Does cryotreatment of audio circuit boards and interconnecting cables (copper, silver, gold) properly done, provide a permanent benefit?
2 Comments
Dr. Randall F. Barron
August 1, 2008
In general, the cryogenic treatment has a permanent effect (there is no change in the wear properties with time), unless the part is heated up into the annealing temperature range for the material.
Properly heat-treated materials will maintain the effect of cryogenic treatment until the material is heated into the annealing temperature range. The cryogenic treatment produces a change throughout the bulk of the material, and not just at the surface, also.
We have conducted experimental tests on lathe tool materials (generally, high-alloy steels), in which we conducted wear tests for samples subjected to various ‘on-the-shelf times’ ranging from one day to 60 days, and we found no statistically significant change in the material wear properties.
My name is Mark Sears and I work in audio cable design. We have been using cryogenic treatments on some of our pure silver cables for the past 2 years now but nobody in the industry seems to have any evidence of what is happening. Some seem to think it re-crystallises the material giving a more ordered lattice structure with larger crystals and would therefore reduce oxygen boundaries (highly desirable in any superconductor ) this is even used in advertising by the companies offering the treatments, but after funding a little research with an electron scanning microscope and evaluating numerous samples from the only 2 main UK companies who offer treatments, I have found this to not hold true and we can find no differences at a molecular level.
We have also employed Full Spectrum Compositional Analysis of Silver Samples Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and can find no chemical changes either, although as the saying goes absence of proof is no proof of absence. We definitely believe that there are positive benefits from the cryogenic treatment of audio cables, we would just like to be able to measure what is happening. Our main problem now being that both of the aforementioned companies are commercial concerns and now refuse to assist with treatments as they are worried we are trying to discredit them in some way when all we wish to do is further the science. Also, the fact that the companies refuse to participate in research of any kind can only do damage to what we believe to be a new and exciting science…
2 Comments
Dr. Randall F. Barron
August 1, 2008In general, the cryogenic treatment has a permanent effect (there is no change in the wear properties with time), unless the part is heated up into the annealing temperature range for the material.
Properly heat-treated materials will maintain the effect of cryogenic treatment until the material is heated into the annealing temperature range. The cryogenic treatment produces a change throughout the bulk of the material, and not just at the surface, also.
We have conducted experimental tests on lathe tool materials (generally, high-alloy steels), in which we conducted wear tests for samples subjected to various ‘on-the-shelf times’ ranging from one day to 60 days, and we found no statistically significant change in the material wear properties.
Mark Sears
August 1, 2008My name is Mark Sears and I work in audio cable design. We have been using cryogenic treatments on some of our pure silver cables for the past 2 years now but nobody in the industry seems to have any evidence of what is happening. Some seem to think it re-crystallises the material giving a more ordered lattice structure with larger crystals and would therefore reduce oxygen boundaries (highly desirable in any superconductor ) this is even used in advertising by the companies offering the treatments, but after funding a little research with an electron scanning microscope and evaluating numerous samples from the only 2 main UK companies who offer treatments, I have found this to not hold true and we can find no differences at a molecular level.
We have also employed Full Spectrum Compositional Analysis of Silver Samples Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and can find no chemical changes either, although as the saying goes absence of proof is no proof of absence. We definitely believe that there are positive benefits from the cryogenic treatment of audio cables, we would just like to be able to measure what is happening. Our main problem now being that both of the aforementioned companies are commercial concerns and now refuse to assist with treatments as they are worried we are trying to discredit them in some way when all we wish to do is further the science. Also, the fact that the companies refuse to participate in research of any kind can only do damage to what we believe to be a new and exciting science…