T+A DAC 200 Burn-in

@mgrif104 

Thanks for responding.  I’ve seen comments in reviews that say the DAC 200 has exceptional abilities to convert DSD files.  Unfortunately, I don’t currently have the ability to provide DSD data.  

I am looking to upgrade from a 30+ year old Krell Studio DAC.  People assure me that any modern DAC will blow away my old Krell.  I hope they are correct, but the Krell is sounding pretty darn good right now.  I’ve had 2 goals on upgrading my system, real subwoofers and a modern DAC.  The REL T/9x’s are installed in the good system.  I thought I had done a good job optimizing my digital playback to provide high level detail.  But replacing my old home theater sub with the RELs has even improved on that level of clarity.  The dealer who sold the RELs offered the T+A evaluation.  Since I brought home 2 pieces of equipment, I am introducing them stepwise.  The T+A DAC 200 is burning in through my secondary system which is built around 52 year old speakers I bought when I was in college.  Those old Marantz speakers have never sounded this good.  At this time, I have 45 hours of time on the T+A.  My plan was for 100 hours of burn in, but I am getting anxious to swap out the Krell.  

The T+A DAC 200 will need to do a better job converting PCM files from my CD collection for me to complete the purchase.  I trust the reviews saying that if/when I decide to access DSD files that I’ll enjoy it even more.  

My evaluation will be based on the fixed output.  I have a Rowland preamp that has been the foundation of my system for 30 years.  It’s great at both analog and line level preamplification.  If I decide to keep the T+A, I’ll give it a try as a preamp.  I haven’t seen any comments in the reviews about the DAC 200’s qualities as a preamp.  If the T+A outperforms the Rowland, I can use it directly to my amps and use the Rowland as a phono preamp.  

I’ve been beating myself up over these upgrades for about 3 years.  I believe I’ve watched just about every audio review on YouTube over that time.  Pretty exciting getting around to making the upgrades. 

I’ve had several new DACs. Keep it on 24/7. I wouldn’t jump to conclusions prior to 200hr mark or you may end up making a mistake. 
This DAC has a hefty power supply. Give it a proper chance. 

@audphile1 I plan give this DAC every opportunity to shine.  One of my complaints about currently available audio equipment is the inability to audition before buying.  The T+A is quite a bit more costly than I initially budgeted.  But the reviews I’ve seen have all been highly positive.  If this doesn’t work for me, I’m probably out of the market.  
I’m amazed at how many DACs audiophiles have owned.  This T+A would be my third.  
The T+A is burning in 24/7.  
Thanks for your comments.  

Burn in and settle time is real and applies to electronics as much as it applies to our brains and our ability to adjust to new sound. 
Usually if the sound of new component is terrible right out of the box no amount of burn in will fix that. If you like it overall it should just get better. With experience you begin to recognize the early signs. Good tone but closed it, dull, lean bass…that usually gets addressed with burn in. Bass defelops, top end opens up, mids get clearer. At 24-36hr mark I’ve seen things go to absolute crap then recover around 100hr mark and continue to get better. At 200hrs you will have a solid idea. It might continue to improve after that up until 300-500hrs. But that improvement is no longer dramatic. Just my experience. Components and cables same concept. Important to refuse the temptation to swap cables, etc. Just let it be

Most manufacturer's don't print break-in/burn-in information for their converters, but one of the best in the business does, this is from Playback Designs owner's manual: 

BREAKING IN THE MPS-8

Breaking in the MPS-8 is time consuming but well worth the effort. It would be a mistake to pre-judge the player based on what you might hear at first listen. This is what you can expect to hear at different intervals during break-in:

1. Out of the box: The player will have good clarity, but the highs can be recessed. Bass might appear to be a bit muddy and lacking punch. Soundstage might sound closed in.

2. 50 - 150 Hours: The sound will open up a little bit, but can still sound a bit brittle.

3. 150 - 350 Hours: Midrange will start smoothing out and clarity will increase, but highs might continue to remain recessed. At this point, there probably will not be much change in the bass. You will probably wonder how the Playback Designs converter will ever sound like others have described, but we assure you that you will start to hear substantial changes within another week of play.

4. 350 - 500 Hours: The magic will be starting. Highs will be open and airy. Midrange will appear much more full bodied and natural. Soundstage will be huge and the image presentation will start appearing very holographic. Bass will be incredibly deep and tight with texture and detail galore.

5. Over 500 Hours: The player will continue to change subtly over the upcoming month of usage, but you should be recognizing a very life-like and natural sound. During break-in when you do not listen to music it is best to feed an external digital audio signal into any of the digital inputs of the MPS-8, rather than loading a disc and setting the internal drive into REPEAT mode.