DAC break-in...


I am ready to make the move from a cdp to a transport plus DAC. One of the DAC's I am interested in is notorious for a lengthy break-in. Taken into consideration my families listening habits, the shear amount of hours I am reading for expected settling is slightly disconcerting.

So is the break-in hours I am reading about synonymous with all brands...is it expected across the board regardless of price? Is there a price threshold where this is mitigated or performed by the manufacturer?

Hoping to learn here...TIA


 
 

mlo97
Roberjamin and a few others are correct  seperate everything is good but there are great players out there . I have a Lumin D1 
player which use  dual Wolfsons best dacs and optional Much much better power supplies that Transform this award winning player to something up there with many $8-10k units 
myself bought the Linear Tube Audio Linesr 12 volts powersupply 
a very good power cord is instrumental . I am using a Verastarr Grand illusion Dual Copperfoil.  Synergistic research I don’t care for much of their hype ad ons. But their Blue fuses are very good .
these little things count . MojoAudio make a Very good Linear powersupply I may try   Getting back to a player  you have a external hard drive  plugged in the Lumin library app is Excellent.
plus it has a Roon, Tidal,with full MQA capabilities for under $3k 
not counting the power cord or upgraded Umbilical cord which is 
also Verastarr. You have a versatile music setup , even digital music is possible . Their is other players also. But this player is very analog sounding in many ways. 
Plug it in, stick it in a closet and play a CD and put it on repeat. Come back two days later and you're all set to go. Done.
But.... it must be placed in a closet while playing, not on your equipment rack for maximum break-in period, lol.  
I can see the relevance of running in moving parts (to remover the burrs, to distribute lube, to align long molecules in a plastic or rubber). But all the specs I’ve seen for electronic components suggest that they start ageing in a negative way from day one. I suppose if you prefer the softer sound of traditional vinyl and valve then an older capacitor might be preferred too. Maybe that’s why this second hand market stays strong. (I like my cars to be a couple of years old - nice wallowing ride instead of that taught jiggle you get in fresh dampers.)