Speaker break in: changes in sound question


In general, what changes in sound can be expected as a speaker breaks in. For instance, Focal Utopia or equivalent speaker. How would the highs, mid and low end change? Maybe given 200 hours of friendly operation.

Any thoughts welcome, please.
cepages

Showing 1 response by avguy

A few months ago I bought a pair of brand new Avalon Eidolon Vision speakers for a, oh... mere, USD$25,000 here in Shanghai. I got my wife very excited about these speakers because I told her how incredible they sounded when I heard them at audio shows and at the dealer in Hong Kong. Sure enough when I set it up, powered it up (with Krell KCT and Evolution 400 monoblocks, and KPS28C, and Audioquest Sky and Everest cables), and listened for the first time, both my and my wife's jaws dropped...because we couldn't believe how aweful they sounded... The highs were very muted, mids didn't project a soundstage, and lows weren't lows, and overall, very little dynamics... My wife looked at me in amazement and said, "so these are the great speakers that you've been raving about?", as she surely thought I was nuts for paying so much for such aweful sound.... Honestly, that was really how terrible they sounded...

Incredibly, the sound from these speakers changed significantly within the first 50 hours....the highs became much more extended and resonant, soundstage started to come through. My wife also noticed the change in disbelief.

After about 100 hours of listening, these speakers started to sound pretty amazing, like what I heard before which was the reason I paid so much for them and bought them...very open, spacious, incredibly transparent with beautiful highs and low...

I am now three months into my speakers, and at least 200 hours have been put in, these Eidolon Visions really sound like music heaven!!!!! I wife also thought so and she has since forgiven me...

Well, that was my experience. They were my first very high end brand new speaker purchase. Previously I bought all second hand, high end speakers so I didn't really experience this speaker break phenomenon, and didn't really believed there was such a thing!... Hope that help!