I had a cable cryogneically frozen and could not tell any difference. However, a friend of mine had cables and CDs frozen and there was a vast improvement (much more open and easier sound). I have heard of freezing car engines and after doing some research I discovered that members of the Chicago Symphony brass section have had instruments frozen at at an instrument repair shop called The Brass Bow in Arlington Heights, IL. The results have been very positive with the players feeling that the instruments retain the same tone throughout the entire range of the horn. If top notch players feel there is a positive difference on there instruments, I've got to believe this is a lot more than just another tweak. Rayd
Cryo your cables?
I was talking with a buddy of mine that builds racing engines for karts and the subject of cryogenic freezing came up. For the past couple of years this has been THE hot thing to have done to your engine parts to reduce wear and friction. I checked out a place on the web called 300below.com that does this work. Now for the interseting part relating to cables. They say that one of the frequently treated alloys is copper, espescially welding electrodes. Quote- "The increased durability of Copper from cryogenic treatments is increased homogeneity of the crystal structure. The material becomes more compact, dissolving gaps and discolorations or, for example, chrome carbides found in class II copper. Because of structural compactness there is less electron obstruction which improves electrical conductivity. It has also been learned that as a result of increased conductivity, welding amperage can be reduced thereby further prolonging the service life of electrodes." This got me thinking, what would such a difference in crystal structure do to interconnects and speaker cables? It would seem that what they claim of reduced electron obstruction and increased conductivity would be a positive thing in an audio environment. Has anyone ever thought about this before or actually had their cables treated? I would like some other opinions on this. I'm definitely having my drag-bike engine shipped out this winter to be treated, but I never thought before about how it might make cables sound different.