Burn-in time Vs. Getting used to a sound

Both are present, but getting used to the sound is the lesser of the two. A significant part of the burn-in seems to relate to how dialectrics form, whether in cables or in capacitors. The reason why I think burn-in is the larger is this: I hear the sound of a CD differently the third (or so) time I hear it compared with the first. I could ascribe this to burn-in, but it is more likely to be getting used to the sound of the recording gear used, and perhaps also the acoustic clues become less confusing with familiarity. But in running in components there seems to be a repeated sequence of how the sound changes. First bright and thin and flat. Very slowly fleshing out, then all of a sudden going soft and soggy and lacking in dynamics. Then gradually sharpening and speeding up with resolution finally reaching its peak. I find it difficult to ascribe this sequence to just getting used to the sound.

Thanks to all for your thoughts. I feel that burn/break-in is real for the most part..and have heard it in audio gear. ...and, of course, felt it in baseball gloves..and sports cars. At the same time I know that I can want something to be some way...that I have to watch myself so that I don't think it into being that way....rather than it actually being so. Kind of like the tests where people are given sugar pills and, thinking they are taking a medication, re-act accordingly.

Good post, Whatjd.

If burn-in exists, how come the cables don't continue to burn-in continuously and perpetually and instead apparently reach a sort of "stable" state ? That just doesn't make sense to me, perhaps someone can explain.

Joe: Why does it take a few minutes, at least, to bring a pot of water to a boil? Does water ever really go away, even when the Hydrogen is released in extreme reactions, or does it just complete a cycle and come back as water again?