Driver breakin period, what’s the science?

There's a nice article on driver break-in at the GR Research site complete with measurements of various drivers as a function of time.  

Truth always seems to be somewhere in the middle.  It's just a question of where the fulcrum is placed

Alan Shaw of Harbeth will tell you it’s bogus and a phycological effect,

There's a nice article on driver break-in at the GR Research site complete with measurements of various drivers as a function of time. 

I have no reason to question Danny's numbers and I know my colleague has had some discussions with Danny over the years, I think they even defended each other on this topic on a forum once.


It goes back to the ops questions,

"So have these new speakers and been told they need a hundred hours to be broken in, and then sound will improve."

... whoever told him this was out to lunch. They don't magically improve after 100 hours. The major compliance "issues" work themselves out quickly, i.e. the distortion will drop quickly. After that, the driver has predominantly settled in 5-10 hours. After that, it will be subtle changes and more so on the bass. The changes in the other speakers, i.e. crossover points, etc. would be within the tolerance of manufacturing.

w.r.t capacitor break-in, I would challenge anyone to show any measurements of a film capacitor that shows parameter changing greater than the part tolerance ran at the typical volts/current in a speaker.  Don't say "well we can't measure" ... We can't interpret how humans will respond to the measurement, that does not mean we cannot measure changes.  Some capacitors are not well made and susceptible to absorbing moisture, and could change with humidity / temperature. Well most will change with temperature to some degree any way.

Like I said, and a LOT of folks using fancy caps, they make noises that are hard to explain. Measure? Who would want to.. I’ve heard teflons break in a couple of times. After that, I put mine face to face, covered them with heavy moving blankets in the shop and let them run 4-5 days at 60 70 DB. They use to run tone generators on speakers for a week before shows.. It’s usually the last days of the shows the systems sound the best.. It has more to do with settling and breaking in.

Danny at GR is a master of taking advantage of all that.. Big curtain guy too..

I loved the VMPS CES show stoppers.. Danny never had good word for VMPS, other than. I like to help Brians customers.. Nothing has changed.. Still fixing 100 year old companies XO, saying "I fixed them"
Hell I could fix anybody STUFF after the fact.. "BURNED IN" guy.. I quit listening right after that.. They break in, good Lord. I bet he works on his motor, and changes the oil. ENGINE. Words count... 

He was quit the SA in his early years with other folks speakers.. Still is taking on JBL and a few others.. LOL Yea... I own his servos, pretty good stuff. BUT I sold his redesigned 123s, What a pile of crap, they were.. OB piles of junk...Could never get them right.. Looks, They were nice looking... Good for parts...

My RM40, 30, RM2 and Elixirs, whip the pants off of them. Actually a lot of his earlier stuff.. His newer designs Danny is hard to beat for the money.. BUT it can be... Nothing I’ve HEARD on these forums though..

But I’ve never hear a Magico, probably never will..Wilson same way, no interest. Watt Puppies I’ve heard. Give it to me, maybe. Pay for them NEVER... Danny he insulted my friend Brian C to many times... AFTER he was dead.
Yea, about that guy.. LOL He may live in Texas, but he ain't no Texan..

Regards

In some speakers and electronics the difference in break in can be dramatic but in others there is only a slight change my hope is that the drivers are real good and the former will occur for you but what i can say is that letting your system warm up with background music for an hour or two will really help before you seriously listen every time you play your system.