Breaking in a new amp

I purchased a used amp & subsequently used it to break in a new pair of VR4 GenIII spkrs, which suggest loud volume for 100 hrs.

During the first two hrs. of max volume, there was an electronic smell coming from the amp I hadn't noticed before & from talking w/my dealer & the amp manufacturer, found out the amp had never been fully broken in.

You don't have to run it wide open all the time to break it in but I would suggest opening it up for a few hrs. to see how it performs, how hot it gets & so on but mainly to see how well it sounds while playing the same music at different levels.

Nope, I didn't say run an amp beyond its limits. I said open it up, which means at its max.

I bought a big-ass amp so I could listen over 100dB w/o audible distortion, because I like to listen that way sometimes. So yes, sometimes I do play my amp at max volume. Can't overdrive it, as I have a matched passive.

I'd like to hear a few cuts on your system. Heard some Coincidents w/Manley gear & liked it a lot!

One of the nice things about being home during the day is nobody cares what I do with the volume control but I don't always play loud. Today I'm being pretty mellow, staying in the low 80's listening to Paraguayan Harp & Indian Flute music.