Truth for me ... to some degree for everything...no reason to imagine it ...
Component Break In. Truth or Fantasy
I just recently got a second pair of planar headphones and the manual suggests a break in period of 150 hours. I find the topic of component break interesting in that, like so many things today, opinions are polarized with some audiophiles claiming break in having significant effects while other maintaining it is all BS and it's just you getting used to the new sound of your component.
My experiences has been that break in has a significant effect on components that convert one form of energy into another, and that have a mechanical aspect to them.
It makes sense that new speakers, as a result of excursions when being played, will loosen up and that will affect the sound. Same goes for phono cartridge suspensions. It's not unlike our own bodies where stiffness reduces and movement range extends when we work out, move, or stretch.
However, I have not found significant break in effects with all electronic components like DACs and Solid State Amps. And as for cables, not at all.
What has been your experience?
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IMHO the vast majority of products require no break in. Modern electronic audio components have very tight tolerance's and values vary very little over time, especially short periods of time. The reason people think something is breaking in is because their ears/hearing are adjusting to the new sound. I've seen examples of this happening in real life. With this said what exactly would be breaking in? |
@willywonka Agree with most products except some speakers. I definitely saw some break in with my most recent speakers. New woofers, especially ones that don’t have rubber surrounds, are stiff at first. I suspect as they play during break in the woofer, flexes and begins to move more freely as the paper cone material stretches. Carbon or metal cone speakers probably not as much and also not much for tweeters as their excursions are minimal. I certainly heard a change in the character of the bass when they finally broke in. It took about 200 hours of playing. I didn’t like them at first. I then just let them play, constantly for a week, 24/7. I have a dedicated sound room in my basement and avoided it for the whole week. After the break in period, they were much more to my liking. |
- 43 posts total