What are we listening for during break in?

There are two issues here, and they are being conflated.

1. Do cables require break-in?
This is unlikely to be resolved for more than a few who have not yet formed an opinion. Lots of sincerity, mixed with disbelief, bombast and outright belligerence on both sides usually emerge on this. Strength of opinion does not equal truth. This, though, does not seem to be what the initial poster is asking.

2. What "sonic differences" are heard? "Better, worse, different?"
These were the questions here. The answer seems conmplicated and simple.

The complicated part: For those who believe (the operative assumption here) that different cables have distinct sonic signatures that justify auditioning, switching, system matching, and the sometimes surreal cost of some cables compared to standard cheapo rca's, it seems quite likely that different cables will sound one way or another initially. How can you say what you're listening for generically, without reference to a particular cable in a particular set-up (including room)? Do all cables have the same sonic limitations when new? Do they all change at the same rate and in the same way? I don't see how any empirical "proof" could be generated with the extraordinary number of variables that would be present, and this is without the input of cable and break in doubters who will surely step up to the plate.

The easy part: Set it and forget it until some break in mile marker is reached. Establish some sort of input to output set up that can be run non-stop and check it at some time interval that seems acceptable to you. Check it periodically to see how it sounds to you. Ignore it most of the time until it goes into its place in the system or is returned.

I described making a break-in thingy for a phono cable that had a right angle din plug using a tuner and pre-amp in another post on Audiogon. I made this because a protracted break in was claimed for the cable, and I didn't want to go through several hundred album sides deciding if I wanted to keep the cable. Perhaps it made a difference; perhaps I might have heard it and noted it at LP side 1 vs. side 50 vs. side 143, but listening for such nuance in break in just wasn't a worthwhile activity for me.

What listening for in break in over various time intervals might be worth to the original poster or anyone else is up to them. You might or might not be able to hear a difference. If it is of interest to you, fine. I certainly know that it's not worth anything to some.

Timrhu,
The # of LP sides, like 143, was a hypothetical, not the # of times I repeatedly played one side of an LP, which would, as you imply wear it (and me) out. One point I was making had to do with the utter futility of trying to listen for changes in a cable during break in, especially a phono cable. Is the 20th side sounding better than the 2nd? How do I really know with 2 different LP sides at least 18 Lp sides apart in time? I haven't enough time or interest to listen to how much or how a cable's sonics may (or may not) differ at various points before "fully" broken in. Still, I will go to the trouble of setting things up so there can be a "set and forget" break in. For the life of me, I can't imagine how manufacturers believing in cable break in, particularly extended ones, can justify marketing phono cables that aren't broken in before sale -- even more so with things like directionality warnings and rt angle DIN connnetors on one end. (Try to find an appropriate break in connector for this that allows RCA to RCA hookup. They don't exist, so you'll have to make one or have one made.) As much as I think the sound of reasonably well made LP's through a good system surpasses well made CD's on excellent CD players, LP's are a pain compared to CD's, even for someone who has collected and maintained them for over 40 years.

So you have an expensive or "new to you" cable added to your system. You have the option to return it within a given time period. Do you just put it in, give an immediate listen or so and decide? Or, might you defer the listening briefly to follow the recommendation of the manufacturer and/or various critics, "authorities," and geeks, and burn it in to see what you think after break in before deciding?

For me, the issue with my phono cable was to give the cable the best shot by burning it in first. My interest was in the effect in the system after what seemed like a reasonable break in. If there were to be any nuance of change at various points at time, I really didn’t care. What difference would a transient state make to me in the long run?

I also think that it’s a bit unfair to reatilers and others offering auditions not to give a cable a reasonably fair audition hta culd include burnb in before returning it. I have tried various cables in my system and felt a bit bad when returning one because there is a cost to the seller (and to me when mail order) for this service.

If I had my druthers, there would have been auditions of multiple phono cables but there were no dealers nearby that had all four of those I might have wanted to try, so I did my research (flawed as it was) and tried one that seemed like it might fill the bill fianancially and sonically.

Phono cables, particularly those with rca’a on only one end are pretty much a special order item. An rca to rca phono cable setup might have made my situation a bit easier, but many high end dealers don’t have any or many turntables set up anymore, much less a decent selection of phono cables to a-b.

Back to the issue that started this thread, I’m unconvinced that any arguments that are made on one side or the other of the break in issue will do much more than prove that there is no shortage of gas.

And, Gregadd, if you haven’t tried a different cable on your SME IV, you should. It made a substantial difference with mine.