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Re: Make that fender sound warm

11/10/2005 9:24 PM
Chuck	Re: Make that fender sound warm Actually... Umm... I have rethought my answer. I tend to run with the cynical angle first. And since I know a little about steels and cryogenics (I've made a few knives as well as amps) I prejudged the circumstances. It occured to me after my last post that cryo treating steels does align the "grain" of the steel. I think this is only possible with high carbon steels that actually develop a "grain" pattern. Since there is very little carbon in most of the steels used in tubes we are back to my original post. But... Since the tube is basically moving electrons from the cathode to the plate. Is it possible that the small amount of alignment that occures in the steels inside a tube helps to create a more uniform release and flow of electrons??? I suppose that even a minor change in this area would indeed be audible. But as you mentioned, if there were any real meat to the issue I'm sure some tube MFGs would have already jumped all over it. After all, Cryo treating equipement is very easy to come by. And for that matter I'm not even sure that the "coating" used on the cathodes of most tubes responds at all to cryogenic treatment. In fact I doubt it very much. But in fairness, I don't know for sure. Just rambling off some afterthoughts on the issue. Chuck

11/10/2005 9:24 PM

Chuck

Re: Make that fender sound warm

Actually... Umm... I have rethought my answer.

I tend to run with the cynical angle first. And since I know a little about steels and cryogenics (I've made a few knives as well as amps) I prejudged the circumstances.

It occured to me after my last post that cryo treating steels does align the "grain" of the steel. I think this is only possible with high carbon steels that actually develop a "grain" pattern. Since there is very little carbon in most of the steels used in tubes we are back to my original post. But... Since the tube is basically moving electrons from the cathode to the plate. Is it possible that the small amount of alignment that occures in the steels inside a tube helps to create a more uniform release and flow of electrons??? I suppose that even a minor change in this area would indeed be audible. But as you mentioned, if there were any real meat to the issue I'm sure some tube MFGs would have already jumped all over it. After all, Cryo treating equipement is very easy to come by. And for that matter I'm not even sure that the "coating" used on the cathodes of most tubes responds at all to cryogenic treatment. In fact I doubt it very much. But in fairness, I don't know for sure.

Just rambling off some afterthoughts on the issue.

Chuck

Replies:

Dr. Photon I know next to nothing about cryoge... -- 11/16/2005 11:28 PM