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Cryo Treatment: does it provide improvements in sound or longevity?

I'd be interested in hearing from audiophiles that have actually tried Cryogenic treated tubes and listened to them vs non-treated. 

I would really prefer not to hear from folks from a theoretical point of view, or that have no experience.

The last time I bought a set of tubes for my amp, just for fun I got the Cryogenic treated ones. They are replacements on my Audio Research Ref 160s. My KT150s were approaching the end of life and I heard them getting hard sounding. So I switched them out. The new tubes immediately restored the amp to its beautiful normal sound. I heard no difference from Cryo... although if it was subtle... no way I would... this was no purposeful comparison. I guess I'll have to wait 3,000 hours to see if they last longer. 

Just wondering if someone with good equipment and a trained ear has done listening tests (not measurements) and made a conclusion. 

ghdprentice
bolong
963 posts
 

Science of Cryogenic Treatment of Metals

tksteingraber's avatar
tksteingraber
785 posts
 

 Not a supporter in Cryo treatment.  I owned 2 really highly regarded NOS Phillips rectifiers.  1 was Cryo treated by Upscale Audio and the second one was not Cryo treated.   Both rectifier’s sound quality were the same.  Now maybe some Cryo processes (such as Cryotone tubes) are superior to others but I have no interest in finding that out now.

aewarren
785 posts
 

The tire store put nitrogen in my new set of tires and now my car stereo sounds much better.

gkelly's avatar
gkelly
1,040 posts
 

Costco uses nitrogen and anybody can go up and use it to fill their tires. You don’t have to be a member. Now all our car stereos will sound fantastic. PS thanks OP for being our own personal AI 🤖 On this site. 

faustuss's avatar
faustuss
830 posts
 

Thank you to everyone in this thread who took the time and made the effort to fill out their profiles and demonstrate their passion for the art of playing back their music in the best possible way. It adds credibility and a level of trust to everything you say here. Sincerity is the name of the game when it comes to the topic of hi fi! yes

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