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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
pumpweel
38 posts
 
Hello everyone.
If I’ll use all silver wiring for a SE 300B tube amplifier, is that will good or bad?
What are the advantages of pure silver and silver plating over pure copper?
And if I make in my system all the wires and cables pure silver or silver plated (Interconnect Cables, Power Cables, Speaker Cables and Hook Up Wires), what are the advantages or disadvantages will I get?
williewonka
3,075 posts
 
@pumpwheel - whilst I prefer silver plated connectors, I have found copper wire without any plating to provide the better sound quality when used for the signal conductors in the Helix Cables.

WRT: copper vs silver - silver has better conductivity and therefore is able to...
  • provide better dynamic performance
  • improved details
  • a more focused image with more space
I use bare UP-OCC copper inside a teflon tube for ALL my cables, mainly because of the costs involved with silver.

The difference between bare UP-OCC copper vs. bare UP-OCC silver (inside teflon tubes) tend to depend on the system components. If they have the capability of resolving to the very highest levels, then you will hear improvements with silver.

For many, the cost of silver prohibits its use for Speaker Cables and power cables and the ROI for these cables is probably less than using silver for signal wires on interconnects.

It also depends on whether an individual is hell-bent on squeezing every last drop of performance out of their system (or not)
- OR whether they can actually hear the difference in the first place.

Of all the tweaks to the Helix design, three adaptions stood out as real winners for me
  1. Using UP-OCC copper (or silver)
  2. adopting the "Helix Air" adaption i.e. using bare wire inside Teflon tubes for the signal wire(s)
  3. using two wires for the signal conductor and for the Helix Coil

So the choice really is yours - but I strongly recommend using UP-OCC silver over other "Silver wires"
  • for example - The Mundorf Silver + 1% gold wire is another choice if you want a more relaxed sound
  • but I found UP-OCC copper to better suite my goals.

Hope that helps - Steve

pumpweel
38 posts
 
Thanks Steve!
Sorry for my English. What does "signal wires" mean? Is it a USB cable and a coaxial cable?
williewonka
3,075 posts
 
No problem...

In "single ended" designed cables there is...
  • a conductor (or signal wire) to carry the "signal" (or the "live" in the case of a power cables)
  • and a second conductor (or wire) to connect the neutral sides of the circuits of the connected components
However, for "balanced" (XLR) interconnects there is
  • a +ve signal wire
  • a -ve signal wire - which carries the same signal as the +ve, but 180 degrees out of phase
  • AND there is also a neutral wire
You can also have balanced power supplies
  • where the "Live" and "Neutral" conductors (or wires) each carry the same output voltage, but 180 degrees out of phase
  • so there is NO actual neutral wire that is at ZERO volts
  • The Helix Geometry is not best suited to this kind of power supply
In addition to all of  that, some amplifiers are designed as a "fully balanced" symmetrical design, where
  • the speaker terminals (i.e. both signal and neutral wires) carry the same signal, but 180 degrees out of phase
  • but there is NO actual neutral wire that is at ZERO volts
  • The Helix Geometry is not best suited to this kind of Amplifier design

Hope that helps - Steve
wig's avatar
wig OP
1,267 posts
 
@ williewonka

Know of any good quality 3 pin female mini xlr's?

Thanks,
Wig
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