Burn in and peer reviewed brain research

From the end of the article: "The myriad complexities underlying the burn-in phenomenon, as delineated in this review, accentuate the dire need for empirical studies to validate, refine, or refute the posited observations and theories. Given the confluence of auditory physiology, cognitive biases, and socio-cultural constructs, experimental designs that employ rigorous methodologies spanning these domains will be instrumental. Additionally, longitudinal studies assessing real-time shifts in perception during prolonged sound exposure, coupled with neuroimaging techniques, could unravel the neural correlates of the burn-in experience."

In essence, the article neither confirms nor denies that 'burn-in' changes are UNIVERSALLY real. 

Most audiophiles already knew this...  

For what it is worth  - I have personally heard UNAVOIDABLE 'burn-in' SQ changes in tubes, and cables (yet I honestly do not know WHAT changed).  Conversely, my CD player and Amp did not reveal SQ 'burn-in' changes.

Best,

As always hilde45 you get to many of the most salient points in the discussion and I for one appreciate the clarity you bring. It seems relevant that the subtleties in sound of which we are discussing can best be heard by the young whom don't have much experience at listening for them. While us old geezers will have trouble hearing what may or may have not changed. Another irony in life I guess, but it will not impede my quest for something that may be inaudible to me. I will know it's there whether it is or isn't.

Dr. Floyd Toole and Dr. Sean Olive, apparently, studied this phenomena.  Dr. Toole’s findings are published in 

Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms.

Gemini sighted the PubMed article you mentioned as well.  It also came up with this study

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8425

It’s not directly a study of psychoacoustics, per se, but it concludes that any perceived changes are a result of psychological phenomena rather than physical changes in the materials that would be audible to the listener.

jastralfu

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8425 ... it concludes that any perceived changes are a result of psychological phenomena rather than physical changes in the materials that would be audible to the listener.

That’s not at all what the linked article claims:

... Objective tests revealed slight changes in speaker impedance and amplitude response after burn-in, but these differences are inaudible to the average listener ... (Emphasis added.)

Other studies, including work by Floyd Toole, consistently report that experienced, trained listeners score higher at detecting audible differences. I would suggest that most audiophiles are not "average" listeners - almost by definition.

@cleeds, dishonest researchers often compare results for the average person (listening, tasting, viewing, etc. depending on what is being studied).  Then they go on to claim that there are no meaningful differences.  As you indicate, work by honest researchers uncovers those differences.

That being said, differences before and after burn-in seem to be smaller than differences among components.  I've found that various components  seem to improve somewhat after burn-in, but I've never found a case in which there was a big enough difference that a poor sounding  component sounded good after burn-in.