Cryo your cables?

What exactly does the dry ice do? I'm not sceptical, just inquisitive. Does it do something to do with the absolute temperature of the dry ice? And what is the temperature of a cyro treatment.

I'd be careful. Cryo freezing can potentially damage the non metal part of your cables sucha s teflon and PE shileds, spcers, etc. As for the effect on metals, it will depend highly on the specific metal and metal alloy used. Unless you (or whoever does the treatment for you) has access to the phase diagram for the specific alloz your cables are made of, this can be a totally random process which could even hurt. While it is true that treating metals at very low temperatures can lead to a more crystalline structure, the temperature does not necessarily have to be in the "cryo" range, and the biggest factor is time. What you are trying to do is ensure that as much of the metal is present in its crystalline (vs. amorphous) state at its temperature of use (the usual "room temperature"). With pure metals, this is pretty straight forward, since you can look up published pahse diagrams, look up the transition temperature from the amprphous to the crystalline state and "anneal" you metal at that temperature for a sufficiently long period of time, then bring it to room temperature with a warming (or cooling) regime that avoid destruction of the crystalline state.Evne with a pure metal, this is not strightforwad (just look at the many possible structures of any pure metal in a phase diagram depdning on its temperature treatment history!). With an allow, this is even tougher, since if you get the temperature treatment "wrong" you can even end up with phase separations (where the minor components of the alloy spearate into pure micordomains and break up the continuity of the alloy). This is basic materials science/metallurgy. I do not claim to know what the effect would be on the SOUND, but before you pay major ucks to have this done to your cbales, best be aware that it is NOT strightforward. If you want to know more, drop me a private e-mail. Though this is not my field of secialization, I know a little bit more about it than I can cover in this post.

I don't know a lot about cryo. What I do know is from racing cars, not stereo equipment. Theoretically it should work. The realignment allows for freer (more organized)flow of electrons. I had never considered it for audio applications. But I think that you are spending an awful lot of money on an experiment. It should effect the sound. The question is whether or not it is worth the cost. I think most upper end silver cables are outrageously overpriced and not worth the money, but if money is burning a whole in your pocket, go for it and let us know how it works out.

An interesting thread. Does anyone know if the changes due to "cryo" treatment are permanent, short lived, wear off gradually, or what. Alexc above presents some questions and cautions not everyone would think of. It'd be interesting to know more about this. Thanks. Craig.

Purist Audio has been using Cryo process on his cables for years. There is a specific temperature that the material must be taken down to, and at a specific rate of speed, and for a specific amount of time. After the time limit has been met, the return to normal temperature must be done at a specific temperature rate and time span as well. The way Purist gets this correct, is through a contract with NASA. My understanding is that the tanks they use for submersion use liquid Nitrogen, and are huge! These tanks are temperature and time controlled to a fraction of a degree by super computers. The is normal treatment for many of the goods entering outer space. Jim Aud's computer expertise had him involved in the nuclear project for clean energy and with NASA. That, and living in Texas, near the facility, has allowed him access. I have made a direct comparison on the power supply of my Soundlab Ultimate speakers. I first broke them in with the standard (toroidal) transformer, then had Soundlab ship an identical pair of transformers to Purist. After Cryo treatment, Purist shipped them to me, and I exchanged them for the stock units. The downside was that the Cryo treated version took nearly three times as long to break in. However, after break in, all the things that make sound better WERE better. This includes improved tonal balance, increased bandwidth, MUCH lover distortion, and even greater intelligibility on vocals and instruments. Overall there was a sense of greater ease and a more natural and less congested presentation. I also participated in a (non public disclosed) test with Benz, where we Cryo treated the Ruby cartridge. The results were similar, but there were concerns for the life of the bonding agents that held the wood body to the motor, and the long term affect on the suspension. Too complicated to get into. My advise is to just be sure if you experiment with this, get a profession to help like I did. Cryo treatment has different effects on every material (depending on its structure), and many products are made of several different materials. Taking one material to the correct temperature may adversely affect the others.