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Wyred 4 Sound STI-500 Breakin Time

I was one of the original W4S Dac1 purchasers and just upgraded to the DAC2 and purchased a STI-500 amp. Have about 60 hours on the amp and 100+ on the DAC2.

I did find that DAC1 sounded better and better after about 200 hours of breakin time. Do the W4S STI amps work the same way?

Want to hear from STI-500 or STI-1000 owners with tips on breaking in these amps and how the quality improves with time. Has anyone used breakin CDs with these amps? Can you break them in at low volumn or do you need to play loudly?

So far, the STI-500 plays loud effortlessly but I am not hearing the detail I was with my previous Bada Amp and PreAmp. It is the amazing detail that I got from the W4S DAC that impressed me so much along with a very natural tone and realistic reproduction of acoustic instruments.
ronwills
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Do you run it balanced (DAC->amp)? Cause if not than you've only got 'half' of what you can get balanced.

I swap sometimes my Sunfire Sig600 to ST-1000 from my friend that has the same Aerial 10t as I do. In both cases I'm happy, but love my my Sig600 for larger and wormer sound. Try to use your integrated as an amp only if you still have your old preamp.

As to break-in time I doubt that after X00 hours it will show significant changes only slight ones.
face
516 posts
 
I agree with the balanced comment, you're missing out if you're only running single ended.
plato
1,543 posts
 
I own the STI-500 and the DAC2 and it did take quite a long time for the STI-500 to sound its best. But if you're missing detail, that could be something different. Presenting fine detail is one of the many strengths of the STI-500 so maybe it doesn't like the same cables (especially power cord) that the Bada gear liked.

The speaker cables and the power cord seem to work as a team, so consider that. And the interconnects play a part as well. Are you using a good quality AC line conditioner? If not, you should be.

Also, I'd change from the variable output to the fixed output on the DAC2 if you haven't already done so.

You might also move the roll-off setting of the digital filter one notch up (to 50k, I believe) as that will extend the highs and apparent detail a bit.

It's hard for me to imagine that the Bada gear could give as much detail as the STI-500, let alone more. But combinations of different gear and cables are virtually unlimited, so anything is possible, I suppose.
ronwills OP
52 posts
 
Some great comments, thanks. Here is some additional detail:

I now have about 100Hrs on the STI-500 and just beginning to get the detail that I got with the BADA amp and preamp. I was really sweating it after paying the price for the STI500 but the reviews have been soo good and the DAC1 was terrific.

Interconnects are balanced from the DAC2 to the STI500 using Morrow cables - I believe they are the M1.1 balanced. They were spectacular from the DAC1 to the BADA preamp. Made a huge difference over the other cables I was using.

I have Magnepan 1.7s which provide amazing detail and let me know about every change in the system.

I have my fingers crossed but I am beginning to hear the music open up. It never sounded bad, just not detailed. In fact, I find the STI500 warmer than the BADA which had a hybrid tube/transistor preamp. Who would have guessed?

I will be checking the settings on the DAC2 but believe I have them correct.

How long did your STI take to break in?
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