AndyKubicki Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Just when you think you've seen it all... http://www.tubeman.com/cat8_1.htm Has anyone tried these frozen delights and actually noted a difference, or is this more high grade audiophile hocus pocus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curmudgeon Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 They work just as well as the little stones you set on top of your speakers to tune them, but be sure to consult the Ouija board to determine the correct type for your tubes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted March 25, 2003 Share Posted March 25, 2003 Just about the same ploy as high dollar wire and interconnects. Prey on the imagined difference ! Someone who thought this up is laughing themselves asleep on a bed full of money at the gullibility of the consumer ! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonecj Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 Does that mean I should take that pet rock off the top of my amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike82 Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 I've not had the oppotunity to experiment with these. My biggest concern with cyro-treating tubes is that the coefficients of expansion/contraction between glass (tube) and metal (pins) vary. There is a potential for microfractures to form between the glass and pins. Therefore, the tube, being a vacuum device, can potentially draw air into the tube causing oxidation of the elements and significantly shorted tube life. BUT, I do use the cryo-treated outlets from Mike Brinkman. At $35.00, these are a no-brainer improvement, albeit small, to my system. Yeah, I can see your faces, but I remember the same look on Edster's face when I brought over the Daruma roller devices to put under his CD player... He can tell you about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 I have no idea whether or not this makes a sonic difference but I would imagine that as you cool the metals down to very low temperatures they start to behave like superconducters with zero resistance. I am not sure, however, if this effect is lasting as the tubes are returned to more normal temperatures. Frankly I cant quite see why this would be desirable. I spend most of my time waiting for my tubes to warm up - not freeze them solid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 I tried to use some of these... CIFTE 5 star(*****).Superb vacuum tube for high-end audio! Made for the FRENCH MILITARY by Mazda/CIFTE. ...but they kept vetoing my attempts to turn on my amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 This one is not voodoo. It's a proven method for strengthening metals, but I'm with Mike on this one. Tubes may have metal in them, but they are not metal. Doesn't seem real smart to me take all the parts that make up a tube and expose them to -300, and then stick them in a tube socket bringing on the heat. Expansion and contraction kills glass and metal. What works for a hunting knife isn't probably such a good idea for tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 Cryogenic treatment of metals is a real process. It does work. And it has applications. Its used for many metal components. Everything from car parts to guns & guitar strings. Some guitar & bass strings, for instance, are cryogenically treated, & they supposedly last longer. Ive used them. They feel soft & spongy. The caveat is that they also dont have the zip or zing that brand new strings typically have. They sound more like strings that have been used a while. So basically, you dont notice as much deterioration, because youre already partly there, sonically speaking. Cryogenic treatment of the metal internal components of a vacuum tube may be of some benefit. However, it appears that the individual selling these cryogenically treated tubes is full of Bull****. These tubes are all from well-known manufacturers/sources. So they are obviously not custom-made. Therefore, its implied that the entire tube was cryogenically treated after manufacture. Glass is actually a liquid. And as we all know, liquids have the unique property of expanding when cooled. Metal, as other solid materials, contract when cooled. It seems to me that putting the entire vacuum tube in a 300 degree cryogenic bath would promptly break the vacuum seal at the pins (not to mention possibly fracturing the glass) as the glass envelope expands & the metal contracts at different rates. And in this particular situation, does so under an extreme condition. Furthermore, if the vacuum seal somehow remains intact, I dont see how the metal itself could undergo cryogenic treatment being protected inside the glass envelope. This product gets my vote for the Hocus Pocus Award. Also The Laughing All the Way to the Bank Award. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 OK friends. Ive got the news from the horses mouth. A company called 300Below, located in Peoria, Illinois, that does cryogenic treatment of metals has verified that cryogenic treatment of vacuum tubes can be done. HOWEVER, ideally, the internal metal components should be treated BEFORE installation in the glass envelope. He said there have been RARE instances where the entire tube was treated after manufacture, but in those cases the envelope is usually made from metal or some kind of molecularly tolerant plastic, not glass. He confirmed that the differing expansion/contraction ratios of the glass & metal would almost assuredly fracture the glass causing vacuum leakage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted March 26, 2003 Author Share Posted March 26, 2003 Wow! Mix a little truth with fantasy and it is more believable! Thanks for the scientific clarity! If these tubes do not develop leaks then it is really questionable if they have even undergone the freeze...in either case, a bogus buy. Art, it's been many years since I bought strings for my bass. I had no idea they did this with strings, and it makes much more sense than doing it to glass tubes. What brand(s) of strings are treated cryogenically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 Andy, Dean Markley makes a line of guitar & bass strings called "Blue Steel" that are cryogenically treated. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030326153811012249014048594156/g=strings/s=bass/search/detail/base_pid/101074/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 I use Dean Markley blue steels on my 70's jazz bass. I don't have a lot of acid in my skin so I don't normally have that much trouble with guitar and bass strings wearing out right away but the blue steels do seem to last a long time. Peace, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted March 27, 2003 Author Share Posted March 27, 2003 Thanks guys, maybe after I'm done with the Scott, I should re-string my Kramer bass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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