Crackhead Snakeoil of the Week

tekbow

I give you Wathen Audio and their 'proprietary cryo-tone tubes, which reps of theirs have claimed they manufacture.

Let me know when you see it.

https://www.wathenspeakers.com/store/p5/7025-WC.html

Even Watford valves dont charge that.

They've popped up recently on a couple of FB groups. Employees shilling them without disclosing who they work for.

I've taken some enjoyment in trolling the ever loving bollocks off them when time permits.

The best one I've read was along the lines of 'we're really close by NASA and Companies like Wathen provide NASA with Cryogenic treatment services'.

Companies 'like' Wathen, or Wathen themselves? Odds that I got an actual answer?

Disclaimer:

I'm a Mechanical Engineer by education and I'm aware that Cryogenic Treatments are actually a thing which can favourably alter (depending on the application), the Mechanical properties of various metals etc. But that tends to be in the material formation, manufacture stage.

Not after you've fully assembled a tube.

Dave8

Maybe Wathen look after the fridges in NASA’s cafe? Chuck a few tubes in the back.. get em all cryo n that. 

RiftAmps

That’s strange, I always find that heating valve cathodes up to 777°C produces the best tone  

Haz478

Have a wisdom for post title of the week

ICBM

The valve in their pic is a standard Shuguang 12AX7, which sells for about £11 or £12.

tekbow

For the sake of TL:DR

$93 chinese 12AX7's.

Now I prefer chinese tubes, balanced clear and reliable if bought from a reputable reseller who test and select.

But $93 chinese tubes.

That at one point a rep was claiming they make themselves  

tekbow

ICBM said:

The valve in their pic is a standard Shuguang 12AX7, which sells for about £11 or £12.

Exactly. If you scan the rest of their range it's also JJ and New Sensor. For $93 and up.

thermionic

Do you guys have any idea how much a liquid nitrogen plant costs to run?

Wish I’d thought of this when I was pouring liquid nitrogen into cryostats on an almost daily basis when I did my physics PhD.

Sassafras

Even funnier is their Cryo Tone guitar.
Apparently cryogenically frozen tonewood makes your guitar sound like but even better than a 50s vintage guitar.

Sassafras

I think they even sell cryogenically treated sandwiches.

chillidoggy

The reviews are well worth reading.

Nerine

Yeah. Their endorsed artists aren’t exactly a who’s who of guitarists.

danishbacon

Sassafras said:

Even funnier is their Cryo Tone guitar.
Apparently cryogenically frozen tonewood makes your guitar sound like but even better than a 50s vintage guitar.

NOTE - Wathen never applies the commonly used nitrocellulose lacquers or polyurethane finishes on any CryoTone™ instrument. These finishes are like putting a plastic blanket on tone.

They didn’t want customers confusing nitro with real nitro

TforTele

Snake oil is unfairly maligned:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/snake-oil-salesmen-knew-something/

Fake snake oil and it’s salesmen are another matter.

Sorry, bit off topic...

Modulus_Amps

I thought it was them reffering to the Chineese 12ax7 as a power valve.

If you are stupid enough to buy one then you can probably hear "the fragile harmonics that survive in a vacuum"

Kittyfrisk

Modulus_Amps said:

I thought it was them reffering to the Chineese 12ax7 as a power valve.

If you are stupid enough to buy one then you can probably hear "the fragile harmonics that survive in a vacuum"

You are clearly approaching enlightenment Grasshopper. 
I will show you that your lie was indeed the truth. Trust me...