Love getting new equipment, hate the break-in

Burn/break in is not a myth, for instance capacitors take time to form, this alone may account for much of what we hear during burn in. Many other parts may also benefit from on/off cycling and burn in. Just because science and measurement protocols haven't yet established a means to test for burn in doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To believe that is simply not how quality scientific inquiry works. Statements as to mass delusion in the minds of those who hear burn in are simply short cuts in order to convince oneself this phenomena doesn't exist. Also, based on long observation, not everyone pleased at the end of burn in, components continue to be sold and replaced.

In the end burn in is and should be a moot point, eventually the component or part will be fully burned in and a final evaluation is arrived at.

@sns I Agree totally with your above statement and I also believe in the mental break in of our minds to adjust to the new piece of equipment can't be discounted. WTS, I never sell a piece of gear that has made me happy for the sake of upgrade, I keep the replaced piece for a good 6 to 12 months and slip it back in to the system at different times and am surprised sometime that I wind up selling the new piece instead. Enjoy the music

@tooblue I too keep prior equipment when bringing  new piece. A>B>A comparisons extremely informative, and this may have to be repeated many times. I also keep multiples of amps, pre's and dacs just for the change in presentations, and I mix and match these components in various configurations. I love the variety of presentations I can achieve quite easily, no single and constant presentation for me.

@daytrader +1  on “Sometimes the journey is more fun that the arrival” always! :-)

@sns +1 "Burn/break in is not a myth”

-correct, burn-in (accelerated aging in semiconductor chips design) is a challenging part of circuit design  process. Typically semicon-chips stabilize (flatted aging effect over time) performance after 50hrs burn-in. All involved components such as active devices, passives, and interconnects, degrade performance (age) accordingly to the stress conditions, such as voltage, current, temperature, humidity, sometimes mechanical vibrations. depending on design target, systems are designed for many years, typically five or seven years.