Signature Audio 40 - Are these cables cryogenically treated?
Answer:
Signature Audio 40 cables benefit from a deep cryogenic treatment prior
to assembly. The temperature of the cable is gradually reduced over a
period of eight hours using liquid nitrogen and kept at a value of -196
8C for a period of 24 hours. Over the next ten hours the cable is
gradually brought back to room temperature.
This process eliminates
dislocations in the copper microstructure improving its electrical
performance. Trumpets and other brass instruments have been found to
produce a better tone after deep cryogenic treatment, and it is also
used to treat guitar and piano strings for the same reason. Cryogenic
treatment of welding electrodes, for example has been shown to improve
their current capacity and extend their working life.
Our listening
tests showed that the cryo-treated cable was preferred over the same
cable without the treatment.