Interesting Article on Break-In (1 Viewer)

[Lee Scoggins]

This is a good article on Break-in of audio components I thought people would enjoy...

http://www.ultraaudio.com/opinion/20030801.htm

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Lee- Just to present an alternative viewpoint , there is an article in the latest Audio Critic by Tom Nousaine about break in. He said break in is a myth for anything except speakers. But then he went on to describe some experiments he did with speakers, and he said that while he could measure the actual effect of break in, there was no way it was audible. He then closes with the statement that *most* speaker break in doesn't take much longer than a few seconds, and that it usually take place at final test. Anyone else, I might not believe it, but he even had some references to some un-named major speaker manufacturers that agreed with him.

Others have posted that users ears (and brains) sometimes have to be "broken in" to the different sound quality a new device in the chain might present. Also a valid concept too.

 

[Brian OK]

Hi Lee,

Nice to see your input here again. A well written piece of advice and certainly well thought out from a fellow that hears the difference. TN and his kind aside.

Quite a few manufacturers, as you know "cook" their cable,etc.. before they ship. I can think of one of my favorite cable/power accessories suppliers (Bolder Cables) who does just that will all his products. Throws them on the Dharma for 48 continuous before you get them. I will wait 2 days for this service-- absolutely.

Another term other than "cook" needs to be used however, as it leaves the naysayers with a free shot at sniping 8^O

Thanks for the article... I am in complete agreement...

... and here is a disc that works wonders for my system (if anybody is remotely interested): Ayre,v1.2, "Irrational, but Efficacious!"... a System Enhancement Disc. $20. bucks, and found @amusicdirect.com. Run this twice in a row, and then once a week for a bit. In-home results, IME. ymmv

BOK

 

[Chuck Kent]

It's always interesting to read these kinds of comments.

I'm in my late 40's and have been listening to various kinds of audio for a very long time. I consider myself to be a "good" listener. I know for sure that I hear things that others don't (and no, not voices just inside my head... .) Things like distortion, missing highs and such are things I have always been able to pick up. Hearing tests at work to 8kHz show my hearing to good for males my age. Based on that, I believe it's reasonable to assume my hearing was also good for my age when I was younger. All that said...

I've never heard break-in. Not under any circumstances.

I read the TN/Audio Critic article and pretty much agree with it. (BTW, it too is well written and well considered. Certainly something all of us should read no matter what our opinion.)

I do have one question that has always thrown me... Since I do not hear break-in phenomena, I'll ask some who hopefully do. Why is break-in always a positive thing? If something changes with use, what is preventing it from being percieved as negative?

 

[Chu Gai]

Naysayers?!!! Them's fighting woids ya credophile!

 

[Shane Martin]

Why is break-in always a positive thing? If something changes with use, what is preventing it from being percieved as negative?

Break-in to me isn't always a positive thing. Positive/negative in a subjective view that is.

But generally before I listen to a product(with intent on purchase) at a dealer, I check to see how long that product has been used. If its directly out of the box or barely used, I come back another time.

 

[Brian OK]

Chu,


lol ;>)

 

[Kevin C Brown]

TN and his kind aside.

I'd like to be his "kind."

Two more thoughts. One is that I work for a semiconductor company. We make AD and DA converters, DPS chips, op amps, microcontrollers, and a whole bunch of other stuff you've probably never even heard of. We live or die by "yield" and the quality of the parts we make. If there was *any way* we could either improve yield, or improve parametric electrical test performance by "breaking in" our devices, chips, and boards, we'd do it. But it just doesn't happen.

Two is that, yeah, I read the Audio Critic article, and even though I do personally believe that break in doesn't exist for electronics, I still have my doubts about speakers. Simple example is that I just replaced 7 of the 7.1 in my system. As soon as I got everything hooked up, I balanced levels. 4 weeks later after a lot of CDs and DVDs and FM, I finally got around to balancing that analog output from my player. I went back and did the levels in my pre/pro. The levels in my pre/pro were different from when I had originally set them. FWIW.

 

[Chu Gai]

balancing via the SPL meter?

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Yup.