What do you use to burn in cables???

Yes; however, they are usually quite expensive. I would recommend switching between playing music and FM interstation noise.

http://www.audioexcellenceaz.com/audiodharmacablecooker.htm supposed to be the best available.

I use a G&D MOBIE to burn in interconnects and digital cables and find it does a great job, as do my customers. Unfortunately I don't think they are available any more, but they do turn up on the used market once in a while. There are few alternatives.

Brian Walsh

I just bought a pair of ic's and i took them over to my Grandparents' home. They have satellite and the TV is on for most of the day. I had previously hooked the S-Video to the satellite receiver and I am using the audio connection to burn in a pair of RCA's.

Satellite sounds kinda good, too....not that they the can hear the differance, what with the volumn way up at full volumn day, after day, after day, after.........

Mejames is on target, I use my Cable Cooker 24/7 for years, it works great.

If you only use Music I use U2's NY on repeat for about 7 days while I am not in the house.

I have read using Pink Noise is not a good idea!

Just music. If have learned that some cables can sound worse with a burner. My Pure Notes, Siltechs, and even my old Valhallas took forever to come back after use with the AudioDharama cooker. And less than 24 hours cooking. I think Bob Crump and Steve Nugent will back me up on this one.

To improve those cable; now that will take a miracle!

Corona, miracles do happen sometimes and if you can overlook the shortcomings of the Valhalla they do some things that are just amazing.....Back to the subject I like the out of print MOBIE for interconnects and a couple 8 ohm 225w load resistors on an extra amp for speaker wires.....

I have used the MOBIE, (I have always liked that name) I know the designer. Some of the basic ideas for the Cable Cooker are mine, like the larger power supply. Using it requires some experimentation because the break-in time will very with cable design. I would like to see the Cable Cooker incorperate a design with a variable load but that would drive up the price.

I named the MOBIE after one of my favorite bad movies, Maximum Overdrive....I called it the Maximum Overdrive Break In Engine or MOBIE and Tony used the name. I still have the prototype in the other room as I commissioned Tony to build it for me....Break-in seems to be much more voltage driven than current driven so not a good idea to stray too far from the load impedance it will see in use. This means that the 100 ohm load presented by the Cable Cooker is too low for interconnects, hence the propensity to "overcook" them and it is too high for speaker wire and it "undercooks" them...10,000 ohms is correct for interconnects and 8 ohms would be about right for speaker wire. I too have mentioned variable impedance to Alan, but it hasn't been incorporated into the design and not sure the unit will drive an 8 ohm load which would likely entail a complete redesign of the output stage....It would likely be easier to make two units, one for interconnects and the other for speaker wire, than try to make one that does everything......

Dynamic drivers between 30-120hz can present a load that is all over the map like 3 ohms to 130 ohms. Don't forget the Cable Cooker will break-in power cords,they have different static and dynamic loads (static,approx.4 to 50 ohms). To further complicate things copper has a kind of memory and develops a "signature current draw pattern" which will vary from system to system. A cable that is removed from a break-in device or transfered from one system to another, must break down the old draw pattern and create a new one. This will take approx.4-8 hours of music. We call this "wire conditioning", the affect (depending on system resolution) can even be noticed when replacing one of the components in the audio chain. I'll have to say after using the Cable Cooker for several years even without variable load capability it still does a very good job and I would be in deep brown chocolate with out it.