audiophile folklore - cables and claims from manufacturers

@audioman58 

I’m not a believer in cable break in. However, cables absolutely can and do make a difference in a system. Thin cheap wire like those found in Hosa/Rean Silver/standard dollar store cables is pure garbage... internally, ultra thin low purity copper mixed with lousy dielectrics and poor shielding. Bad in any environment.

However...

The electrical properties of wire, whether inside audio equipment or interconnects/power cables do not change.

I think we all know who talks about...

Quantum Tunneling process to enhance audio performance by altering the molecular structure of cables and components, improving signal flow and reducing noise.

But the molecular structure was DEFINED when the cable was built in the factory, or when it was custom-built by hand.

For example, 7N copper, PCOCC copper, LC-OFC copper, and even pure silver wire do not change their state like capacitors, resistors, and other passive components inside audio equipment, which are complex machines. 

In addition, there is no documented proof that cable burn in even exists. It is a speculatory reaction rooted in cognitive bias. Hours have past... you’re enjoying your system, and even more now after days, weeks, or even 30 minutes following a cable swap. So of course you will hear a difference. Truth is, the cables didn’t change at the quantum level or the molecular level. Else they wouldn’t have been operable to begin with if to reach their "optimal" state they needed time. You’d be getting partial audio output, not clear and consistent audio output.

Audio dealers and cable manufacturers have you believe in the cable burn in fantasy, so you pass the warranty timeline and can’t return the cables for a refund.

And herein lies another problem... Let’s suppose an audiophile goes on a long vacation. The system is left for a month in the house, nobody is even powering the system on. 

Then upon return, does the audiophile need to spend hundreds of hours burning in the cables again?

The dielectric Teflon or otherwise is what really takes the longest to breakin,

if you go on vacation , the system and cables will take time to stabilize , capacitors charge dac chips especially can take hours to get up to optimum temperature , that has been proven , I have gone to many audio clubs and every optic has been pretty much addressed, even cables, vibration , raising speaker cables off the floor 

to lessen magnetic fields , Everything counts , the amount of resolution you have in your Audio system determine how much little things matter,  yes $$ can matter,

even in room damping isolation ,I have friends that spent over $50k to have their dedicated audio room designed ,and it made a profound improvement even recordings taken before and after  meaning everythung can ge improved on if you have the resources. I don’t have $150 k to spend on just electronics  but I can hear the difference in resolution just by a loudspeakers going from $20k to $50k with ease.

The dielectric Teflon or otherwise is what really takes the longest to breakin,

audioman58

This is a falsehood.

If that were true, wouldn’t studios and broadcasting stations burn in their cables for hours? Audiophiles do it, nobody else does.

I agree that standalone audio electronics can take time to reach optimal operating temperature, but this is usually minutes, rather than many hours. Unless you have a big power amplifier in storage and haven’t listened to in a year or more, then yes it makes sense to power cycle it by just powering it on, keeping it on for 30 minutes or so, then powering it off. Helps with preventing internal oxidation and  micro-arching overtime. Make sure the relay clicks normally. No weird smells. Although good rule of thumb is to test audio electronics in storage once once every 3 weeks or once a month. 

I don’t agree with 20k to 50k or whatever. it’s the INTENTION of the electronics and if their intended PURPOSE aligns with what the customer is willing to pay for.

I don’t find value in CNC milled aluminum chassis that started with 350 kg of material and the thing weighs a ton. I care about the actual INGREDIENTS. It’s like someone serving you fast food in a very costly dinner plate... no thanks.

Else we just get a whole lot of - THIS SOUNDS AMAZING!!! it’s super high end ultra high end or whatever, when in reality it is an interpretation of the original sound that does not closely match what was achieved in the studio. Basically deliberate DSP that is baked in, so you can’t get any more transparency or resolution out of the electronics. You can side-step how it sounds, but can’t chance the inherent character of the sound to sound like the original.

Luxury lifestyle electronics vs Real audio equipment 

The real well engineered stuff wins every-time. The calm, controlled marketing language is a winner. The eager and almost unbelievable marketing language is a loser. Doesn’t necessarily need to be costly, just needs to be in line with form follows function.

Difference between audio equipment where engineers had the most freedom, vs where they did not, and marketing departments took over along with management and finance to control cost, but parade around such devices as SOTA when really they are just another kind of sound character that can be easily replicated for less money.

Might I also add, if an audio component is supposedly high end, then ask AI to do a parts check after sending it a photo of the internals for estimated bill of materials (cost). Then you know if it's just fancy casework you're paying for. 

frank009

This is a falsehood. If that were true, wouldn’t studios and broadcasting stations burn in their cables for hours?

I know that you want to sound reasonable and objective in this group, so please consider that this statement of yours is the logical error often called "false choice" or "false dilemma ... an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available."

@cleeds 

I don’t really care how other people view me on this forum, or anywhere else for that matter. I am comfortable being me.

 If that were true, wouldn’t studios and broadcasting stations burn in their cables for hours?

Quoting myself here, mister Cleeds.

I am saying that professional environments whose employees and management earn their money through audio don’t burn in cables, and it’s true. Only audiophiles do it. 

It became a popular practice because manufacturers and dealers tell you do it. I’ve already explained the reason. It’s pretty obvious and not a difficult concept to understand.

And I know this to be true - because I have friends who work in such environments. We have laughatons all the time about things like cable burn in, and other so-called audio science, which is nothing more than babble.

Studio 1 - Hey Mike, make sure you "burn in the cables for at least a few hours before you start working on the track. (Mike is a mixing or even a mastering engineer) 

Broacast station 1 - We have to go live in 30 minutes. Thank goodness you got the cables, but I’m afraid we can’t go live. We need to burn in the cables for them to perform at their best. 

The above situations don’t exist in the real world.

It seems like nothing more than you side-stepping what I said with some fancy words you looked up only recently, using some kind of thesaurus, and the help of ChatGPT.