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RE: Some points to consider.

Posted by alan m. kafton (M) on August 11, 2007 at 18:32:55

In Reply to: Some points to consider. posted by Al Sekela on August 11, 2007 at 15:28:47:

AFAIK, Oyaide does not use cryo treatment for the outlets as part of the manufacturing process. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

In this you are correct.

It seems reasonable that Oyaide would use cryo treatment if they thought it gave even a slight benefit to the performance, and that they would have experimented with it in developing the outlets.

Not necessarily. In point of fact, when I first met the Oyaide gentlemen at CES 2005 (along with Joe Cohen), I discussed this very issue. I did not receive a definitive answer. Rather, they seemed to be very intrigued by what I had been doing. They may indeed have thought that their exacting processes would trump whatever Furutech was doing at the time, as a point of pride (Furutech was repeatedly mentioned in our conversation, when comparing plugs and connectors....Be Yamamura was the translator, btw). As engineers and designers, they may feel that cryo treatment is secondary to their criteria, and simply dismiss it. They are still aware of the after-market treatment I perform, along with other vendors purchasing their parts in the US....it's not a secret. They are also quite aware of what Acoustic Revive does with their parts in re-branding the DX and R-1, for instance. We can also presume that if they thought that cryo process was hokum, and/or thought it denigrated their products and processes, they would refuse to do business with Acoustic Revive, or for that matter, those of us in the USA. Why they still do not utilize cryo treatment is, unfortunately, pure speculation. At some point I will make the inquiry again.

One main feature of specialty audio outlets is higher spring strength in the contacts, to reduce susceptibility to contact resistance modulation from acoustic vibration. This strength derives from the alloy used to make the contacts, and the work hardening that takes place in the alloy when the contacts are formed from sheet stock.

Cryo treatment is a method of annealing stress from metal parts: it is used by race car engine builders in place of high temperature treatment. They want the piston bores to remain round and not be distorted by cast-in stresses in the blocks. Old school bus engines were favored as starting points for race engine builders before cryo treatment, because of the many hours of slow, steady work that slowly annealed out the block stresses.

If cryo treatment reduces contact metal internal stresses from work hardening, it may relax the spring strength and make the outlet more susceptible to external vibration. This would counter any benefits from improved electrical conduction.

Considering all the after-market treatment I've given outlets over the years, I am not in accordance with this last paragraph. I actually continuity-test each outlet (as it's being conditioned on the Cooker) before shipping. It is rare that any outlet does not grip the AC plug with great strength. In fact, it is sometimes quite difficult removing the plug. However, you may be talking about a theoretical ideal regarding spring strength ("if" and "may"). I highly recommend that you speak directly with Charles at Cryogenics International about these issues. He deals with racing companies and other industrial products every day, and has long experience with the whys-and-wherefores of treatment. He is also very well-versed in metallurgy, and can discuss these matters on your high level. I would be intrigued to find out the results.

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