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RE: Cryo Treated

Posted by TubeAcolyte (D) on October 11, 2015 at 23:56:46

In Reply to: Cryo Treated posted by waterfall on October 11, 2015 at 21:51:17:

It's unfortunately a supposedly-dead and beaten horse which never seems to die haha. Linked below is an interesting article on this topic (and a recent one, too.) To sum up the article, the author believes it doesn't do jack. And, I agree with him.

To expand on the article, I think about the money. Most tube resellers will test tubes to their own standards and batch them accordingly for microphonics, performance, and consistency across test points. Out of that, you'll have the duds, the middle/good batch, and then the cream. Tube Depot for example has the JJ 6550 for $35 each, and $130 cryo-treated. Let's say in a fresh box from the factory, 10-20% are duds, 60-70% are good, and 10-20% are amazing.

That top 10%, to me, is comparable to quasi-NOS quality. Inherit design flaws aside, this tube represents the best example of its kind and should at least perform to spec without mechanical issue. Even if the cryo-treatment reduced microphonics, these top-10% tubes would likely not benefit as they wouldn't have had the issue in the first place.

I wonder if there are commercial laws at play here related to similar products or valves specifically... If the difference between two products is too convoluted (like batching tubes according to specific test points and consistency), then they may have to be distinguished with something substantial, like a label of authenticity (cryo-treatment). Otherwise, there's a lot of wiggle room for extortion.

Now, if cryo is snake oil, do we have an extortive service? Not really. If it really reads "cherry picked, cryoed/authenticated, and tested again", then everyone should be happy, from the market regulators ensuring this isn't fraudulent, to the cherry pickers doing the work, down to the customer holding a top-notch tube. On that note, I would say we don't see data on the issue because *we're not supposed to see a difference*. A difference would be BAD!

This reminds me of the Overlord 12AX7, a 5755 and a pin adapter in a VERY fancy disguise. Because someone epoxied some metal beads to the top of the tube and permanently installed the adapter, the Overlord suddenly commands $175 instead of a cool $15 (for both the tube and adapter).

Loooong story short, the tubes are probably awesome, but the cryo-treatment is nominal in effect.
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May your tubes be lively, warm, and long-lasting. Holy be thy heater.

• Cryogenic Treatment of Tubes: An Engineer's Perspective   (Open in New Window)

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