At the risk of pissing off half of the people who read this thread, here is my two cents worth:
As one with an extensive educational background in molecular crystallography and metallurgy, I have to say that IMO almost all of the claims and "scientific" explanations made by the cryo vendors are pure BS. Exposure to extremely low temperatures will almost always cause a weakening of the structural integrity for most metals and alloys. One of the guys I went to school with worked for NASA and NAA on the Space Shuttle project, and later on the initial planning for the ISS. Anyone who believes that cryo is universally good for any commercial metal structure should read some of the white papers and technical information that is available to the public.
But for those who insist that science has no relevance for audio and that it is all about the sound, for myself I cannot hear any difference between similar tubes, cryo treated and untreated (beyond the variation one would expect between any similar tubes). But if it's good for you, then it's good.
As one with an extensive educational background in molecular crystallography and metallurgy, I have to say that IMO almost all of the claims and "scientific" explanations made by the cryo vendors are pure BS. Exposure to extremely low temperatures will almost always cause a weakening of the structural integrity for most metals and alloys. One of the guys I went to school with worked for NASA and NAA on the Space Shuttle project, and later on the initial planning for the ISS. Anyone who believes that cryo is universally good for any commercial metal structure should read some of the white papers and technical information that is available to the public.
But for those who insist that science has no relevance for audio and that it is all about the sound, for myself I cannot hear any difference between similar tubes, cryo treated and untreated (beyond the variation one would expect between any similar tubes). But if it's good for you, then it's good.