePower 1200as which is class D and FULLY BALANCED.  There have been references that the SC does NOT work with a fully balanced amp on the build page.  Am I reading this right to mean that this SC is not a good match?
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