Why "Cryo" anything?


Ok. So far, I have yet to think of a good explanation for "Cryo" treatment to enhance anything. Can someone explain this to me?

For background, I have a Master degree in Material Science Engineering. Here is my explaination why just "cryo" won't work.

At room temperature, the metal is already solid or frozen. Freezing it further won't do much. Most metals requires high temperature to cause any change in the microstructure or grain size/orientation/distribution. Simply freezing it for a few minutes will not change how it operates after the metal returns to room temperature.

Eric
ejliu

Showing 1 response by lost_in_space

Howdy folks,

I'm new to the forum and cryo, but keen to learn more.
(I apologise if these have already been answered elsewhere.)

1) Is this cryo treatment physically (and audibly) reversible? ie. does the given un-cryoed component sound exactly the same as before? Ditto for a re-cryoed component?

2) Is it equally effective on components of varying ages/oxidations, or is it best done during manufacture?

3) Could its mechanism have something to do with altering micro-stresses, surface micro-cracks / imperfections, or driving out gaseous impurities? Is any change, say to copper wire, visible under an electron microscope?

4) Are the improvements positive in every aspect of the sound quality (eg. transparency, soundstage width or depth or height, grain, sibilance, fatigue, engagement, noise etc), or are most aspects improved while some others have no change or get worse?

5) I'm not very clued up about the DBT and ABX testing methodologies mentioned - wondering do any of these include AB testing where the ear is primed to say a short loop of music through A first repeated many times before beginning the random switching. Then prime the ear for B many times over and retest? Repeat above many times. The reason I'm curious is because in my limited not-very-scientific audio comparison tests I've found it's easier to a) hear a change after your ear has heard a given sound many times over and memorised it well, and b) hear an improvement rather than a temporary degradation. However, I find it's easy to be seduced by an improvement in one aspect of the sound while a perhaps bigger degradation in some other aspect slips through unnoticed (but rears it's ugly head in a long term test).

Cheers,
Lost_in_space