Speaker Break-in

Yes- Any source will do, and- the more bass the better. If you place them facing one another, close together, with one cabinet hooked up reverse polarity: You can play them louder and shorten the process. The out of phase wave fronts will cancel some of the sound, and it won't drive anyone quite as nuts. The caps in the crossover will be "burning in" as well as the suspensions of the drivers "breaking in". More power = faster results.

If they have a front grill perpendicular to the bottom, place them in a basement, spare room, garage or another dry out of the way place face-to-face, hook them up out of phase to an amp & tuner or CDP, throw a thick blanket over them and turn up the volume. The theory is: being out of phase the speakers will cancel each other out.

The thick blanket will help with stray high-frequencies. In practice, however, you'll have to deal with stray low-frequencies.

The speakers won't be absolutely silent but is much better than the alternative.

Good luck.

The previous posters are correct. Place the speakers face to face, as close as possible together without having them touch. Connect one of the speaker cables backwards (+ to -, - to +) which will cause one of the speakers to play out of phase with the other speaker.

The out-of-phase signals will cancel each other out to a great extent. If you have the ability to play a mono signal to both speakers, most of the output of the speaker will be cancelled since it's an identical signal going to both speakers. If it's not a mono signal, you will still get some output as the signal between the speakers is obviously not identical from a stereo recording. However since most of the "shared" signal in a stereo recording is low frequency, much of the low end will be cancelled and you will be able to play the speakers much louder without keeping everyone awake all night while you let the speakers break in! Adding thick blankets or sleeping bags as covers will also further reduce to sound from the speakers as they break in.

Lastly, be cautious. Before doing the out-of-phase trick, listen to the speakers and write down the position of the volume knob when you are playing loud. Do not inadvertently play the speakers "louder than loud" when out of phase. The reduced sound produced by the out of phase signal is still "loud" as far as the speaker is concerned and the drivers could be accidently pushed too hard without you knowing it.

Enjoy,

TIC

Thanks for the feedback!

Would the process be the same if the speakers are in a bi-amp configuration?

Go spend $35 for the Isotek System Enhancer CD. It's worth the money. You will use it far more than you expect.

The IsoTek vision has always been to create high quality products that improve the performance of a complete audio or home theatre system. This has certainly been true of award-winning range of power management systems. The IsoTek Full System Enhancer furthers commitment. The Full System Enhancer will not only burn-in and demagnetize, but it also rejuvenates your audio system, allowing it to function at its optimum level.

It is important to exercise the system across the full range of frequencies and amplitudes it may encounter in real life, and to this end the tones on this disc have been devised to cover the audio band from top to bottom, also ensuring that, for instance, high amplitude signals are combined with high speed ones. There is good reason for the various signals and tones on this disc bearing no relation, perceived or calculated, to music. At first sight, the problem of burning in a music system may seem to call for some kind of signal that resembles music in certain specifics but somehow ‘works faster’ in exercising and/or settling down the various components within the system. But while such a signal can be generated, it doesn’t burn equipment in very fast and doesn’t address the rejuvenation function either.

The Full System Enhancer features three tracks. 0.1
(30 minutes) and 0.2 (30 minutes) are similar, with the second being optimized for systems with large loudspeakers and/or subwoofer(s). In general, use 0.1 for most stand-mounted speakers, 0.2 for floor-standing models, except perhaps the slimmest.

The differences are neither profound nor dangerous, but the benefits of 0.2, in the right situations, we have found to be audible. The last few minutes of each track are intended specifically for system demagnetizing and we DO advise that playback of each track should be performed in full.

Track 0.3 (5 minutes) has been specifically developed as a quick ‘spruce-up’ for the hi-fi, consisting of a little of the ‘hi-fi aerobics’ from the start or Tracks 0.1 and 0.2 followed by a slightly less comprehensive demagnetiation regime which, however, should be quite adequate to redress any ill effects accruing over a day or two’s use or disuse.

Mr A- Yes, it would be the same(BUT- reverse phase on both sections of one speaker).