Cryoed Tubes...what To Expect?

[fdegrove]

Hi,

With good quality NOS tubes getting more and more scarce by the minute I was wondering what to expect from a cryogenically treated current production small signal tube a la Sovtek 6922?

Does this bring it close to the standards set by the old masters or can it even go beyond that?

What's your experience, what's gained sonically?

Cheers,

[316a]

Originally posted by fdegrove
Hi,

With good quality NOS tubes getting more and more scarce by the minute I was wondering what to expect from a cryogenically treated current production small signal tube a la Sovtek 6922?

Does this bring it close to the standards set by the old masters or can it even go beyond that?

What's your experience, what's gained sonically?

Cheers,

Hello ,
Why not hunt down some PCC88 instead ? Easy enough to fiddle the heater voltage . I seem to remember on the Joenet there was a mention that cryoed JJ ECC88 were pretty decent . No doubt , if you buy enough of them , there's bound to be some corkers with the Sovteks , could only be a few % though I'm apprehensive about cryoed valves myself , pretty sure that before the cryo process the best of the best are selected . How can you A-B test the things anyway ? Before ? After ? Isn't cryo a one-way process ?

cheers

316a

[serengetiplains]

Bill Perkins of the Perkins Electro Acoustic Laboratory (!) --- PEARL (!) --- experimented with cryogenically treating audio components, including tubes, with Ed Meitner, both of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. From what I can remember anecdotally, Perkins felt cryogenic treatment was beneficial and worthwhile, though perhaps costly depending on how many tubes break per crygenic batch. I think Perkins thought cryogenic treatments lowered the Q of resonances in the tubes, rendering them less audible. I suspect electron flow is also helped. Careful for those UFOs, though.

[Brett]

A lighter wallet?

[serengetiplains]

BTW, Bill has a literature archive on his website which, like the rest of his website, barely works. It does house useful vacuum tube related literature, though.

PEARL Archive

[serengetiplains]

Originally posted by 316a
Isn't cryo a one-way process ?

Unlike a sex change, cryo can't be undone.

[jlsem]

Disney soundtracks may sound better.

John

[serengetiplains]

Originally posted by jlsem
Disney soundtracks may sound better.

Cryo Shania Twain and I'm certain she'll sound better.

[Brett]

Originally posted by serengetiplains
Cryo Shania Twain and I'm certain she'll sound better.

My other 4 senses would like to experience her before she's cryo'd. Woof.

[fdegrove]

Hi,

Why not hunt down some PCC88 instead ?

Well... For the simple reason that there's only a finite amount of them too....

My main interest is a long term one: should I stock up on NOS to last me and some of my friends a lifetime or are there cryoed new production ones to be had for less pennies and comparable quality?

Let's call a spade a spade:
I still have to find a current production E88CC that comes close to the best of their kind, the difference can be nothing short of amazing in some circuits but one can only hope....

ECC88s aside there are still the commonly (ab)used types such as the ubiquitous ECC83, 2, 1 and so on which I'll have to stock up on just the same.

So what would you do? Buy cryoed new ones, just plain new ones or expensive NOS?

Cheers,