Do speaker cables need a burn in period?

I believe the content of this thread has reached a level of metaphysical drivel that I find untenable.  So, before I retreat to the comfort of the informed discussion on AudioKarma, I ask the new or casual reader to heed these few tips:

DO NOT purchase expensive power cords, interconnect cables, "spikes", or any other grossly overpriced darlings of the failing HiFi marketing establishment.  If you already have a system of any reasonable quality, you will be very disappointed with the impact of any perceived improvement from these marketing ploys.  Instead, put your resources (not necessarily money) into improvements to your listening room.  I can not think of one area more neglected than listening room acoustics.  In 95% of the systems I have heard, for some reason, form will out over function... leaving the components, especially the speakers, in acoustically undesirable locations.

INSPECT YOUR SPEAKERS.  I recently refurbished a pair of B&W 703 speakers.  The proud owner had no idea that there were any issues at all until I noticed (through his open patio door) a clear disparity between the channels in the mid-range.  What I found on close inspection was an open circuit (bad capacitor) in the crossover.  This was a worse case situation, having a non-functional driver and not being aware of the problem, but it points out that these machines need periodic attention.  Keep them clean.  Nothing will destroy a set of fine speakers faster than dirt.  Drivers move a substantial amount of air in a days use and dirt pumped between the voice coil and pole-piece will make short work of any driver.

KEEP YOUR INTERCONNECT AND SPEAKER CABLE CONNECTIONS CLEAN AND TIGHT.   Bad connections will not only cause a loss in amplitude and audio quality but, this problem can actually damage your equipment.  Class A devices MUST operate into a load at all times.  If the load is removed for any length of time... your output transformers will perish!

DO NOT AQUIRE ANYTHING YOU HAVE NOT AUDITIONED FIRST!  This should be self explanatory.  And, if at all possible, audition a new device in your own home, with your own system.

Best of Luck Everyone,
LEO

 

AudioKarma? Now there’s bastion of backsliders and moss backs if ever there was one. I can certainly understand why you’d feel comfortable there. Ta, ta!

azbrd
@geoffkait

I forgot to ask, please provide us some actual (not from Audioquest) documentation on how wire directionality applies to an AC circuit?

>>>>Didn’t you get the memo? Maybe you were sleeping. You don’t need to be concerned with any signal travel in the “opposite direction,” only any signal travel toward your speakers, I.e., the correct direction. Follow?

azbrd
@geoffkait

I was waiting for you to chime in!

>>>>>I was waiting for your reaction.

1. Unplugging a cable destroys the delicate electrical/mechanical connection that took a long time to establish. So, going back and forth between cables proves nothing.

So now you are moving the new cable to old cable discussion to the electrical/mechanical connections? would this mean we need to unplug our wires every time to get to audio nirvana??

>>>>>I’m not sure we’re on the same page here. It means you can’t judge the new cables until they’ve been seated for a week.

2. The new cables were not properly broken in so you can’t really expect them to sound too good.

So >1000 of actual use is not enough to "break in" a cable???

>>>>>>>Read what I said again. The short answer is no.

Please provide us with the measurable, repeatable documentation on how to properly break in a wire!

>>>>Why, are you volunteering?

2. The new cables were not properly broken in so you can’t really expect them to sound too good.

this is my favorite geoffkait claim right up there with Dark Matter Optical Coating and his Teleportation Tweak! Just for fun I called several cable companies and asked them to sell me wires that were directional.

>>>>Sorry about that, there are quite a few backward cable companies around apparently.

ALL of them politely laughed and explained that wire does NOT have any directional property. I personally reversed the wires during our listening test and could not hear any differences.

>>>>If milk didn’t squirt out of their noses it doesn’t count. If you were the one conducting the test it certainly makes sense you couldn’t hear anything. Is there anything you can hear? Just curious. 😛

Look inside your speakers or amps, see if there is any wires in there with little arrows on them OR is there ANY documentation from these companies to advise one which direction your cables should be when connecting them??

>>>>That’s a shame since all wire is directional. Oh, well, whaddya gonna do? 😳

I was going to ask if all of these naysayers arrived in the same clown car.

Sadly, they won't be the last.

All the best,
Nonoise