Cryogenic treatment of an LP?

The cryo process doesn't actually result in compressing the atoms of the material - the atoms compress during the freeze cycle then expand during the thaw cycle. The result is a more homogenous arrangement of the atoms. The stress relief aspect of the cryo process is important since the manufacturing processes of stamping, bending, drawing, etc. is what produces stress and strain in the metals and plastics. And this combination of more homogeneous atomic structure and stress relief produces less vibration, better performance of materials in general - more durable, less britle, greater strength, greater stiffness, etc.

Geoffkait - exactly, but what does that have to do with playback of an LP? I'm not sure I agree completely with the less vibration part (it should result in a more uniform vibration which is, in theory, why electrical current flows better though a cryo treated cable), but better material properties is a fact BUT only matters if the use of the material interfaces with these properties in a meaningful way.

Example: I can type a sentance on a roll of single ply toilet paper and on expensive letter head. The quality of the letterhead is much higher, but it has no bearing on if I can read the sentance as long as the toilet paper isn't damaged.

I don't see how material properties have any measurable effect on the playback of an LP. Cryo-treating causes material changes that are verified in metals using electron microscopes and this is orders of magnitude different from the scale of a stylus where I'm fairly certain that it's possible to tell the difference between different tip designs using 10x magnification if not using the naked eye.

I've never said that the LP material properties are not better, just that it doesn't matter. The stylus is a macro mechanical transfer of informaiton and cryo treatment resuls in a micro material improvement.

Theaudiotweak - How does one give vibration in an LP direction?

Would a piano sound better if the keys were cryo treated?

Well, the best answer to your questions is that the cryo process must work on LPs since they do sound better afterwards. Folks question cryo for wires, CDs, tonearms, electron tubes, CD players and cross-over networks, too.

yes, records were designed to be frozen. Hence they sound best at the poles and sound quality deteriorates significantly at the equator and around Marisa Miller.

Playback in the cold vacuum of outer space is the real treat. No bad room acoustics! The solar wind would help deliver a nice warm sound except its a vacuum there which makes it kinda hard to hear anything.

Sorry, even if it works, cryogenic freezing of records is where I jump of the audio bandwagon. You have to be a little obsessive and who knows what else to go there.

I would be afraid to fess up if I did this in that I would expect most any normal person in this world to give me some funny looks? Even more so than if I told them the time and money I invest in this "hobby".

Just thinking about it though is pretty funny!