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break in

Do you ever not purchase something because of the time it takes for it to break in? I personally consider it when I am looking a another component. For instance if the fall season rolls around and I think about spending more time listening to music I do not like to go through 150 or more hours of break in and not enjoy my listening sessions as well. I have had things take much longer than 300 hours to settle to that level I like. And I don't like to leave my stuff running 24/7 just to break in, so that doesn't work for me.
And on a side note can you roughly guess at how many total hours of break in you have had on all your equipment?  Things I can think of to avoid some break in is get used items or integrated components like amps and such. I take those things into consideration when I am looking at equipment.  

marqmike
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
I will admit to being skeptical of the 'break in' belief, but I can say that it is true.
Everything from speakers to cables to high pass filters changed from the time I connected them.
I will also say that each time I noticed a change, it was for the better.
B 
reubent
6,973 posts
 
I just ordered a new phono cable today. Because it's not possible to leave the TT playing 24X7, I paid a few dollars extra for break-in service on a cable cooker. Don't know if it will make any difference, but I felt better spending $10 CAD ($8 USD) for 48 hours of break-in service.

jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Do you ever not purchase something because of the time it takes for it to break in?

No, but I have not bought many items due to the hassle of having to sell the item it replaces.

Break in is not a problem for me, I use nonoise's method.
Selling gear is a headache for me these days. That's what keeps me from purchasing many items nowadays. ;^)
jond's avatar
jond
5,780 posts
 
I personally don't really pay attention to break in, I pretty much need to have my system playing from the time I get home til the time I go to bed unless I'm watching something. So if i drop a new piece in and don't love it I let it play for a few weeks every night and if I still don't like it move on. I guess I've gotten smarter, or luckier, as I've gotten older but I haven't bought anything in a while I wasn't happy with. Just dropped in a new dac and loving it from note one and I will say its gotten better over the last week it's been here, to me that's an added bonus.
marqmike OP
839 posts
 
Nonoise
I truly get a great deal of pleasure from my system. I am glad you a and everyone here does also. I like my system to communicate to me. I like the emotion that a musician emotes through his instrument, or groups of musicians through their instruments. The tapestry they paint is a unique piece of art. I have played around with music and have many friends that play and that is kind of my base point for enjoying music. That is where music means a lot to me, the beauty that is painted by a musician.
stringreen
schmakin is what comes out of the oven when my kids used to cook. It tasted like bacon.
gdnrb
I have been fortunate that everything I have purchased sounds better and as good and ussually better than I would have hoped for after it break in.
reubent
That is nice service and a good idea. I thought of purchasing a cable cooker but only after I only had one cable to do and then one more and so on, you know how that goes.
jcmcgrogan
That's gone into my thinking also along with breakin.

I should be happy that my stuff settles in nicely. I am finding that there are many things to be happy about.
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