|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
63.16.79.31
In Reply to: Re: To what extent can cryo treatment be used in audio equipments? posted by Fred J on October 8, 2005 at 17:20:32:
As you know marketing is everything in the US. Cryo effects can be heard by as simple a deed as placing CD's in your freezer. I purchased a surplus lab freezer which goes to -40 C and the effect is even greater and can be heard even on cables and things of that nature. Most cryo companies offer fairly reasonable costs: I've seen cryo treatments offered for as low as $10 per pound. For the time involved and the amount of LN used I would think that as a fair price, although shipping to and from can kill you. Hint, check out your local universities, as many have cryo facilities.As for other audio products, well, that is another story. Still it takes $10K to get a patent with the attorneys and searches you have to go through, and things like that add to the cost of the item. As you were in advertising, then you know the horrendous advertising rates being charged. Mike Sanders of Quicksilver, who has never advertised, once told me he estimated tht his retail prices would have to triple to pay for similar advertising that his competitors take out.
I would still agree that there are a few hucksters out there (well maybe more than a few).....
Sometimes though, there may be a kernal of truth to some of the more outlandish claims made. I've been surprised more than once by some weird things that didn't make sense at all, at least not in the beginning.
Follow Ups:
Stu-Would you consider the folks selling the $500 Wooden Knobs and $6000.00 volume controls as having any validity or being on the level ?
If you had the financial wherewithal, would you consider a Cryogenic listening room, sort of like Batman's Nemisis Yhe Penguin ? ;-)(I'm just kidding)
I have Cryo'd Rifle barrels, but I don't think I'd bother with CD's
as I'm one of the Vinyl cranks I only listen to CD's while I'm riding my Motorcyle, mowing the lawn or canoeing.But it would be interesting to see if I could hear the effect with IC's and a Phono IC would be one of the more revealing applications, does Cryoing change the capacitance, inductance or resistance ?
I have eaten my share of Crow in this hobby so far ;-)
stories about some very well known audio companies and their practices. I know of one company which sent a memo out to their dealers saying that they had reburshed products reconditioned so that they looked to be brand new in every respect and that they would be available very cheaply but could be sold as new. This was when they had just announced a new model.
On the other hand, if you purchased a $500 volume control knob, you probably deserve the outcome.
Seriously, though, even before the $500 wooden knob came out, I discovered that the knobs do significantly affect the sound. I was experimenting with some of the 3M tube dampeners, which are made from a very stretchy plastic. You can expand the small 1.25 inch ring to as much as 4 inches in diameter, but it shrinks back down to very close to the original size in a few minutes. Anyway, as I was experimenting with some power tubes I decided to remove the dampeners and placed them on my preamp volume control knob so I wouldn't have to restretch them as much if I elected to put them back. I was stunned to notice that the sound gained quite a bit of detail even though I had removed the dampeners from their designed use.
In further experimentation I came to realize that a heavy metal knob on a long shaft actually passed on some vibration to the wipers of the volume pot. With this reasoning I placed the dampener so it barely touched the faceplate, figuring that the dampening of the knob to the faceplate should further reduce vibration. Sure enough, the detail increases even more. The effect, of course, can be duplicated to a great degree by a simple o-ring. The little experiment, though, did open my eyes and ears to the fact that even something so mundane as a volume control can affect the sound.
This idea of the volume knob shaking the pot and causing problems is an interesting one. Easy enough to visualize, perhaps too easy, thus its appeal.Also easy to test. I have begun tests. But I'll start another thread for that.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: