Another Cryogenic Freeze Article HFNRR


Latest issue of British HiFi News Record Review has multi page article about deep cryogenic freezing of cables. Author
teams up with Townshend Audio (which sells cables) and take a batch of copper wire, deep freeze it, and then assemble various cables from it. Author was able then to compare
stock TA cables to deep freeze cables, to make a long story short he likes the deep freeze effect, and TA plans to market line of cables with cyrogenic treatment.

Mr Meitner, long time cryo advocate, also is given a page to
give his endorsement to cryo treatment.

This topic has been covered many times here and in previous articles elsewhere, I wonder why no cable company is actively marketing cables with this treatment? Some companies like Harmonic tech and Acoustic Zen use a process that modifies crystal structure of copper, but no one I know is marketing cryo treated cables.

Although many say it works, I personally am afraid to use this tweak, because it can't be undone/removed. Why are
the tweak happy cable guys not marketing this?
128x128megasam
Long term effects?? Haven't noticed any in my cables... They still work well (sound great). Never tried tubes -- scared to break the glass with the chill.

In theory, the cryo freeze should not "wear off" -- the process is supposed to compress the grains in the metal more tightly..

Voodoo?? Maybe...
Thanks, Albert. Given today's prices and scarcity of great NOS tubes like the Telefunken or Siemens 6DJ8's, I have no intention of experimenting with the cryo treatment. It is an interesting thought for lesser tubes, however. Maybe by the time *all* of the good stuff is gone this process will be more predictable.
Has anyone seen reviews or experienced whether the freezing has long term effects? I'm not a scientist (and I know from listening that science doesn't know it all by a long shot), but the effects of freezing may not last. I wonder if the freezing permanently alters the state of the material or if the effects are temporary? I'm happy to load up some dry ice and give it a shot unless I need to do it weekly. Just curious.
Megasam. Yes, you may borrow some Purist Proteus or Dominus cables if you wish to experiment. I may or may not have the exact lengths you require, drop me an email.

Jim. I know the Pearl web site you are referring to, it is www.tubeworld.com/. I have not heard the "exact" tubes sold by these people, but I am familiar with the stock version of all the tubes listed at the site.

In the past few years, much work has been done by both Purist Audio and a well known tube supplier in this field. Their results were similar in that drastically mixed results were achieved depending on exact tube type and brand as well as circuit application.

I had the opportunity to hear several samples from these experiments, and therefore do not suggest the carte blanche cryo treatment of every tube type, especially at the prices indicated at that site. The problem is not finding good cryo processors, but knowing which tubes benefit and which tubes are performance diminished by the treatment. ( Longevity not considered ).

For instance, a tube like the Dutch Amperex 6DJ8, or the Chinese 845 benefit fairly well from a properly executed cryo process. However, the Telefunken 6DJ8, renowned for its open midrange and warm presentation is totally altered by the same cryo process. The Telefunken's personality is reduced to a bland and sterile musical presentation, removing what is so sought after by many audiophiles.

Cryo processing of audio tubes is not uniformly predictable as with wire and transformers. Like many tweaks, is a valuable tool when applied to specific situations. In short, I would be very cautious about spending what amounts to five times the asking price for a tweak that may be the reverse of what you seek.
Has anyone heard of the cryogenic freezing of *tubes*? Saw something about this recently -- Pearl Cryovac Electron Tubes. Do you think it is hoodoo, or voodoo?
In response to Megasam:

I used to work with Liquid Nitrogen as a part of my experimentation at work. Since then I have changed jobs and no longer have access to the Nitrogen.

As far as the procedure, it wasn't very scientific...
Chill down was achieved by blowing the liquid into an insulated dewar with the cables inside - Immediate Chill. Being careful not to bump the dewar at any time, I left the nitrogen evaporate off for a period that took almost 24 hours. The cables came to room temperature on their own in the next 24 hours without touching the container they were in. FYI - the cables were suspended horizontally (straight) in the liquid on teflon blocks.

The system seemed to sound smoother and presentation with more air. No other side effects were noticed from the deep freeze.

Hope this helps... and good luck.
Albert, you are correct all Purist cables are Cryo treated
acording to website (can I borrow your proteus cables?). Jaica also points out some Jenna labs cables are Cryo treated, so a very few are being marketed now.

JK, please give us details of how you actually did your AQ
diamonds. Did you do this yourself, or contract out?
What steps did you take as far as gradual freeze/thaw?
Any info is appreciated.
I have done the cryo freeze with my AQ Diamond X3 and Diamond Extreme. Made the cables sound smoother with more "air and space". I used Liquid Nitrogen.....
Stan Warren is a big believer in freezing. He told me we can all do it at home with some Dry Ice even though Dry Ice is not as cold as Cryo. He did a test with some friends at a local university near him (Oregon) who had a cryo chamber to freeze the cables. Some cables were Cryogenically frozen; some frozen in Dry Ice and some not frozen. In listening tests it was easy to figure out the cables that were not frozen at all. They could not tell any difference between the cables that were Cryo and the ones frozen in Dry Ice. So the conclusion was that Dry Ice is cold enough; the extra coldness of Cryogenic freezing is not necessary.

I believe Dry Ice is about minus 100 degrees fairenheit. Stan controls the freezing and thawing by using his home freezer as a intermediate step between room temperature both ways. Your home freezer will easily go to zero and probably colder if you turn it up some.

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The Purist Audio Design line of interconnect, speaker and power cables are currently, and have been cryogenically treated since 1989. Jim Aud was an early pioneer in applying this low temperature technology to audio cables.

RLS ( Radiant Light Source ) application for cable are his current "forward thinking" technology, and is often taken as lightly as the cryogenic concept was back in 1989. Surprising how long it takes for mainstream audio to embrace new technology, even when it proves of value in real world applications of listening to music.
Jenna Labs is actively marketing cryogenic treated cables. True cryogenic treating is not a trivial matter. It involves costs, special procedures, and material and personnel risks many are not willing to take. Furthermore the speed of cooling, and later of warming up to room temperature needs to be one in a controlled way.

I have no personal experience with cryo treating. I am interested if anyone has experience with cryo trated cables.