We had a wonderful thread started about these tubes and I accidentally deleted it so we must start over.

For years we have gone on about New Old Stock tubes and fancy boutique bottles from China but both have a fairly high risk of having issues albeit for different reasons, and consequently these already expensive tubes become even more so when they pre-maturely fail, or develop noise or other issues. This is why I am thrilled to announce I have personally found tubes that sound superior to both and have none of the quality control issues that we've put up with from China and or New Old Stock tubes from eBay.  

This lead to some long phone conversations with Don Thomas who created Cryotone Tubes. We have decided to work together to bring you these tubes.

The first step is to try them and see if they are for you.  To facilitate that we have this forum, and a 10% coupon to get you started.

Additionally, we will be working with Don to create Cryo treated complete tube sets for our amplifiers which will be available on his site when complete.


You can visit their website at https://www.wathenspeakers.com/wathen-cryotonetrade-tubes.html and use the promo code:
 
DECWARETUBES   to receive a 10% discount on your entire order.


Steve

Steve,

I sure hope there is a hard push for them to start selling the 6P15P-EV. Have we heard anything else about that?

Thanks,

Geno

Yes, we have plans to offer the 6P15P-EV as well as all other Decware tubes.  It's a process and will take some time.  I'll report progress in this thread over the coming months.

Steve

Just ordered a pair of 5ar4’s. If they can get me to stop hoarding nos Mullards I might be able to retire one day!

That is good news. Like you, I’ve been waiting for a few brave souls to try these out. Sounds like it is unanimous that these are the way to go.

I guess the only question now is longevity. Only time will answer that one.

Best,

Geno

Hey Kulafu, which rectifier did you install in your UFO25th, the 5U4GB or the 5AR4?  (Or maybe there's no difference.)  Thanks.

Having no need for additional tube inventory, but having read, with much interest, the numerous testimonials about Wathen tubes, I ordered a single 6SN7 on Saturday March 19th.  The tube will be used in the input stage of either my CSP3 or my Cary 300B integrated.  

The expected arrival date was Tuesday the 22nd, but the tube was a no show, so I shot off a quick email to Wathen asking for a shipping update.  No email reply was received by early Wednesday afternoon, so I sent another email suggesting that my order may have been misplaced or some how lost, but again no reply from Wathen.

I called Wathen this morning a few minutes before 10:00 and left a message requesting a status update on my order. Within 5 minutes, Don Thomas, himself, called me and we had a delightful 15 minute conversation. Not one time during our discussion did I sense that he wanted to end the call.  My impression is that he was quite pleased to be conversing with another music lover about his business and the processes he is using to produce the best sounding, longest lasting tubes in the world.  Toward the end of the call I asked him if he had any plans to offer large directly heated triode tubes—the 300B, specifically—and he surprised me by saying that he has mastered the cryo process for a particular 300B and that he would be happy to produce a pair for me.  It seems there’s way more work going on at Wathen Audiophile than Don’s website indicates.  And bottom line…….Don seems like a super nice guy.  He reminds me, in a numbers of ways, of Steve Deckert.

My missing tube?  Don had been replying to my emails, explaining that the 6SN7’s are on back order and scheduled to arrive at his place in a couple of weeks.  For some reason his emails are not landing in my inbox. The communication issue was not with Don; it is with my iPad.  

I was just pondering……it might be wise to order a few more tubes, knowing that there are three 6SN7 tubes on my Cary integrated and another three places where 6SN7’s  can be used on the CSP3.  We’ll see.

I didn’t ask about tube life, but Don detailed for me how two different music mastering plants have each been running ten of his Cryotone tubes, 24/7, for more than three years now.  He went on to say that none of these tubes seems to be getting any weaker, even though they have been used none stop for several years.  I think that’s pretty cool!

Sorry I have no feedback on Cryotone sound quality, but this type of feedback may prove just as valuable.

Doug

We see a very bright future with Cryotone Tubes.  Coming from the city where Caterpillar Tractors are built, and Cryogenic treatment was invented to strengthen tractor parts, mostly engine parts in the rotating assembly, I knew that it's not about freezing something to absolute zero, it's about how you ramp the temperature over time. Different metals have different ramps. Finding all the ramps with trial and error takes time, and is expensive.  You only do it when you are serious about finding the best possible outcome. After talking with Don and Roger who make Cryotone tubes, I knew straight away they were the real deal. I listened to the tubes they sent me and compared them to my collection of Cryo tubes from other companies who will remain nameless, and it was so obvious.  It's the real deal. I have little to gain and lots to lose with a bogus recommendation.

The most fascinating part is that if you grade tubes and pic the good ones and Cryo treat each one with it's own recipe, like these guys do, then it doesn't matter the brand, how much it cost, if it was NOS from the Blackburn plant or exotic asian tubes for giant money, they will not sound better.  They can't. They Cryo process is real. It molecularly changes things. You can hear it.

-Steve

https://youtu.be/lnv_eemleBk

Here is a video I did to demonstrate the dramatic difference Wathen Cryotone Cryo-treated tubes make in our amplifiers against not only our hand selected standard, but also against boutique Chinese super tubes.

-Steve

Quote:


At a hundred plus dollars a tube (and I need four) that is probably a cliff I will not be looking over. Of course I said that about hundred dollar fuses too and now I have 3 three of them....

Oh that nasty audiophile itch!

I had to scratch mine. I just ordered two ECC88’s. The plan is to use them in my modded CXN, since I use it with both my tube and SS amps 🤔
 

Hi Lon,

Looking back over my notes, it took about 3-weeks between my CryoTone tube order and delivery.

I received an email today saying a batch is being finished this Friday and are looking to ship on Monday.

Well that's nice. I just received a message saying mine are on backorder. Sigh.

A pair of 6SN7.

I'm using 6NS7 with converter bases in all three signal positions in my CSP3 with the Anniversary mods, my CSP2+ with the Anniversary mods (just put back into play replacing the PS Audio GCHA in my headphone system) and as the input tubes in my SE84UFO3 Monoblocks with the Anniversary mods and in my Taboo Mk IV with the Anniversary mods.

With the converter bases they work anywhere the 6N1P or 6922 or 6DJ8 etc. would and imo they sound fantastic (RCA Gray Glass being my favorite). The Cryotone when eventually arrived I want to try as the input tubes in the Monoblocks (my main system amplification).

I’ve chatted with Don a couple of times over the past week regarding my 6SN7 back order.  The 6SN7’s are sitting on a container ship.  He expects to see them within two weeks, but there is no specified date.  

Cryotone ECC88 tubes are in stock.

On a side note, Cryotone 300B tubes are special order and run $966 per matched pair, which is $534 less than WE 300B’s.  At these prices, Western Electric’s five year warranty and incredible reputation speak loudly.  My new WE 300B’s should arrive on Monday or Tuesday!  

The latter. They do not manufacture tubes. Most of the type of tubes Wathern offers are NOT made in the USA. . . at all. So they are foreign tubes treated in their facility to their special cryo thang.

We are going to be sending a hundred lot of 6P15P-ER tubes and a hundred lot of 6N1P-EV tubes to Don next week for them to add to their inventory.

Steve

Any 6N5P?

Anyone with a pending Cryotone tube order heard from Don the past 8 days?

Received my Cryotone tube order this afternoon.  To make a long story short here's what's in my system now:

ZR2-A:
Cryotone 12AU7 Long Plate

CSP3-A
Cryotone 12AU7 long plate w/adapter for the input
Cryotone E88CC-W for output
Cryotone 5AR4-W Rectifier

UFO2-25A:
Cryotone E88CC-W for the input
Cryotone EL84 for output
Cryotone 5AR4-W Rectifier
Raytheon OC3W Input VR
Raytheon OA3 output VR (short/medium GT bottle)

Early report after 4 hours... simply put the system now kicks a** BIIIIG TIME!

The tubes in the amp and ZR2-A are not going anywhere and I doubt that the tubes in the CSP3-A will go anywhere either.  I'll confirm after next weekend.

Oh yes, for those who may be wondering about the bass???  With the Omega Vintage 8HO and this tube set in a 2.3 watt amp... unreal!  What started me on this path was Steves comment about the sound coming from the system that he had the Cryotone tubes in being the best yet - something to that effect.  He wasn't kidding!

I need to clarify that the smoother easiness to the music by no means anything is rolled off. If anything everything is extended, with an added  sharpness, but not brittle, or bright. Cymbals have a new shimmer and much more metallic sound. All I can say is the more listen the more I want to thank Steve for brining our attention to these beautiful audio jewels.

Ditto to everything that PDXDrew said, emphatically so.  

Something else that should be kept in mind, IMO.  I now have all Cryotone tubes in my system but I rolled the tubes one or a pair at a time and listened  before moving forward.  

Certain tubes like the 12AU7WCL-Long Plate and the EL84 made quite a difference, but the real magic started when all the tubes were rolled.  This is the real deal (someone else said that as well).