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
@pindac - thanks for the links

The first one is "corrosion resistant" OFC or OCC copper - no mention of plating
Atlas 3 Pin OCC Male XLR Plug | Future Shop

The second one has the silver plating over OCC copper pins
Atlas All Cu XLR Plugs - Analogue Seduction

The third one is Rhodium plate over pure copper
Viborg Pure Copper Rhodium Plated XLR Connector Plug Audio balance 3pin M & F | eBay

The second one would be my choice, but the others also seem a very good choice

Regards - Steve

DH Labs and Vampire XLRs look absolutely identical as I have used both. Sure one makes for the other.  Yes, pure copper. Used both and very, very good. 
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?
@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

Thanks Steve!
Sorry for my English. What does "signal wires" mean? Is it a USB cable and a coaxial cable?