re-burn in? is there such a thing.


sorry if this appears a bit silly but i need to confirm something a friend told me. after a cdp is burned in, does it need to be re-burned if not used for a while?. a buddy told me that if you don't use the player at least once a month, it needs to be re-burned. not a total re-burn per say, just 10-20 hours is what he recommends. i've never heard of such a thing but then i'm kinda new to all this. 90% of my usage is via i-pod using the krells direct i-pod hook-up. from what i understood, a simple 10 minute warm-up is all that is needed??.

my system is: consonance turandot cdp, krell s-300i integrated, aerial 7b speakers and velodyne dd12 sub. ic cables are cardas cross with audioquest speaker wire. thanks in advance.
levy03
Components (of all kinds) basically burn in once when they're new -- but let me qualify that: this is true if what one means by "burn-in" has to do mainly with "setting" or "forming" the interfaces between conductors and dielectrics (not just wiring, but capacitors, diodes and many small devices. The only time this process MIGHT (depending on certain circuit design issues) need to be repeated, would be if one moved (as Rushton mentioned) and it turned out that the AC circuits for the audio system in the new house were on the opposite phase of the electrical service from the ones in the previous house.

Another instance of component "rehab" which I do perform on a regular basis (I'm just not sure "burn-in" would be the correct term) is using one of the many "system enhancer" CD's which supposedly remove residual magnetism and molecular stresses (Oy!) which build up in components, speakers, cables, etc. This could be identified as borderline snake-oil, were it not for the fact that most of them produce noticable results; except, for your cartridge/phono preamp, you'll need a record with a frequency sweep like the Cardas test record.

Speaker cables and interconnects should not need re-burning-in unless for some reason they accidentally (or on purpose?) get removed and then re-installed in the reverse orientation. Why? Because it's a bit like reversing a non-polarized capacitor in a circuit, and the interface between it plates and its dielectric have to be "re-formed" by the new signal polarity which (from the cable's point of view only) is now 180 deg. out of phase with the previous signal.
Whoa, both Markphd and Nsgarch, getting a little deep here, and especially after Levy said something about not "expound audiophile thingies". Guess a couple people around here must have missed that particular comment. Definely there is a difference between "burn in" and "warm up", but I think our friend Levy doesn't want to go down the overly "technical" road. Basically once your compondents are "burned in", then keeping them warm is all you really need for them deliver their "peak performance".

Once again, let your ears and your music be your guide, as they will tell you all you need to know. It ain't all that difficult nor should it be.