2. amps-preamps
  3. 173429-117322

burn in - how important?

Over the years following Agon forums I have read many postings about burn in and been fairly sceptical, as many items I have bought over the years have changed SQ very little or at all, after years of use. Recently I replaced my Rogue Stereo 90 with a used EAR 534 power amp. Out of the box it looked brand new, all nice and shiny. I plugged it into my also fairly recently acquired Aesthetix preamp and was horrified by the thin sound, little or no soundstage and was relieved I hadn't yet sold the Rogue. Now I knew why it had been up for sale or did I. Maybe I was too lazy to plug in the Rogue again but I left the EAR in place and after about 30 hours I noticed a difference, more depth, wider soundstage, Now after about 100 hours - WOW huge soundstage, both depth and width. great tight bass, shimmering highs. Now I know why Tim De Paravicini was regarded as a genius and sorry for the seller who probably had not given the unit a chance to burn in properly. I decided to biwire it into my ML Vantage speakers and cut out the second Acurus a250 amp which I was using in biamped format. There was hardly any difference, maybe quieter and more detailed overall. Who would have thought an EL 34 based 55wpm channel Class A amp could drive a pair of electrostatic hybrid speakers rated at 4ohms. OK no longer a sceptic about burn in but a firm believer. What has been your experience?

128x128mazian
jafant
18,770 posts
 

mazian

 

A very firm believer in burn-in here as well. Welcome! to the club.

 

Happy Listening!

verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio
1,460 posts
 

It varies wildly from component to component.  Tubes Typically need between 60 and 200 hours to sound right.  With tubes, there is an outer coating of material that needs to burn off and negatively impacts performance.  For most tubes, 60-100 hours is plenty.  It is only 300Bs and other tubes that can last decades that usually have really long burn in times. 

Cables need to charge the dialectic.  Parts need to get hot and cool off repeatedly. The spider on a speaker needs to flex.  

Some of these changes can be significant.  Anyone who tells you it is just you getting accustomed to the new sound has not had a lot of new gear.  For those of us who are perpetually opening new boxes, it varies wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer.  When you get a new device, your retailer or the manufacturer should have a POV.  

 

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,222 posts
 

@verdantaudio ,

Some of these changes can be significant. Anyone who tells you it is just you getting accustomed to the new sound has not had a lot of new gear. For those of us who are perpetually opening new boxes, it varies wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer

Agreed!

For those who insist  that this is all merely  in your head and is nothing more than getting acclimated, I happen to believe they are wrong.

Charles

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,446 posts
 

I thinks its both ....   speakers?  Sure.     Electronics?   Not so sure .....   I do think some of it is just getting acclimated 

photon46
1,076 posts
 

My experience with "burn-in" has been variable as some equipment changes more than others with extended use. I installed a new set of PS Audio M1200 mono amps a couple months ago and those have evidenced more changes with time than any component I've used in the last forty years. They sound remarkably different than they did on first installation. My previous PS Audio BHK250 didn't change all that much with extended use. 

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