Audiolund FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Audiolund cables are designed to deliver a natural, balanced, realistic, and engaging listening experience. By preserving the integrity of the original recording and ensuring accurate signal transmission, Audiolund cables allow high-quality audio systems to perform at their full potential.

• Authentic Vintage Western Electric Sound reproduced through Duelund Tinned Copper Cables
• Modern High-Purity Silver Sound reproduced through 5N OCC Silver and Duelund Silver Foil Cables

1. Are all Duelund cables used in Audiolund products genuine Duelund cables?

Yes. All Duelund cables used in Audiolund products are genuine Duelund cables, directly imported from Denmark.

For verification purposes, examples of invoices and bank transfer records to Duelund Coherent Audio, Denmark are available upon request.

Official Duelund Website:   https://duelundaudio.com/cable/

2. Are the Duelund cables used in your products different from those used by other Duelund cable manufacturers?

Audiolund utilizes Duelund Tinned Copper Wire DCAXGA600V with a 600V PolyCast sleeve. The following wire configurations are used in our cable designs:

Duelund Wire Specifications

• 12GA: Copper core diameter: 2.2mm, Construction: 63 strands of 0.23mm conductors
• 16GA: Copper core diameter: 1.3mm, Construction: 26 strands of 0.23mm conductors
• 20GA: Copper core diameter: 0.9mm, Construction: 25 strands of 0.14mm conductors
• V1 2.5mm x 0.25mm: Duelund DCA 1.0 AGS Silver Foil Silk/Oil Hook-up wire

Many cable manufacturers use DCAXGA tinned copper wire with an oil-impregnated cotton dielectric. While this design performs well in unshielded, bare-wire applications, it is not ideal for Audiolund’s multicore cable architecture.

It is important to note that both PolyCast sleeve and oil-cotton versions utilize the same copper conductor diameter, strand count, and conductor construction. However, Audiolund’s advanced multicore architecture, combined with shielding and vibration-control technologies, provides significantly improved overall performance compared to simple unshielded bare-wire designs.

In addition, newer Audiolund cable series offer Duelund Silver Foil V1 as an alternative to traditional 5N OCC solid-core silver conductors.

3. Are there any customer reviews or Hi-Fi forum discussions about Audiolund cables?

Many customers have shared highly positive feedback regarding the performance and craftsmanship of our products. Customer reviews can be found directly on the respective product pages on the Audiolund website.

Here are some good reviews from Hi-Fi/Audio forums:

• Polk Audio Forum      https://forum.polkaudio.com/

Click here: https://forum.polkaudio.com/search?query=Audiolund&scope=site&source=community

• Stereonet      https://www.stereonet.com/sg/

Click here: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/search/?&q=audiolund&quick=1&search_and_or=and&sortby=relevancy

• Head-Fi      https://www.head-fi.org/

Click  here: https://www.head-fi.org/search/12822329/?q=audiolund&o=relevance

• HiFiVision      https://www.hifivision.com/

Click  here: https://www.head-fi.org/search/12822329/?q=audiolund&o=relevance

4. Do Audiolund products utilize Duelund Silver conductors?

Yes. Selected Audiolund cable series feature Duelund Silver Foil V1 conductors (2.5mm × 0.25mm Duelund DCA 1.0 AGS Silver Foil Silk/Oil Hook-Up Wire) as an alternative to traditional 5N OCC solid-core silver conductors, primarily in the approximately 15GA conductor size range.

Duelund Silver Foil conductors utilize a flat silver conductor immersed in an oil-based dielectric and cotton-insulated structure. While Audiolund offers multiple configurations using 5N OCC Silver conductors ranging from 15GA to 32GA, Duelund Silver Foil V1 is utilized as a single, specialized conductor option.

5. How do Audiolund Duelund cable products differ from other cable suppliers?

Yes, Audiolund products differ significantly from many conventional cable offerings. Most cable manufacturers utilize relatively simple single-conductor designs that often lack shielding and sophisticated isolation techniques. Such designs typically consist of basic wire and connector assemblies.

Audiolund products employ proprietary multicore architectures utilizing combinations of Duelund conductors, 5N OCC Silver conductors, and Duelund Silver Foil conductors. These conductors are combined with multiple layers of shielding and vibration-control materials to maximize performance

Other cable makers:  Most products employ straightforward bare-wire designs with minimal structural enhancement

Audiolund Series: Audiolund utilizes carefully engineered combinations of Duelund conductors together with specialized shielding and vibration-management materials to achieve the highest possible level of sonic performance.

* Cable is not a device; Cables do not generate Sound or produce Noise. Their purpose is to transmit Audio Signals accurately. *

1. Why don’t I hear any difference after changing cables?

Audiophiles should be able to identify differences in sound quality when evaluating various cable designs and conductor materials. The sonic characteristics of Duelund Tinned Copper and OCC Silver/Duelund Silver Foil conductors are distinct and generally recognizable. Even if the resulting sound is not immediately preferred, there should normally be a noticeable difference compared to your existing setup.

If no audible difference can be detected, the most likely cause is an unexpected system bottleneck somewhere within the audio chain. This bottleneck may exist in equipment, cables, power delivery components, speakers, or other parts of the system. Once a component reaches its performance limitation, it can prevent additional improvements from being fully realized, regardless of the quality of the cable being introduced.

When such a bottleneck is identified and resolved, the system may be capable of achieving a significantly higher level of overall performance.

It is also important to understand that new audio cables generally require a burn-in period before reaching their optimal performance. As a guideline, approximately 100 to 200 hours of use may be needed before the cable begins to perform at its full potential. Burn-in is a normal process associated with many audio cables.

2. Why do I hear noise or unpleasant sound?

It is important to remember that a cable does not create sound. Its role is to transmit the existing signal from the source components to the loudspeakers as accurately as possible. 

3. Why does my system sound unbalanced?

An ideal audio system is a truly balanced system, where all components work together harmoniously. Duelund and OCC Silver cables are designed to be highly balanced, transparent, and detailed, allowing the characteristics of the entire system to be clearly revealed.

In many situations, an apparently balanced sound may actually be the result of opposing sonic characteristics compensating for one another. For example:

• Front-end equipment may contribute excessive emphasis in certain areas (“Plus”).
• Back-end equipment may introduce opposite characteristics (“Minus”).
• The overall result appears balanced only because these characteristics offset each other.

When a highly neutral cable is introduced into such a system, it can remove one of these compensating factors and expose an underlying imbalance that previously went unnoticed.

To achieve truly balanced sound, it is essential to identify and address the root cause of the imbalance within the overall system rather than relying on individual components to compensate for one another. When all elements are properly matched, the resulting sound can be remarkably natural, realistic, and enjoyable.

4. Why don’t I immediately connect with the sound of the cable?

Audiolund cables utilize advanced multicore conductor designs, which generally require a longer burn-in period before they reach their intended performance level. As a result, it may take time before the full character and benefits of the cable become apparent.

While some listeners may appreciate a new cable immediately, achieving the best results often requires:

• Sufficient burn-in time
• Proper system matching
• Careful listening and evaluation
• Fine-tuning of associated equipment

It is uncommon for any cable to perform at its absolute best immediately after installation. Evaluating a cable solely on short-term listening impressions without allowing for system optimization and burn-in may lead to inaccurate conclusions regarding its true performance potential.

Although the burn-in process requires patience, many audiophiles enjoy the experience of hearing the system gradually evolve and improve over time.

5. Why do different recordings produce dramatically different results?

When a recording is of high quality, a transparent cable will accurately transmit that quality throughout the system, allowing the listener to hear the recording at its best.

Conversely, if a recording contains flaws, poor production quality, noise, compression, or other limitations, a transparent cable will also reproduce those imperfections faithfully. As a result, poorly recorded material may sound noticeably worse on a highly revealing system.

A well-designed audio cable should be:

• Neutral
• Natural
• Balanced
• Transparent

Its purpose is to preserve and transmit every aspect of the original recording without concealing information or artificially altering the sound. This transparency is an essential characteristic of a high-quality audio cable.

6. Why can’t I achieve the sound that I personally prefer?

Audiophiles generally fall into two broad categories:

1). Listeners Seeking Original Sound Reproduction

These listeners value the authentic sound of the original recording and want to experience music exactly as it was captured and produced.

For listeners in this category, Audiolund cables are designed to meet those expectations by providing transparency, balance, and accurate signal transmission. When paired with a properly balanced system, the resulting sound should be highly natural and revealing.

However, if the system produces unpleasant or noisy sound after installing a transparent cable, this may indicate underlying issues within the source equipment or overall system balance. Because Audiolund cables do not conceal imperfections, they may reveal problems that were previously masked. In such situations, improving the source components or system setup may be necessary.

If maintaining the existing system and sound character is the primary objective, Audiolund cables may not be the most suitable choice.

2). Listeners Seeking Preferred Sound Characteristics

These listeners prioritize achieving a personally enjoyable sonic presentation and may prefer all recordings, including lower-quality recordings, to sound pleasing.

For listeners in this category, Audiolund cables should provide excellent sound quality when used within a properly balanced system. A high-quality cable should preserve detail, bass performance, midrange richness, high-frequency smoothness, and overall musicality.

However, sound preference is highly subjective. If the sound produced by a transparent cable does not align with individual listening preferences, there is no absolute right or wrong choice. In some cases, maintaining the existing cable configuration may be more practical than making broader changes to equipment and system tuning.

7. Can your cables improve resolution while preserving dynamics and musicality?

In our view, pursuing maximum resolution alone does not necessarily result in the best overall listening experience. Instead, greater emphasis should be placed on achieving proper balance across the entire audio system.

Cables are not active devices and do not create, enhance, or generate sound. Their role is to transmit existing signals accurately and transparently. Therefore, characteristics such as resolution, dynamics, imaging, and musical engagement are primarily determined by the source components, amplification, loudspeakers, and overall system design.

A high-quality cable should:

• Preserve signal integrity
• Avoid concealing information
• Maintain system balance
• Transmit signals transparently and naturally
• Preserve the character of the original recording

Audiolund cables are designed around these principles. Their objective is not to create a different sound, but rather to preserve and transmit the original recording with minimal loss while allowing the natural sonic characteristics of the conductor materials to remain intact.

Remarks: 

A cable is not an active audio device. It does not generate sound or noise. Its primary role is to transmit audio signals from one component to another. A lower-quality cable may reduce detail, limit signal transmission, or mask information. In contrast, a high-quality cable transmits a more complete representation of the original signal, including both desirable and undesirable elements present within the recording or source equipment.

It should also be recognized that different conductor materials possess unique sonic characteristics. For example, modern high-purity silver conductors typically present a different sonic character from vintage-style Duelund tinned copper conductors inspired by classic Western Electric designs.

Audiolund’s cable design philosophy and sonic objectives are based on the preferences and expectations shared by many audiophiles worldwide. However, every audio system is unique, and it is not possible for a single cable design to satisfy every individual preference or system configuration. Consequently, our goal is to meet the needs of most audiophiles rather than every possible listening preference. If maintaining the existing character of your system is your primary objective, Audiolund cables may not necessarily be the ideal solution for your specific setup.