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Break-in

I did a quick search and didn't find anything that specifically addressed this question: Has anyone ever found that a product actually sounded worse after it was used for whatever break-in period the manufacturer and dealer recommended? I mean, doesn't anyone find it odd that components always sound better? It could cause a person to wonder whether, to some degree at least, some of the "break-in" is happening between the ears.
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bomarc
501 posts
 
I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say that the ear is the only "moldable" sensory organ. You can become accustomed to hot foods, rotten odors, even touching hot or cold items.

The point is that anytime you do a sensory comparison, the biggest variable in the mix is YOU. You can't hold yourself constant.
nighthawk
259 posts
 
Bomarc, you're right, you can't hold yourself constant, but you can maintain a reference sample, as Sidssp said.
bomarc
501 posts
 
Sure, and when somebody compares mint and broken-in components in a blind test and identifies them consistently, I'll believe that break-in is a physical phenomenon. Until then, I'd argue that the psychological explanation carries a lot more weight
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