Do we break in our componets or do our componets ?


Do we break in our componets or do our componets break us in? I recently added a new addition on to my home. During this process I broke my system down and boxed it up for about 7 weeks. I had dedicated cryoed outlets installed w/ 10 ga romex. The first 10 days or so my sound was horrible with a capital H. I was very distraught to say the least. Over the last 3 days things have changed a lot for the better or so I believe. Have I become adjusted to this sound or did my componets and cables need to break in again? Or is it the breaking in of the new dedicated lines and cryoed outlets? What gives?
128x128hughes12
It's all of the above! Surely we ourselves get broken in somewhat but many of us have experience with breaking in a terrible sounding component without listening to it for several days, and then hearing an enormous improvement. I suppose you could still attribute that to psychological/physiological issues, but then again those of us who have alot of experience have also tried breaking in componenets that just never came around. As to the system requiring re-break-in, I've experienced this also, and attributing this completely to ear/brain issues doesn't hold water when you have other components to compare to (before and after).
It is a little of both.

I have multiple systems at my disposal, so I doubt that I could get use to listening to one system that was sonically painfull to listen to.

But then a couple of them have similar brand components; just a matter of level; such as floorstanding and bookshelf speakers of the same brand, with similar drivers; along with same brand amp (different level model as well); so I do like that sound signature, even though one system is more refined.

The other systems have totally different components, but my guess is that the sound signature is also similar in some respects.
Hughes12,
Although it can work both ways as mentioned above, I think in your case the new dedicated lines and cryo’d outlets were and still are in the process of breaking in (depending upon how you do it, could take 10 days to 30 days).
I also know that by having your system put away for several weeks can effect it’s sound until the system warms up it’s power supplies etc again.
Example: I own various cryo’d outlets and power cords. I have tried them with out break-in for 30 minutes (the sound was terrible). Next I installed the outlet or cryo’d cord on my refrigerator for ten days (break-in) and then put the item back into my system. Immediately it sounded good, and still improved with time.
Just my perception on things.
An interesting idea...that it is our hearing that adapts to the audio system. Certainly this is true for eyesight, where serious defects in the visual system are ignored by the brain. The best example of this is the blind spot where the optic nerve enters the retina. Everyone has it, but it doesn't bother us.
Hardly a new idea, though. We adapt to most stimuli. Our hearing changes under different conditions and throughout our lives and yet we are rarely aware of it. Just think about how protective mechanisms change hearing in response to high level sound which some people like to be subjected to.....