Cryo'ed LP's


I'm getting ready to cryo a boat load of gear and was thinking about getting some of my best vinyl done. Anyone done this? If so what were your results?

If you have not done this to your LP's I'd rather not hear how lame this idea sounds... I'm sure I will anyway.
128x128srwooten

Showing 10 responses by geoffkait

The reason cryogenics works for musical instruments, rifle barrels, tonearms, golf clubs, CDs etc. is that physical characteristics of the materials are improved by the cryogenic cold tempering process. Thus, metals and plastics are stiffer, harder, more homogeneous and exhibit less internal stress and dicontinuities.
Don't be alarmed that the record is warped when you pull it out of the freezer. Allow it to warm slowly to room temp. YRMV.
Oooops, almost forgot to mention for cryo stuff, best to wait a week or so after getting items back from lab since materials can take some time to recover from the cryo experience and might sound a little "funny" if listened to right away. It all depends.
A possible explanation for why cryoing improves LP performance is the same reason it improves the performance of golf balls, rifle barrels, automotive engine cam shafts, trumpets, not to mention tonearms, turntable platters, CDs, interconnects, structural rods and shelves of audio racks, etc.
Srwooten, yes, I've cryo'd LPs; I've also frozen them in the freezer, which works surprisingly well. If you don't mind my asking, how much is it these days to cryo an LP?
That's odd, Highendman. There are quite a few cryogenics labs specializing in audio items - including LPs - such as Cryogenics International and Enduro Cryogenics. One suspects that if properly controlled cryo treatment of LPs produces warped LPs these cryo labs would have ceased to advertize LPs as one of their specialties a long time ago, eh? You know, with customer feedback and all.

Cheerio
Yes, I was serious about the home freezer and, yes, I realize the temperatures are not as low as cryo temps.
Highendman, the only things I can think of are (1) the proper ramp down, dwell and ramp up timing protocol for LPs was not employed in your case for some reason, perhaps an error or (2) the LPs were exposed to excessive heat somehwere along the line during shipping/treatment. Did you discuss the damage with Cryo International and, if so, did they provide an explanation?