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Okay, How Important Is Speaker Break In? (Dynaudio Contour 60i)

I have been running 25+ year old B&W Matrix 803 S2 speakers in my 2-channel system for about 15 years, and I finally treated myself to new speakers.  Mock me for buying based on research alone, but I got a really good deal and just unpacked my beautiful Dynaudio Contour 60i's.  The Dyn's are not broken in, just starting to play around with different songs, but I am expecting an improvement out of the box, and not getting it.  They are no more revealing, and slightly harder and more jangley in the mids and highs.  The bass is of course much better with the big Dyns, but the B&Ws with the Dyn Sub6 subwoofer I was running were better.  I have very good equipment so it is not a matter of driving bigger speakers (ARC Ref preamp and Bryston 7bSST2 monoblocks).  Unless speakers get A LOT better with break in, I thinking these Dyns may be converted back into cash.   Thoughts? Thanks.
mathiasmingus
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 
Given the general stagnation of speaker design (there are exceptions) you could only really expect the Dyns to be different, not necessarily better.  A high percentage of modern speaker designs incorporate a (somewhat) tilted up mid-high end, perhaps because modern taste favors the kind of "detail" that this can give the impression of, perhaps because it makes them more impressive in brief showroom demos (think: how big box stores adjust the settings on TVs on demo).  What you're hearing may ameliorate a little, but it won't go away, it's built in to the speaker.
gosta's avatar
gosta
839 posts
 
Harsh mids may come from unwanted reflections. Placement of the speakers and yourself is most important.
mathiasmingus OP
52 posts
 
Yeah, I sort of ignored the fact that a lot of people have been talking about room...and there could be something there.  Some of the sound issue I would call ringing, which (to my untrained thinking) seems consistent with a room issue.  Not sure what to do with that; this is not a dedicated audio room, so I can't move them much or start adding foam to the walls.  And the fact that the B&Ws were running in the same place without this issue seems important; whether or not my room is optimal, the old speakers did not ring.  I may finally be getting "what type of music you listen to" with speakers.   I EXPECT exquisite refinement on vocals and strings when I want it, but most of my listening is rock/metal.  With a high quality heavy recording (e.g., Metallica black album) the Dyns sound incredibly good.  WIth more delicate fare, they seems a little ragged and ringy in the mids.
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,608 posts
 
different speakers have different dispersion patterns so can interact with room attributes differently

agree w comments below that modern speakers have accentuated lower treble and upper midrange for better perceived 'presence' - often to the detriment to longer term listenability

system matching is key to make new speakers work... plugging them in where old ones stood is just the starting point
mathiasmingus OP
52 posts
 
jjss49, when you say system matching, are you still talking about room, or getting into the components?  From what I have read, there should be no significant component issues, i.e., Big Dyns should like 600W Bryston solid state amps.  Of course, every combination could yield differences, but this system should generally be harmonious.
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