Why no “Break in” period?

He uses a pseudo-skeptic’s random phrase generator as far as I can tell. If not, it’s a very big duplication of effort.

rodman99999-
"therefore my experience has verified the claim and anyone who doesn’t hear what I hear is at fault."???                                         PLEASE, point out any post, in which I’ve ever put forth such a proposition.    I’ve never had an agenda, on these pages, other than to encourage others in listening/experimenting for themselves.

Relax. He's out of his league. And boy does it ever show.

simonmoon-
For those that believe there is a break in period of electronics, please explain:

1. What is actually happening electronically that causes the equipment to sound better?

When you hear something, do you hear it? Or are you required to explain "what is actually happening" that accounts for your hearing it? Could you even do that? Really?

2. Why does the breakin process ALWAYS result in improved sound quality? Why is it not possible for whatever the breakin process is, to result in a less good (when compared to brand new) sounding piece of equipment at the end of its breakin process?

Who said this is not possible?

3. What prevents whatever the breakin process is, to stop when the equipment sounds better? Why doesn't it continue to breakin for its entire life and continue to improve?

More stuff nobody ever said. Certainly not me.

Sorry to say, but there's an awful lot of people out there just aren't very good listeners. Not because they're hard of hearing. Their ears are probably fine. But because they never bothered to work and develop the listening skills to recognize and differentiate among all the different details they're hearing. Often times people do hear something, but their ability to verbalize just what it was that they heard is lacking. When this happens they themselves aren't even really sure what's going on. This fascinating aspect of human perception hardly ever gets discussed in all the petty harping and irrelevant needling trying to force technical explanations. I sometimes imagine these guys with their wives, honey the coefficient of friction seems a little off tonight, but lets get Larry in here to double-blind you so I can be sure.

I've explained very clearly before what happens, and will do so again, but not in BS terms of "what is actually happening" which let's face it no one knows that about anything, but in terms of "what I'm actually hearing."

When something is brand new, and it could be a fuse, power cord, amp, pretty much anything, when first turned on the sound is pretty chaotic, fuzzy, grainy. The essential character, whatever that is, is there, but out of focus and out of balance. Then within minutes the sound changes rather dramatically, so that by the end of the first song its quite a bit different than at the beginning. 

This process continues, always in my experience for several days, often for several weeks, sometimes even longer. Hard to say exactly, for two very different yet related reasons.

One is, dramatic early changes rapidly give way to much more gradual incremental differences. This is not, by the way, always a one-way street. Plenty of gear gets better and better, then inexplicably something goes off for a bit, then still later gets back on track and its better than ever. Not the norm but it happens. 

Another reason its hard to say is its not just one thing going on. The component isn't just accumulating hours, like miles on a car. Its also being turned on and off. Warming up and cooling down. Being played. Sitting idle. Turned off. And even if left on and always playing music, still there are the cycles of night and day. You haven't learned to listen for and appreciate how much different your system sounds late at night? Not to mention all this other stuff?

Not my problem.

Believe me, I wish it weren't so. Wish I could just turn everything on and have it sound great right now, instead of half an hour later. Really wish I didn't have to endure the first few minutes with the cartridge each night. Or maybe not. Maybe if it wasn't like that it also wouldn't be as divine as it is a few hours later on that same night. Who can say? Who cares?

I only care to the extent knowing enables me to make it sound even better. Which there is the difference. One cares only how it sounds. To make it sound better. The other cares why it sounds that way. To.... win arguments? Such a waste.



   

millercarbon ...

•    "I sometimes imagine these guys with their wives, honey the coefficient of friction seems a little off tonight, but let's get Larry in here to double-blind you so I can be sure."  

That's the post of the month. LMAO. 

Good one, millercarbon. :-)

Frank

Any experienced vinyl guy would say that a new cartridge has to break in. Usually takes between 50 to 100  hours of playing time.