Break In Question?

@larsman I had some Grado RS2e, liked them, listened to them a bunch, so they were broken in. Then got some Dan Clark Ether 2 listened to them a bunch. Then went back to the broken-in Grado, and they sounded horrible to me. 

Clear case of psychoacoustics and habituation. Very real.

For mechanical items there *may* be some break-in (speakers, carts, cans). But electronics, fat chance. Easy test. Get two identical electronic components, break one in, leave the other untouched. Then do blind A-B comparison and see whether you can reliably distinguish the two. Say 8 out of 10 or whatever number of tries you want. Simple chi-square test with 50/50 being the null hypothesis (no discernible difference). Good luck!

Also, long-term auditory memory is infamously poor. I think Amir cited some papers on that. Would have to dig them out. Short-term quick switches are much more likely to pick out differences.

@ghdprentice is speaking truth. I've broken in a few cables myself. One of which was a USB that sounded bright for the first 18-24 hours. My friend whom recommended that cable experienced the same thing. And only told me AFTER I shared my experience.

Listening is indeed a skill. Are some people gonma tell me the USB cabpe sounded bright because my brain and ears were adjusting to the new sound?

Gentlemen, I understand. I was exactly like you. Twenty years ago, I would have been the one arguing vociferously, taking your very position on this matter. 

Forgive me for spending 1,500+ hours in reviewing related activities (communication, shipping and receiving, systems setup, interviews conducted for the majority of articles, listening/note taking, and writing) unpaid. I did it because I appreciated having a stream of fine equipment coming to me, it allowed me to discover great gear in my home - yes, there is an accommodation pricing, but not nearly enough to merit the time cost, and no, I have never sought or claimed any product as becoming mine for free over time/use. 

I didn’t plan on becoming a reviewer. I didn’t plan on discovering a raft of misnomers in the industry and community. I didn’t plan on writing a book; but it’s a follow on from all the time and experiences. It is quite possible that I will in entirety lose money on the website and publication of the book. I have no delusions that I will make a lot of money from it. I wrote it because there is a disconnect between what is perceived/believed and undergirds the received wisdom of the community, and the reality of what actually happens when handling an audio system. 

Behind all of the argument between us, there are quiet, curious audiophiles who will explore it. My greatest joy will be those who have their eyes opened to the mistakes they have been making, will adjust their methods, and end up with listening experiences far beyond what they could have imagined.  :) 

@oberoniaomnia - I didn't listen to these headphones a bunch; I didn't listen to them at all, really - I ordered them, took them out of the box, they sounded awful and I got in touch with the place I bought them and said I wanted to return them. They told me they should have 150 hours or so of break-in. On to the back of the chair they went, with music playing through them but me not putting them on for 150 hours. I put them back on and they sounded totally different, as he said they would, and I kept them.

I'm not a complete idiot and I can tell the difference between sound so bad I wanted to return an item, and sound that is quite good and well worth keeping. Nothing to do with memory. Nothing whatsoever to do with psychoacoustics or habituation; my chair is the only thing that would have been affected by those, and it didn't say anything about it. 

I don't see how this is anything like your situation with all that 'listening a bunch' going on. As for Amir, 'nuff said - I don't care what he cites; that is somebody who I really don't care about what they have to say; I listen with ears and brain, not with some measurement devices. But keep denying other people's experiences if you like. 

@steakster 

Thank you.