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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
3,071 posts
 

Just an FYI - SINGLE ENDED or XLR ?

I just received these observations regarding XLR vs. Single Ended Interconnects...

I have compared XLR and RCA Helix Image interconnects. 

My XLR cable uses Neutrik NC3MXX connectors, each pair (one for +, one for -) of UP-OCC Neotech 18 AWG copper wire is twisted inside a teflon tube. RCA cable uses KLE Absolute Harmony connectors and two Neotech UP-OCC copper wires 18 AWG are inside their own teflon tubes.

 

Verdict: RCA version is better. I don’t know if it’s separated tubes for each wire or connectors but single-ended interconnect just sounds more musical for me. With balanced cable the sound is more straightforward and less refined.

But it’s not bad, of course.

I actually believe which cable type is ultimately superior is in fact due to the internal circuitry of the components being connected.

But as others have observed - there is very little difference between the two

I think both cable types perform to very similar levels and if you want the absolute best sound - then both cables should be built and tried in your own system before coming to any conclusions.

Regards - Steve

 

norco74
17 posts
 

In all fairness, I would install better XLR connectors to conduct the test. Furutech make excellent XLR connectors at the same price point than KLE.

I would also give them the mandatory 150 hours soaked time before reviewing their performance. I have just upgrade my Helix speaker and 1 RCA cables and can testify that some funky things are happening between the 25-40 hours mark.


Cheers,

Norco74

dbass
29 posts
 

I am looking for a good source for the Neotech cable to build these cables (PC, IC, and speaker).  The first question I have is do I want the stranded wire or the solid wire - as I think I see both in UP-OCC from Neotech?  And I see options from SonicCraft at the moment - any other good options?

Thanks!

williewonka
3,071 posts
 

@dbass - here’s what I am using at present

  • Interconencts:
    • 2 x 18 gauge solid UP-OCC copper for signal and
    • 1 x 16 gauge solid UP-OCC copper neutral conductor
      • Some prefer 2 x 16 gauge for the neutral
  • Speaker cables
    • 2 x 14 gauge Solid UP-OCC for the signal conductor
      • optionally 2 x 16 gauge for the signal conductor, but on my system they both sounded the same
      • However, this may NOT be the case for all AMP/Speaker combinations - speakers that required a higher powered amp may require the 2 x 14 gauge option
    • 1 x 10 guage stranded silver plated Mil-spec wires for the neutral
    • but you could use 1 x 12 gauge or 2 x 12 gauge stranded Neotech UP-OCC also
  • Power cables
    • 2 x 14 gauge Solid UP-OCC bare copper wire for the Live conductor for the heavy duty PC
    • 2 x 12 gauge stranded Neotech UP-OCC wire with Teflon insulation for the Neutral for the heavy duty PC
    • 2 x 18 gauge Solid UP-OCC bare copper wire for the Live conductor for the Source PC
    • and oyu can use 2 x 14 gauge stranded Neotech UP-OCC wire with Teflon insulation for the Neutral for the Source PC
    • 1 x 12 gauge copper wire with Teflon insulation from Home Depot for the Ground wire

I buy my UP-OCC 6N solid bare wire from parts connexion because I only use the Air adaption for all my Helix cables, which requires bare wire inside a teflon tube - it saves me having to strip the Teflon insulation off of the Neotech and I think it provided a little better dynamic performance

https://www.partsconnexion.com/occ6n-copper-hook-up-wire.html

They also have Neotech wire and many other brands

But shop around - there are deals to be had - just make sure you are comparing apples to apples

The silver plated Mil-spec I order from Take Five Audio - again there are alternative from other vendors, so shop around

Deep Cryo Treated Cable And Wire - (takefiveaudio.com)

Others on this thread prefer the Duelund with Cotton/Oil insulation for the signal wire on Interconnects and Speaker cables, but I prefer the faster dynamics of the UP-OCC copper on my system

But realistically - all of the wires I mentioned above are excellent performers when used for Helix cables - it becomes a matter of "personal preference" and how well a particular component works with the selected wire(s).

Hope that helps - Steve

pindac's avatar
pindac
2,440 posts
 

Thanks Steve

                      The info helps a lot, as I am encouraging others to consider this design for their future cable projects, I am on boards as well, and have nearly all the materials to start.

The Power Amps are still to undergo conversion to Balanced, hence my slow to start performance.  

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