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
@massagevermont - Chris - all I do is take a Utility knife like this one

Internet’s Best Snap-Off Utility Knife - Regular - Set of 3 - Belt Clip - Retractable Razor Knife Set - Box Cutter Locking Razor Knife, Utility Knives - Amazon Canada

  • lay the wire on a flat surface - you only need about a 12"-18" surface
  • Lay the blade flat on the wire and then lift the blunt side of the blade up to create around a 5 degree angle with the sharp edge on the insulation
  • slide the blade along the wire to remove a thin strip of the insulation about 4-5 inches at a time
  • Once a thin strip has been removed for the entire length - peel off the remaining insulation
It is very easy and does very little damage to the wire - much better and a lot faster than wire strippers

Hope that helps - Steve


Just to clarify - I am not "anti-silver" - I used solid silver for many years and preferred it.

But the UP-OCC solid copper is so darn good, I now find it difficult to justify the cost of silver, for what might be a small ROI

I know others on this thread prefer silver and perhaps I would spring for it if I didn’t have a couple of other expensive hobbies that take some funds away from this one - oh, and a happy wife - at present :-)

If it weren’t for that I would probably try it

Just thought I should clarify things - Steve
Thanks, Steve.

One more question if you don't mind. What gauge PTFE tubing do you use? For instance, if the wire is 12 awg, do you use a 10 awg tube for it? If 18 awg, would you use a 16 awg tube?

Thanks again for all the fine detail you've provided to make these fabulous cables.

Cheers, Chris
Chris - I use the one below for both IC's and power cables. It is sufficiently wide to provide adequate space around a 2 x 18 gauge twisted conductor and a 1 x 12 gauge or 1 x 14 gauge solid wire, that way one tube fits all

PTFE 10 Tubing - Thin Wall Teflon Tubing In A Variety Of Gauges - (takefiveaudio.com)

Inside diameter is 0.106"
Outside Diameter is 0.13"

It fits snuggly inside the Helix of the interconnect, so be careful of the RCA housing being able to slide over the Helix at the plug.

I use a small piece of Heatshrink about 1/4" long to seal the end of the tube to the wire, but Hot glue might be a better alternative if you can get it into the tube. You can peal any excess off the outside of the tube leaving more room for the Helix wire

Regards - Steve
Nice long read . I’m not really convinced that cables make big difference but would love to try them. Anyone around Chicago that can build some cables for me ? 😃