Burn-in time Vs. Getting used to a sound

I feel that it is a combination of both. I can beyond any doubt in my mind hear the effect of break in. But when I switched to silver interconnects for the first time there was more involved in my acceptance of the new sound other than cooking the cables. I had never heard anything like the sound before from my system and the additional detail though still musical took some getting used to. Now I love the sound and only use my copper Truthlink interconnects for poor recordings that I am inclined to listen to for music's sake. In the "good old days" I rarely purchased new equipment, but when I did it was usually being played at much higher sound levels right off the bat than I am comfortable with today. I will admit that I played most of my music to a level beyond what was sonically correct for the room that the system was in. Now when I listen at higher levels on occasion I am more aware of the distortions being created by the room and back off on the volume control. I am now more interested in what my system can do with a sense of finesse as opposed to shear power and volume. There were also other factors back then (other than the shag carpeting) that were a part of the equation that had a tendency to distort judgment.

I absolutely have experienced the change in sound as a cable "burns in". It was not a case of getting used to the "new" sound. Saying that, I am sure that intentions have an effect as well. Small particle physics has shown us that we effect that molecules in all things that we perceive. Also, we do adjust to and filter what we hear automatically. So, both factors effect what we hear. To what degree is another question. Dekay also shows that our ability to listen evolves with effort and time.

Well, when I put together a totally new system, I sure the hell heard it improve over time. Therefore, getting used to the sound wasn't the issue. That which takes the longest to burn in (form) are dielectrics. The two dielectrics of concern are the cables and capacitors. No doubt that 300 hours of continuous burn in formed those dielectrics. I actually listened to it transform over time and was amazed. Even with used equipment, the dielectrics need to form. My $0.02.

"Burn-in" is probably a myth devised by either manufacturers or, more likely, salesmen, to discourage customers from returning products. "The reason you don't like it now is that you haven't given it enough time to burn in. It usually takes X weeks." X, of course, being a few more weeks than the store's liberal return policy lasts. This line is not as bad as it appears, because in those X weeks you probably will get used to the sound, so you wind up a happy customer.

Again, I firmly believe that ther is electrical change that occurs in new electronics, but there are psychological principles that occur, whether or not you want them to, that can affect perception.