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Page updated Dec. 14 2007. ...
Cryogenic treatment by Jena Technologies
Our background in cryogenics:
Michael Crock (co-owner of Jena Technologies LLC) was employed at
Watkins and Johnson Co. (WJ) in the 1970s, for about ten years. Working
in a classified environment, Michael was involved with military- and
spacecraft-related microwave electronics, antennas, and waveguide
devices. Using state-of-the-art techniques, technologies, and
fabrication, he worked on pioneering efforts in communications and
anti-communications (ECM3). WJ made deep-space amplifiers, antennas,
and other equipment used on many NASA missions. They also developed
legendary microwave and electron devices for the military, intelligence
community, and NASA. Michael was in the Special Products and Services
division of WJ, and worked hands-on as a primary fabrication expert for
hundreds of one-of-a-kind microwave antennas and electron devices that
operated in extreme environments. Pure liquid nitrogen immersion
technologies were used there for special applications, and Michael was
a part of that classified work.
Michael was also NASA-certified in hand-solder techniques for use in
the fabrication of zero-failure devices for space flight. He also
worked on space shuttle antenna systems for five years while at WJ,
handling R&D to final production for the S-band, C-band, UHF-voice
command, Quads, and Hemis for nine orbiters.
Additionally, Michael worked directly with very forward-thinking,
extremely gifted, and intelligent scientists and engineers for a
company located in New Mexico during the late 1980s, a company that was
directly involved with electron implantation into electro-optic
ceramics. The specifics of this project involved materials whose
properties and specifications remain classified. This project,
involving state-of-the-art physics, optics, and electronics, was ahead
of its time then, and still is.
What we do:
All Jena Labs wire products are deep-immersion cryogenically treated as
part of the standard production process. This treatment entails a cold
chilling process, culminating in the full immersion of the cables in
liquid nitrogen, also known as LN2. The boiling point of LN2 is
-320.4° Fahrenheit (-195.77° Celsius), or about 400° F
below warm room temperature. I took these pictures at both the liquid
nitrogen main transfer tanks, where I am transferring LN2 to a portable
dewar, and inside our lab, where the immersion takes place after a
second transfer to the actual LN2 immersion tanks.
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In the liquid state, as we use it, the LN2 is actually much colder than the vapor-to-liquid boiling point of LNē (-320.4° Fahrenheit.)
Here is something you won’t see very often: Below Right: This is the inside
of one of our immersion tanks. Yes, that is liquid nitrogen, and you
can even make out some parts in it!
A long deep chill begins. 
The non-immersed diagonal object in the picture is a wooden camera support above the very cold LNē..
- We use
what is called a “super-cooling” process that is between
-330° to about -345° Fahrenheit. Additionally, our LNē is a
validated, medical-grade liquid nitrogen, which is just another plus
for its purity.
What happens?
Exposing metallic objects to this extreme cold causes beneficial
molecular changes to occur. As metallic objects cool, they shrink. With
the extreme cooling and the shrinkage that follows LNē immersion, the
crystal boundaries of metallic conductors align more closely with one
another and become more conductive and quieter. Mechanical integrity is
also improved. This improved molecular condition stays intact through
the slow warming process and is stable at room temperature.
Benefits
When conducting an electric signal, treated wire and formed metallic
parts will produce less micro-diode-effect noise, less
impurity-inclusion field disturbance, and less “slow-field”
transverse energy generation. The result is a cable or electrical
device that is quieter in noise floor and more revealing of subtle
musical nuances.
Difficulties
Working with LNē requires very specialized and expensive equipment, and
extreme care. It is very dangerous, as the cold is so severe that it
can result in serious injury from accidental exposure to the liquid.
The process of chilling and warming takes several days to complete and,
if done incorrectly, can result in the fracture and loss of the
materials being processed. In every phase of the treatment, extreme
care must be taken. We feel strongly enough about the musical merits of
the treatment, though, that we gladly make the investment in the
equipment, the time, and the safety procedures needed to make the
benefits available to our customers.
Beware of others Cryo-Claims
Several
audio writers, equipment modifiers, and so-called technologists have
promoted refrigeration of cables and electronic parts by packing in dry
ice. This is NOT cryogenic treatment. Dry ice has nothing to do with
cryogenics.
There are a few companies that provide a service employing gas-bath
refrigeration in a cold furnace cooled by LNē. If it is a circulation
process, these types of furnaces can reach down to about -180° to
-240° Fahrenheit, generally speaking. With enough extreme and
outrageously expensive effort (economically prohibitive for most
providers), vapor circulation can get down to about -280°
Fahrenheit. It does not matter what others claim: Getting vapor below
-260° Fahrenheit is exceptionally hard. Period. But even that
won’t provide a sufficient chill for our standards.
Scientifically speaking, cryogenics refers ONLY to temperatures at or
below the vapor point of nitrogen: -320.4° Fahrenheit. Our process
involves temperatures that are substantially colder than this.
Only true liquid nitrogen immersion, as employed by Jena Labs, will
fully and permanently enhance the musical behavior of metallic
conductors..
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HTML validation tool Sept 2007.
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