In this review we take a look at the new Clone Silver cable by Double Helix Cables. An all silver cable with a unique design.
Disclaimer: Double Helix Cables supplied the Clone Silver at no cost. I only had to pay for import charges. Double Helix Cables is not affiliated with Headfonia and not a site advertiser. Many thanks for the generosity and opportunity!
About Double Helix Cables (DHC):
Double Helix Cables is an American brand for boutique aftermarket cables formed by Peter Bradstock. DHC has been formed in 2009 and only three years later Peter has decided to commit his full energy and time to the project of bringing exciting and great sounding products to the market. According to their website, DHC’s true mission is to find the upper limits of headphone performance. In 2016, with the launch of their Prion4 headphone cable, they say that mission may as well have been reached.
DHC unlike most other companies in this segment, that is already obvious when you take a look at the product pages on their website. When you scroll through each site, you will notice that the detail of information is incredible. DHC even shows you exactly how their cables are made.
What also makes them stand out from a good number of their competition is the fact that they only use OCC Copper and OCC Silver. They refuse to plate any of their cables with gold or silver. Just pure materials for best conductivity. On top of that, DHC gives their customers the choice to 3D print the Y-split of their cables. I have yet to come across a single other manufacturer that offers this service and that’s definitely a very cool thing in my book.
Many industry standards have actually had their roots at Double Helix Cables’ houses. For example type 4 and type 6 Litz wires, the first direct soldered ultra short adapter, the first headphone cable with individually shielded conductors or the first cable with a conductive dampening core and many more. For a detailed list go visit their website.
Last year we did take a closer look at their Clone Fusion IEM cable, which eventually got awarded as Best Cable 2018. Now, it’s time to check out the all-silver sibling – the Clone Silver!
About Clone Silver:
The Clone Silver is a 22 AWG pure silver cable that comes in a coaxial design. This means instead of a traditional twisted four wire construction, you get a two-wired cable. Clone Silver uses finest OCC silver wires in a rather unusual geometry. If you look closely you can see that the strands inside each wire are woven.
For insulation DHC went with a TPU cover. This ensures good flexibility and durability as well. As mentioned before, I reviewed the Clone Fusion last year. Since then it has been in constant rotation for my IEMs and unlike other cables it has not gotten stiff. It’s still as flexible as on the first day.
Clone Silver is available as a headphone and an IEM cable alike. I have one set for my 2-pin IEMs as well as a set for my Susvaras. The Clone Silver is very flexible and I don’t have any issues with comfort, neither with the IEM, nor with the headphone version.
Prices start at 799 USD, but depending on your choices of customization it can be higher. DHC offers a whole range of different plugs and connectors. You can be sure, there’s an option for your headphone or monitors in there somewhere.
The current lead-time for one custom made Clone Silver is eight to twelve weeks. So please keep that in mind when you order one.
Double Helix Cables Clone Silver
Package:
Many cable-makers try to offer their customers a nice and luxurious package. DHC does not. When you buy a Clone Silver, you’ll get a white fake-leather pouch and the cable. Nothing more. Honestly though, while it’s being nice getting spoiled, do you really need more than the cable?
At least with DHC you can be sure that your money went into the cable and labour. You’re not paying extra for a box or accessory set.
Build Quality:
This is my third cable from DHC so far. I have their Clone Fusion and also their Prion4. All of them have superb build quality. The Clone Silver has a tight and consistent braid. The cable itself is nicely flexible and pliable.
My IEM cable features Eidolic 2-pin connectors, that are suitable for recessed and flushed sockets. There is no memory wire on them, but there’s a small piece of heat-shrink that serves as a guide for the cable. The barrels of the 2.5 mm plugs are quite big for what they are. They are made of Titanium and the plug itself is gold plated.
Double Helix Cables Clone Silver
The cable for my Susvara has 2.5 mm mono plugs and comes with Eidolic’s new Titanium 4-pin XLR balanced plug. There is a small DHC tube on the left signal-side of the Clone Silver. This end has to be connected to the left input of your headphone.
For the IEM cable you have to connect the 2-pins with the Eidolic logos outwards. This way you make sure you’re connecting the right sides. There is no other indication for left/right other than the Eidolic logo. This could be made clearer in my opinion.
More about the Clone Silver on page two!
Claude Daneluzzo
Hi Linus,
As an owner of different DHC cables, one being Prion4, I have also experienced how qualitative are the products from Peter.
Unfortunately you never know when your cable or order will be processed.
Can take months and this market is full of very skilled cables builders of same quality with more reasonable delays 🙂
Linus
Hi Claude,
yeah, the DHC cables are very nice. I have the Prion4 as well.
I have seen/heard that a couple of times already. DHC does state a build time of 8-12 weeks, which is quite a bit longer than other cable makers, that’s true. I guess that’s simply because Peter works alone, as far as I know at least.