Duelund conversion to DIY Helix Geometry Cabling

@mawe - There appears to be some interesting articles on the web on this topic

• some say yes - all three have to be the same size
• some say the neutral can be bigger than the Live wire
  • but definitely NOT the other way around
• some say the ground wire can be larger or smaller than either Live or Neutral

So the Helix basically has

• the Live wire being smaller than the neutral wire
  • which appears to be acceptable
• The Ground wire is smaller than both the Live Wire and the neutral wire...i.e.
  • 12 gauge ground (for HD cables)
    • with an 11 gauge Live and a 9 gauge neutral
  • 14 gauge ground (for source cables)
    • with a 15 gauge Live and an 11 gauge neutral
• both of which appears to be acceptable

I do think this is where common sense has to be applied to the ground wire.

It’s purpose is to carry electrical current only under short circuit or other "conditions" that would be potentially dangerous.

However - that ground is not there to allow the component to continue functioning normally.

• in the event of a catastrophic failure somewhere within the component
  • it is designed to prevent the case/chassis of the component from becoming "LIVE"
  • Generally, if this occurs with a properly connected ground wire, then the current draw should exceed that of the fuse in the component,
    • which will break the live feed to the component
  • OR trip the breaker on the supply panel.
  • I believe the ground wire in either of the Helix cables should be sufficient to protect from electric shock and be of adequate gauge such that the breaker will trip (or the fuse will blow) long before the ground wire is compromised to the point of physical failure

The only other instance I am aware of where wire sizes of all three wires MUST BE IDENTICAL is

• In those countries, such as Norway, that has a balanced power distribution network where both live and neutral carry the same voltage, with a 180 phase difference
• or balanced power supply/conditioners popular with the audiophile community
• My web site warns of both of these situations and recommends NOT using the Helix cables.

Having said all of that - it you are concerned about the different gauges used

• then please make all three conductors the same gauge
• There may be a very slight impact to performance, but it would be minimal

Regards - Steve

How about simply using braided copper shield as ground wire for the power cable? I don't think it play a critic role other than protection. It meets the gauge requirement as well. Regards.

@williewonka In your post from Jan-15 '22, are you still putting each signal wire inside it’s own Teflon tube?

@bigslacker - That is correct - it provides the very best performance because

• The tube is quite rigid and does not collapse around the wire so the actual point of contact between the wire and the tube is extremely small
• the air gap inside the tube (i.e.around the wire). becomes the dielectric and results in a Dielectric Constant that is very close to Air - which has a Dk of 1.1.
• Lower Dk results in improved clarity and details, which in turn improves the image asccuracy

For best results the inside diameter of the tube should be 25% - 30% larger than the diameter of the bare wire to be most effective. Larger is OK, but does not yield any better results

Hope that helps

Thanks. I ordered a batch of parts from Take Five Audio.  They had all of the parts in 1 place and they ship down here to the States cheaply.

🤞 I got the tubing sizes correct.

Thanks for the amazing thread @williewonka  @wig  @grannyring and everyone.

Ron