2. speakers
  3. 1322881738

How to "break-in" new speakers??

A number of posts regarding the so-called "break-in-time" (or is it "burn-in-time) for new speakers have muddied the waters for me. If I recall correctly, some posts recommend that new speaker "break-in" could run anywhere from several hours to 175 hours, or more (good grief!), depending on the speaker manufacturer and model/type in question. In my case they would be the Rega RS-1 bookshelves. On other posts I have read that burning-in is a red-herring and should be ignored. I have also read that a proper burn-in should be done at a high volume, but not so high as to damage the speakers (an unnecessary caution), while simultaneously running the speakers non-stop for the necessary burn-in period. I find myself especially resistant to the last half of these recommendations, if only because I would like to think it possible to get a good nights sleep while simultaneously doing right by my speakers. I can only hope that however many responses I receive will not further muddy the already dark waters.
georgester
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
suppose a dealer played a pair of new speakers for several hundred hours, then put them back in the boxes and sold them without mentioning that they had been played for hundreds of hours. How many people would get them home and say, wow, they are already broken in? How many would say, they sounded better after I played them a few hundred hours? Answer this, and you have your answer to speaker break in.
isochronism
2,893 posts
 
let's conject an opposite scenario. A dealer sells a pair of speakers which were never opened. Tho, before the sale closes, he pitches' " we never sell a wine... uhm...speaker before it's time. We painstakingly brake these in with the utmost diligence, the finest gear and the cleanest electricity available, sure it takes time, of course that adds to the cost, but hey, YOU,!.. deserve the finest! I wanna buy from that guy!!!!!!
onemug
784 posts
 
I've always imagined the "cones and domes" being similar to a new baseball glove: Works right away, better after time. Drivers move back and forth from as little as 20 times a second to over 20,000 tas. The more flexible the surrounds are the truer it can analog the sound. Plus, the caps in the x/o can use a few hours.

I am not a fan of 24/7/?. Let them cool down then heat em up again. I like cycling during break in. Might take longer but I think you get a better product at the end.

Enjoy the ride.
mceljo
1,357 posts
 
When I was visiting the store that I purchased my speakers on a more regular basis I could always tell when I was listening to a fresh out of the box demo pair of Focal Chorus speakers. They have a slightly harsh sound to me to the point that I prefer the sound with the grill covers on. It took many months before removing my grill covers was the preferred sound but it's by far the best sound now.

They recommened just leaving them running during the day at low to moderate volumes to allow the drivers to loosen up. They also suggested using an open radio station as white noise is the best to use because it has a full spectrum of sound.

I won't say that the speakers have ever sounded good vs. bad, but after some break in they do sound better. The store always offered to send the demo speakers home if you preferred to have ones that had some time on them or you could have a new pair from the stock. I ordered a color that they didn't have on demo or in stock so it wasn't an option for me.

When they bring in the new Focal Diablo speakers they almost always set them up near the front desk and just use them for their general listening to break them in.
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,859 posts
 
all of this falls under the heading of:
Things that sound like they should be true. Tubes have to warm up, turntable motors have to stabilize, engine oil used to have to heat up etc..... But since wire has to be broken in, according to the true believers, I guess this is not so absurd as it first seems..
More to discover