Burn-in time Vs. Getting used to a sound

Breakin effects are certainly valid. "Accustomization" is also a valid, although probably much less recognized phenomenon. Example: I extensively auditioned a pair of used speakers at my dealer's shop, then finally brought them home. Buyers remorse was immediately apparent at home: the differences (between what I'd been used to hearing from my old speakers) and the 'new-used' speakers were very apparent, and I wasn't sure that I could live with my new choice despite some of the obvious improvements over the old pair. Obviously the already-used speakers were well run-in by the time I finished auditioning at the store & took them home. After about a month I no longer noticed the 'new vs. old' colorations (both pair have their own sonic signatures) as I became "accustomed" to the "new" sound I liked it even better.

SF: What do you do to disturb cables, other than hooking them up the opposite way?

DK: Moving the cables from their original resting position is enough to disturb the formed dielectric. However, one may not be able to hear the difference. I do hear it whenever I listen after my housekeeper was here. I doesn't take very long for the dielectric to form after the disturbance

SF: Good to know. Dust bunnies rule then.

Bought some used Red Dawn rev II Nordosts which were multiple-spades (shotgunned?) at one end. Since I have non-biwirable speakers (Verity), but have amps (Alephs) with two sets of output jacks it made perfect sense to wire 'em that way. Sure enough they sounded ragged and bright. The seller confirmed that he had used them "the other way", and Nordost suggested I'd need EXTRA break-in time to "reverse" the "orientation". Well, they were right...the cables smoothed out, developed GREAT soundstage depth, and gained LF body, after use. How much of this was my aural accomodation? I don't know, but since the cables are threaded through the floorboards to amps hung under my joists, I'm not about to reverse 'em to satisfy a single-blind test!