... what is Settling Time in cables and interconnects...
Hello to all...
Was reading on a cable/interconnect manufacturers' site that they recommend min 350 preferrably 450 hrs Burn-In time, and 2 to preferably 24 hrs Settling Time (after plugged and unplugged).
Have never heard the term Settling Time: what is it, how is it done, what effect would it have if done or not done, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - would like to hear from someone who has actually done this and your impressions...
Once upon a time this thread was about settling time (rather than burn-in), i.e. time a fully burned-in cable needed to settle after it was disconnected and/or moved.
My Recent Experience I have recently installed new Speaker cables, Interconnects,and Power cable ... all from the same US manufacturer. all at the same time Recommended burn in time 200hrs What i found was:- Up to 10hrs .. not very impressive Approximately 20hrs .. amazing mid and treble (low end still quite light) Around 40 - 50 hrs .. in comes the low end and impressive separation of instruments and very realistic soundstage At 80hrs .. Beyond any doubt these cables are incredible At 100+ .. Never enjoyed recorded music so much So yes, giving cables a reasonable time to "burn in" has worked for me
Thanks to the members with the humorous and Tongue in Cheek posts Just loved the humour
It can’t be bunk. You can only de-dunk something that is bunk to begin with. Besides how can PT Barnum be laughing from beyond the grave? Did he get out of his grave and go somewhere? Is he a zombie?
What an absolute load of bunk, burning in cables and settling time. Recording studios must be really messed up, they can't let the patch cables get enough "settling time" between changing patch points. The fantasy some people will believe. PT Barnum laughs from beyond the grave.
@glupson.... "So I just took all my cables and dragged them around out in the snow...."Nothing works like good old cryoing the cables. And you did it in organic and gluten-free way. Kudos to you. No wonder they sounded better. Could ears falling off have also influenced the sound to some extent? Maybe that is all that Van Gogh was trying to achieve. Get sweeter timbre and faster transients." Yes, I actually forgot to put down a flap on my Russian snow hat.....lost an ear. Much sweeter transients and timbre on my right side..... Happy for that balance knob too. Plus had to upgrade the gauge of speaker wire on the left side to help compensate. Thank you Home Depot.....
"...any cable when you disconnect it actually forgets all about how to transport a signal from one point to another..."
Ginko is said to work well with short-term memory issues. How about coating cables in Ginko-derived envelope? That may be a next break-through on this burn-in/settle-in topic. Significantly improved spatial orientation, too.
My belief is that any cable when you disconnect it actually forgets all about how to transport a signal from one point to another. So it needs a break-in again. And once breaked-in also a little settling-in will do good. You can see this final part as a welcoming handshake between the speaker and the cable.
glubson, why in the World are you misquoting me? Is this part of some sort of ill conceived new disinformation and misinformation campaign? Not that you would know the difference.
"...start worrying what all the dust that settles on them will do to the cable and the sound. Cockroaches crawling on them may also not have the best electric properties."
"Obviously when you’re not an audiophile this sort of thing doesn’t matter. Thanks for the reminder, glubson."
Any time, geoffkait, any time I can help you learn more about yourself. There is nothing wrong with not being an audiophile or not having a system with fuses but participating on these threads. It is all game anyway, 100 years from now it will not matter to either one of us.
"So I just took all my cables and dragged them around out in the snow...."
Nothing works like good old cryoing the cables. And you did it in organic and gluten-free way. Kudos to you. No wonder they sounded better. Could ears falling off have also influenced the sound to some extent? Maybe that is all that Van Gogh was trying to achieve. Get sweeter timbre and faster transients.
The phrase " broken-in" doesn't have a nice ring to it. " Burnt-in " is not much better. And they would have to say either of them, or both. Nothing to do with money directly, everything to do with image and stance. Elizabeth called them idiots, Geoff, not you.
inna They don’t want to sell broken - in equipment. It has a bad sound to it.
>>>>>That’s quite a bold statement and one that flies in the face of most people’s experience. Do you have any evidence to back up your statement?
inna In any case, I would not call idiots those who have no opportunity to defend themselves and I would not teach them how to do commerce.
>>>>I’m not calling them idiots. I’m calling them short-sighted and perhaps close minded. No offense to them or you. They are free to post their comments on the subject here as this is a free forum. If I thought it would do any good I’d send out an email distribution to all appropriate manufacturers.
They don't want to sell broken - in equipment. It has a bad sound to it. In any case, I would not call idiots those who have no opportunity to defend themselves and I would not teach them how to do commerce. Some manufacturers do burn in what they make but not fully, as I understand. I think, Gryphon puts 70 hours or so on their integrateds and recommends at least 100 hours more.
Manufacturers don’t break in wire because there would be no added value to doing so. They know this. If there was added value, they would do it because they be would certain that you would be able to hear it, refer them to others, grow their business, make money, have more fun, etc. But, they, don't, do they? Ever wonder why?
It’s actually because they don’t know about it. They don’t even break in their stuff for the big shows. Which isn’t really too swift. But hey! C’est la vie, as they say in Des Moines.
... I will probably put my foot in my mouth by attempting to ask (another) question: I find very few manufacturers' break-in their power cords or interconnects - so since most agree this is something to do, why don't they?
@cakyol.....yes, I had forgotten about that. I also found when my system was fired up in Antarctica, due to the extreme sun angle and during a raging blizzard that it’s sound quality diminished.......somewhat. So I just took all my cables and dragged them around out in the snow.....problem solved!
1. I never suggested anyone should worry about it. 2. I was merely attempting to provide a definition for the terms. 3. I think we should all listen to gosta if we have any audio concerns. Could it be that many of us are listening through signal cables that are not adequately burned-in? Perhaps a device like the Audiodharma could change some opinions.
If burn-in by manufacturers works, then the positive effects must last several days to allow for shipping. I don't think you need to worry about minutes or hours or even a couple of days. Once any cable is physically moved, it needs a little time to settle once it is back in action again, so the gap period isn't crucial.
Is it so then that if I only disconnect the speaker cable for a very short moment to change to another speaker, I only need to give the cable the shorter settle-in time of maybe twelve hours before I with conficence can evaluate the sound of the second speaker to the first speaker. I really would like to get this right.
Settling-in would generally mean that a broken-in cable needs a brief period in an audio system to settle-in before sounding optimal. If a cable has not had signal for a long period of time it may need a longer time to either, 1. break-in again or 2. settle-in. Some define break-in and settling-in as the same thing although generally break-in would take a longer period of time. Some reject the whole notion as ludicrous. Thus the collective groaning when this thread was posted. As a newbie I see no problem in asking the question but be warned, the answers can be contentious and divisive (and occasionally vitriolic) so the wiser here tend to avoid the discussion altogether. Of course there are always those who are itching for a fight. Hope this helps.
Hi sejodiren :-) Dont forget the effect of suns radition & beam angles in different seasons. That also affects the sound tremendously. I hear the BEST sound usually on 21 June between the hours of 11:00am and 17:00pm in relative humidity of 78% :-)
If you start worrying about moving a cable, you have way too much time on your hands and way too little of other things in them.
In fact, if you are reading this, above applies to you, too, regardless of your thoughts about moving a cable.
If you still insist that cable should not be moved because of some detrimental influence on the sound (why cannot it be better, by the way?), start worrying what all the dust that settles on them will do to the cable and the sound. Cockroaches crawling on them may also not have the best electric properties.
Good news is that settling time for dust is much better established and researched phenomenon than for cables.
Purist Audio's fluid cables definitely need at least a few hours to settle after you moved them. Couple of other brands that I have and tried - I heard no difference. But that's my hearing and my system. Still - nothing major, unlike Purist.
Ask one hundred people, you'll get one hundred different answers. Even if you can find someone to give you a direct answer to your questions, would you believe them without verifying yourself? Let your ears be your guide and cut out the middle man...
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