Cartridge burn-in

It's the cartridge 

Are there any published objective data that measure (using quality recording equipment) the difference in sound as the cartridge breaks-in? Or are all conclusions merely subjective?

Just let it all happen. Give the cartridge a couple weeks to settle in, adjusting VTA as necessary. Experiment with the amount of anti-skate. Let your ears adjust to the cartridge's personality. Come to appreciate the qualities the cartridge bring. Use your head to decide if you like the component, but let your emotion and heart quide your choice, as well.

Trust your ears dude. 

This ain't hard.

Just another thing we audiophools think we need to quantify and come up with techno explanations.

So you buy a $10K cart for your uber setup, install it and it sounds...just okay, because you have to "wait" for a "breakin?"

I don't think so.

Your cart properly setup should sound essentially as good as it will right out of the box.

Things need to "loosen up" and so on...I'll buy that to some degree, but essentially you should get what you paid for.... right from the get-go.

essentially you should get what you paid for.... right from the get-go.

I wish that were the case. But any time I install a brand new cartridge (regardless of the price), at first I get annoyed by the stiff, strenuous sound. After a few days, that impression recedes and the cartridge starts sounding nicer, sweeter, more musical.

So, to repeat my question: is the cartridge really breaking in, or are my ears starting to get used to the new sound?

The cartridge is breaking in. I have been an audiophile for nearly fifty years and into philosophy, which has turned into a passion about cognitive and developmental psychology. Your mechanical / electrical cartridge is breaking in. Just because after images are real does not mean your senses are wrong all the time. I can hear breakin on amps up to 1,000 hours. As crazy as I thought that was, my own observation proved otherwise,

I agree the cartridge sound changes as it is breaking in. I’ve noticed this with the Hana ML that I recently acquired.
So here’s a cartridge break in process related stupid question…will leaving the cartridge resting on a record without actually playing it help speed up the cartridge break in process…at least as far as suspension is concerned? Just curious has anyone done that and noticed that it helped?

audphile1,

I wouldn’t try it. I bent the stylus of my previous $1000+ cartridge by leaving the needle on the stopped record and accidentally shifting it with my hand.

audphile1,

I wouldn’t try it. I bent the stylus of my previous $1000+ cartridge by leaving the needle on the stopped record and accidentally shifting it with my hand.

Especially if your wife decides to do some dusting around the turntable...   

Mechanical things (speakers, phono cartridges) need some break-in time.

When I changed my turntable and cartridge a year ago, I noticed a decided change and it only got better as I played albums for a couple of weeks. "Suffering" through the break-in was not bad at all....!

I think all break in and/or burn in is a combination of the product and your expectations.  I remember when I upgraded my tonearm on my Linn from a Rega to an Ekos, the presentation changed quite a bit and it took a while to reset my brain to accept the new sound. But a cartridge definitely requires some mechanical break in to sound like what it’s supposed to sound like. 

@rvpiano that stinks! 

I bought an Aidas Rainbow 3 months ago from @solypsa which sounded great on day one but now sounds truly magical. It seems like it has really opened up recently. Wild guess but maybe 100-150 hours play time.

The Hana ML it replaced did not sound dramatically different even after 6 months of use, but did need improve quite a bit after a couple of long sessions over a weekend - maybe 20 hours break-in time. 

Yes the Hana ML sounds very good right out of the box but with about 30-40hrs you can hear the improvement in the bass and mids. 

There’s absolutely no question in my mind that cartridges need break in when new or even when they’ve been out of service for a week or more. I use a Cardas test LP to bring mine back to life. Bands 2a, b, and c on side1.

The bloody hard thing is to know when to dismiss a cartridge as...err...not what you wanted. I can agree that they continue to change for up to 100 hours. Most of the change will be heard in the first 20 hours. But if there are cartridges that are absolute shitgibbons before 100 hours, and become angelic world-beaters after 100 hours most of us will never appreciate them. Makers of such esoteric cartridges ought to run them in before sale, don't you think?

Makers of such esoteric cartridges ought to run them in before sale, don't you think?

Which brings up another question: if indeed cartridges need break-in, why don't manufacturers perform that break-in when the cartridge gets assembled? Doing that would minimize the hassle of handling return items from people who get disappointed when listening to their new purchase. You know what they say -- you have only one chance to make the first impression.

Doing the break-in before they ship the cartridge shouldn't be a big deal for the manufacturers, no? So, why aren't they considering doing it?

While I am a firm believer in "breaking in" most new gear, it is hard to quantify. It's hard to know how much of it is the gear itself changing character over time and your own ears becoming accustomed to what it's hearing and also not hearing. That being said, the two cartridges that I have had that used shibata styluses definitely felt thin and less dynamic until I played through them for a while.  

I took a rebuilt Cart' to a friend, to use in their system and compare to their owned Cart'.

My friends Cart' was with a decent period of usage hours and was a model that was from the upper range of what the Brand offers.

My own Cart's was a lower down the range model but bespoke produced through a rebuild.

The interest was to see where these two Cart's were in comparison to each other.

I distinctly recollect the first visit with 20+ hours of usage on my owned model, the Bass was not quite gathered and not quite able to create a perception of believable envelope for notes from the lower frequencies.

At a visit with about 150ish hours of usage, my Cart' was to my assessment a much-improved performer in the Bass region and a very good comparison to the friends Cart'. I also distinctly recollect upper mid and top frequencies were projected further and detail retrieval from the Groove was more evident.

I was not wanting much more and was not pining for anything else that been heard during the demonstrations. 

Improvement was expected to be discovered after a period of Break In, that was the general overview, and not too different from contributions from other posts within this thread. 

Improvement was discovered to be occurring, but the unexpected was for it to become an improvement to the point it compared very favourably to another rated model, this was not anticipated to end up as such a close call. 

To get to this point, it was only important to use the Cartridge in a very careful manner. 

Reason why manufacturers might not want to do "break-in" in advance of sale:  Because, in my experience, no cartridge is happy just sitting around, whether as a freshly built virgin in a sealed gift box or on the end of a tonearm.  In both cases, the suspension, which has either never been worked or has stiffened up from lack of use, benefits from use, which is why I recommend playing a suitable test LP in advance of a serious listening session, if the cartridge was not in regular use prior to the session and especially if the cartridge is brand new.  I specifically recommend the Cardas test LP, but there certainly may be others suitable to the job.  Sometimes I don't have the patience to use the Cardas LP in advance of a listening session.  In those cases, one can easily hear that the cartridge gets much happier after 20-30 minutes, if you are intimately familiar with the system and the SQ of the cartridge.

A pretty decent experiment would be to take one cartridge that has over 50 or over 100 hours on it, and then get another brand new cartridge (the exact same model), and play the two side-by-side on the same turntable, same tonearm, same setup, same phono, same preamp, same amp, same speakers, same room. That should tell us if there are audible differences between the cart that is broken in and the cart that is brand new out of the box.

To make that experiment more 'objective', the listening test between the two cartridges should be blindfold. The listeners must not know which cartridge is playing when. They are to make notes after listening to each cart, and then compare notes with the layout of the experiment.

Who's game?

No matter how you design your experiment, unless you are willing to spend money to do it, the design is fraught with sources for error that could skew the results.  If you compare a used or broken in cartridge to a new one, then stylus wear could be an issue.  If you set up the two cartridges in the same tonearm, then there can be error in set-up that could affect the results.  But the experiment is unnecessary in my opinion; it is very obvious and logical (given that the suspension is so important to performance) that break-in for a cartridge is real.  However, if you are skeptical, go for it.

I bought an Aidas Rainbow 3 months ago from @solypsa which sounded great on day one but now sounds truly magical. It seems like it has really opened up recently.

Glad the Aidas is continuing to satisfy :)

I've now installed about a dozen MC cartridges in my setup, from brand new. Some sound spectacular right from hour #1, and others start out decent-ish and then show improvement over the next 20 - 50 hours. I've even experienced both types from the same same brand. But I haven't ever had one sound "cringe", yet.

I don't think I've ever heard anything go from cringe to good via break-in. But to be fair, I lose patience easily and have given up on some components (not cartridges) before full burn-in. 

There is some logic in what @lewm says. Rubber has a short memory. Just over night the Porsche will develop flat spots on it's tires so for the first several miles the car rides rougher until the tires warm up and the flat spots resolve. I do not know if this is the case for the rubber used in a cartridge's suspension. The MSL Signature Platinum sounded great out of the box. If there is a change I do not hear it. Same is true on warm up. Esls for certain break in as the diaphragms loosen they become more dynamic and will produce better bass. Cartridges being electro-mechanical devices could have a break in period but I do not hear it. IMHO purely electronic gear does not break in. It is what it is right out of the box and first impressions are always the right impressions as the human mind can accommodate to almost anything.  

Regarding my own MSL Gold Signature unit, it sounded very good right out of the box but nothing really specail (as I was hoping for). After 10 hrs it started to open-up and relax but after 25+ hrs OMG it was like another animal. Now I understand what a WONDERFUL cartridge this truly is. Even after 35 hrs it is still getting better, the importer told me it will be fully broken-in after 50 hrs but even now I'm a very happy camper. 😉

Other cartridges have never taken this many hrs to come alive like the MSL, at least this is my experience. 

It has been a while since I have put a New Built Cartridge into my system and almost twice as long since I put an 'off the shelf' design New Cart' into my system.

Prior to the New Built Cart' I was using a SS Phonostage and Hybrid Valve Phonostage. Since the New Built Cart' has been added, it is working mainly with Valve Input/Output  Phonostage.

When using a New Cart' and assessing it, I recollect the Valves would 'Pop' to their prime performance quite noticeably after a period of use, and the Cart' would continue to show subtle changes towards what was to be the prime performance, from recollection it was the lower frequencies that were becoming more gathered and real in the capable of doing it right area.

I don't recollect the Cart' going backwards as the usage progressed, when the Valves 'Popped' the Cart' always seemed to be very close to the last recollected bass performance.

It was a later experience of demonstrating the Cart' in comparison to another Higher Up the Range Model from the same Brand, using the same Headshell>Tonearm>TT and HiFi System, that really showed how improved the Rebuilt Cart' had become.    

To be clear, I’m not saying that a bad sounding cartridge gets good once it’s broken in, although in individual cases that might happen since judgement is almost entirely subjective. I am only saying that cartridges that are either brand new or have been in long term storage audibly benefit from warmup. This probably has nothing to do with flat-spotting, a well known phenomenon that can occur with any car parked for more than a day or two on concrete or any very hard surface.

I think experienced vinyl users here have experienced two different types of cartridge break in and have noted a variance in need for break in depending on the design or model of the cartridge.  My SoundSmith MIMC star took a long time to start sharing the deep groove musical details while my Hyperion demonstrated greatness after 20 hours. Anyone who has used a new Ortofon MC A90 knows that bugger takes a long time (>100 hrs) to open up and play music. 

The other type of break in is what @lewm ​​​​@mijostyn are referring to.  I call this the "Lyra one LP side warm up", the time it takes for my friends Atlas or my Etna to start sounding its best.  I think Lewn's use of a test LP is a great idea to warm up a cart.

On the original Cardas LP, bands 2a,b, and c encode wide frequency sweeps that are ideal for this purpose. That’s on the original 33 rpm version of the LP. The current version is at 45 rpm on side 1. I use tracks 1,2, and 3. (I own both the older and the new versions of the test LP.)

i am not sure whether Mijostyn agreed with me or not.

The only item in the assembly that is looking likely to need to show a change that is perceived as adding an improvement through the change is the Material used for Damper.

A Change to the Stylus is potentially wear only and this will be deemed detrimental as it progresses.

The Cantilever and Pivot are certainly not parts belonging to the assembly that would be wanted to change their inherent properties.

The Damper is a material that is a Compound of materials that will ultimately become a Type of Rubber, the constituents/formulations will vary to produce the Rubber Compound. Designers will select a substance that in many cases will be a unique material, that satisfies the designers need for the elastic and viscous properties of the material, and possibly the known environmental effect on the Compound.

The Rubber Compound selected as the Part, can have a multiple of ingredients and these can vary in the parts added per 100 parts of rubber. The final selection of the Rubber Compound and effects on the Compound of the added Elastomers will undoubtedly produce a Part, when selected that is to have a multifunction role.

One such role which will be for the managing of vibration will be best served from a Compound that has the correct Static and Dynamic Properties engineered into the Rubber Compound. Knowing such information will be critical in the selection process.

It does seem that a Damper is to change its properties through usage and possibly time. It does seem a most likely Damper Selection will be limited to a selected few, who will be qualified in making the choices for these changing in properties materials. 

It does seem a Damper has the potential to be impacted on by the environment it resides in, and through usage can change. It also seems likely a Damper that has been exposed to the environment/working environment for a long period can possibly undergo changes that become detrimental to the Cartridges performance. The question is do Dampers from a production have a uniform property or is there variances across samples, or is there Dampers used that might already be affected by the environment they are kept in. Is this a possibility a Quality Control issue and is contributing to the differences reported for Break In times. 

It is possibly a selection of a Damper Material, that is one, that can make or break a Design and how it is received in the Market Place, so a very big responsibility to get it correct for the end user. Keeping a Damper material as stock item for an extended period in a particular environment might have an effect on the material and change the performance of product as it produced over a period of time.

The Suspension is one I am not sure of, it is known to change its properties through usage, but I am not sure where the detriment to the overall performance manifests due to these changes. It is not uncommon to see a report where a Suspension required re-tensioning, the question is does the tensioning vary between models when new. Is this a quality control issue and can possibility be contributing to the differences reported for Break In times. 

@lewm, flat spotting will occur in high performance tires if left parked for 30 minutes. As the tire cools down it hardens and loses traction. The colder the ambient temperature and the surface the tire is on the faster this occurs. This why tire warmers are used in racing. A cartridge's suspension undoubtedly heats up to some degree and obviously at rest it cools down in a position other than what it is in while playing a record. A theory based on assumption. May not be true at all but it is imminently plausible. On the other hand, I do not hear it. I did not hear the MSL change at all during the first 50 hours but @sksos did in an MSL that is almost identical.  So either my hearing is not good enough to discern the difference or break-in is a psychological phenomenon. Take your pick. I think you would agree that if a cartridge breaks-in the difference between new and say 100 hours is not night and day but incremental at best.   

Mijostyn, I’m a car guy too, so you need not teach me about flat spotting. Tires are filled with air, which has a lot to do with the phenomenon. So far as I know, cartridges are not filled with air. The subject is irrelevant.

Rubber Compounds are not a predictable material, the environments these are exposed to will impact on the Elastomers properties.

In general, there is a reaction to ambient temperature, if cold the Rubber Compound will reduce in compliance and could be a Hard Substance, alternatively the ambient Temperature being hot, can cause the Rubber Compound to soften, possibly to the point of being too compliant.

The relationship between the Rubber Compound and how it functions as a compliant elastomer, at an interface between the cantilever/generator, especially for allowing freedom of movement for the envelope of dimensions the stylus requires, is critical to the overall performance and designed in qualities for the Cartridge.

The Rubber Compound as said will be multipurpose in function and will manage Vibration being met from varying sources. Resonance coming from the cantilever, is just one. When a Rubber Compound used a Damper is in an environment that enables the Elastomer Properties to be at their optimum, it also serves to be a preventative for the production off micro jitters from the stylus when in contact with the LP. The Rubber Compound functioning as a Damper will also position the cantilever in its proper place, in relation to the optimised interface with the generator.

The Compliance of the Elastomer is measured (compliance units).

Compliance Units is a mathematical equation and is also to be combined with ambient temperature of the environment, as the 'CU' calculation for Rubber Compound with Elastomer Properties is dependent on ambient conditions to apply a standardisation for the equation. One would like to believe when having information like this made known, that the Manufacturer is choosing an Elastomer Property that is falling into the middle area of Temperatures that are expected to be encountered, or the reality is maybe they are not. Maybe they are using a material that yielded the best for the design in a chosen temperature used for testing the design. 

 Revisiting the Tension Wire, that is in general a part used on MC cartridges only. – A typical configuration for the attaching of the Tension Wire is to attach to the Coil local to the Damper at the generator end, and also attach the Wire to the Cantilever local to the Damper.

The Tension Wire can be pulled to create a tension of the coil assembly against the Damper Elastomer. The selection of tension applied, is critical for controlling the activation of the suspension in relation to the mass and tracking force of the cartridge. This adjustment is a critical adjustment when building the cartridge, it may even define the uniqueness of a particular Cartridge from a particular Model within a Brands range of Models.

If the tensioning is dependent on the compliance of the Damper Elastomer, then the tensioning is also dependent on ambient temperature, and if this is not of the correct Celsius, it is most likely the critical parts are not performing in their optimised condition and the mechanical interface of the critical components is also compromised.

It is not too difficult to achieve a consistent Temperature at the location where the Cartridge is in contact with a LP, it is also not too difficult to create an easy to change Temperature between 10 - 30 Degrees Celsius to learn where the critical items might appear to be at their optimised. 

There is more to consider than the accuracy of the electronic interfacing for a Cartridge to an amplification and the Cartridge > Arm Matching. Either of these are standardised and not a concealed science, so these are most likely the least of the concern, when attempting to achieve an overall optimised set up. Creating the optimised environment for the Critical Parts that enable the Cartridge to function, that takes a little more wizardry.    

Unfortunately, I don't see a Manufacturer revealing the 'Dyne Calculation' for the 'CU' of the Elastomer or inform on the optimised ambient environment, there might be a little too much 'IP' in that as reveal.

If of interest the above does possibly share a Place with Car Tyres and their Compounds Elastomer Properties.    

I have never in my life become accustomed to any kind of audio harshness. 

I could have saved lots of money if that were true.   

This idea needs to be banished once and for all.  

With respect to cartridges- think about it.  It is a vibrating tuning fork like object connected to a voltage generator.  

The simple act of burnishing the newly cut sharp surfaces of the stylus with repeated plays should affect the way it reacts and vibrates in the grooves- for the better.  

Thanks to the suspension in all its parts and complexity the stylus/cantilever ought to act like a tuning fork only when excited at its resonant frequency, which response ought to be rapidly damped. Else we’re not going to have music.

All the more reason why the ambient environment that enables these Elastomer Compounds to Damp at the optimised function for the chosen material, would be best if made known by the manufacturer.

Most importantly is that the Micro Jitters produced within the Groove are not being prevented to manifest to the most effective measure when the Elastomer Compound is not optimised through functioning in the ideal ambient environment.

The idea of having a Cart' costing Multi Thousands, that is Compliance Matched, Load Matched and then left to the chosen ambient by the user does not make sense, unless the chosen ambient is carefully worked out to be perceived as the best for the Cartridge in use. 

There is the potential for a poor Cart' performance, when the mechanical interface and mechanical operation of the Cart', is used in an ambient environment that is not ideal. It is a worthwhile venture to be confident the critical materials selected and the chosen settings for the relationship between the materials at the interfaces are at their optimised for the function intended through design.

As the TT>Tonearm>Cartridge is one Trilogy to have optimised for the overall replay of a Vinyl LP.

The not too commonly referred to Trilogy of Compliance>Loading>Ambient Environment has a place to ensure the LP produced signal is not compromised by the failings of the Damper and Damper Tensioning interface.

@lewm , perhaps I did not state my case correctly. Rubber has a memory. It's  consistency also changes with temperature. It is highly likely that with continuous flexing it's temperature and consistency might change enough to move the resonance frequency slightly and possibly make a slight change in the sonic performance of the cartridge. I am not saying this happens. I am only saying that this is a plausible explanation why a cartridge might need to warm up,  Mr Car Guy.