Why no “Break in” period?

Duelund capacitors are said to take, what, 600 hours to break-in. O...M...G 😱

For many years my "expectation bias" was rock solid: wire is wire. Digital is perfect. There’s NO difference between CD players, DACs, wire, and most definitely the last thing that would ever make any difference is something as stupid and senseless as putting a cone under it or a weight on top or anything like that. Sheer, utter nonense.

Until I took the time to actually listen and compare.

So yeah people are biased. Duh. But there is expectation, what we imagine we might experience, and then there is the actual experience itself. To put one above the other is to be confused almost beyond belief. Its like saying you’re some kind of robot: mindless, programmed, unable to adapt or change.

Which, come to think of it, all things considered, could well be you are. If that is what you think, and think it long enough, after a while that is what you are.

Now as for how long this takes, well there are things like tone and volume I just seemed to always have been able to hear. If a speaker cab is woody, or the bass is bloated, or the top end tipped up, pretty much everybody is able to notice this right off the bat.

The differences between CD players, cones, amps, things like that, the differences are there, only they tend to be of a different character and usually much more subtle. I’m writing for the guys who want to learn this stuff. Because listening is a skill. Like all skills it can be learned. This is not easy. Does not come naturally. It takes work.

So 6 to 12 months? Yeah. About how long it took me. During that year or so, often times took my wife around to shops and it usually went something like this: Yeah that one WAS better! How? Don’t know. It just sounded richer, more expensive. Which is funny. Wife says it "sounded" more "expensive". (Her words.)

Only much later on was I able to break it down into darker backgrounds, more palpably solid presence, micro-dynamic shadings, sharp but not hard transients, beautiful trailing decay and ambience, depth and layering, air and space, etc.

Now having developed those skills, it don’t take no 6 to 12 months. Six to twelve seconds, maybe.

This past year I’ve been on a tear, adding Herron, Koetsu, CTS, Euphoria, and more. Every single one of those gave immense listening pleasure as they sounded great right out of the box and then proceeded to open up and improve minute by minute, then hour by hour, day by day, until finally stabilizing some weeks later.

Well after all every single night I have to endure listening to the first side, as no matter how well everything else is warmed up the cartridge and phono stage still improve massively the first few minutes. The second track is a lot better than the first, the second side better than the first, and then it slows down a lot but still always continues to improve well into the night. You go to sleep with that wonderful late night sound in there and oh how I wish the "you can’t remember" crowd were right because then I wouldn’t have to endure the first side thing all over again, night after night.

Anyone thinks this is nuts, based on their own inability to hear these things, all I can say is keep at it. You can get there.

Everything is made of the same stuffs - electrons, neutrons, protons ... and so on.  Car engines are made out of the same stuffs, just like cables, capacitors, inductors ... and so on.

Most people are comfortable with engines breaking-in, but finding the concept of breaking-in somewhat "mysterious" in electronics stuffs.

Of course just like human finding "rain, fire, wind" were "mysterious" thousands of years ago before real science.

At least I should be thankful that they don't attribute "breaking-in" as an act of God lols.

Many companies now put something in their manuals like, "don't worry if it sound like crap. It takes three months for it to break in." When people don't know why they make stuff up. The Greeks made up Zeus.

Actually it should read like: 

Many companies now put something in their manuals like, "don't worry if it sound like crap. It takes months to break in and you know when, when you realize it no longer sounding like crap." 

Yes, what a lovely phrase! It carries the same force as the phrase, "skepticism bias". :) 

And now I return to my writing, as it is a waste of life to argue such things beyond a sentence or two. I have been known to be drawn into such things in the past, but I'm trying to reform myself.  :)

Well said, like others here, on the truth of break in. There's lots of projection going on here that points to "skepticism bias". It's become a well practiced art form and all the usual critters chime in with the same, bland accusations.

Once you've got it down to a few talking points, it doesn't matter what or how you say it, and the ditto heads will nod along in approval. Anything can be made up or added into the mix and it simply strengthens the belief. That, and the tendency to dog pile. It's actually predictable.

The only downside is that this "skepticism bias" has taken on a life of its own and pollutes many a discussion for no real reason other than to be seen as a normal form of communication, which is truly sad.

One of the valid forms of accommodation, in psychology, is a neurotic condition and can apply to certain aspects of authoritarianism. The ditto heads simply follow the strong ones even though they contradict their values, beliefs, mores and folkways. Civility and ethics can go right out the window as long as they win, as a group. Gone, is the open mind. New info need not apply. Closed for business.

That's why Doug is onto to something that I'm gonna try to practice more this year as my one and only resolution: to stop wasting so much time in these silly arguments, and stick to the stuff that matters.

All the best,
Nonoise