Break in period

Pdn,

It is not the fact that the brain and ears adjust to the sound of the new equipment. Our ears and braind actuall have very short memories. Listen to a song on a well conditioned system, then listen to the same song 24 hours later on the same system. Do you hear the same things as you did the first time or do you focus on something different in the music. Did you mood influence what you heard each time?

Ever attend a show. Can you tell the difference in the systems or do they all sound the same after your ears and brain have adjusted. I think not.

Lets deal with speakers B&W inparticular for starters they will take upwords of 300 hours to start to sound good. at 1000 they will start to sing. At 5000 you will go wow are these the same speakers.

It is not just the kevlar drivers but all of the drivers that require breakin, they are mechanical devices and will loosen up after time alowing for better driver extension and speed.

Now lets deal with electronics why do systems sound better after they have warmed up. Ever wonder, or is this something we just accept as fact. Electronic devices have ambient operating temperatures. Lets take a transistor or a tube as they heat up it allows the electrons to break free from their orbits more easily, transfering to a hole in the next molicule's orbit generating current. To much heat and the electrons will break free from their orbits randomly generating noise and distortion.

Ok got go will get back to this later.

P.S. Credentials 7.5 years USNAVY Electronic technican. 8 years Digital Switch Design Engineer.

Artizen65:

Excellent input. Makes much sense. You're so right about our moods. I've been thinking about that too. Also night time when you have more melatonin present in the brain relaxes you more and music can sound greater. Lots of variables. Thanks again.

Hi,
I've heard, and recreated, and used others unwittingly participating, to note that a Spectral amp or pre-amp, or Mitner pre, will (sorry folks) sound like *crap within the 5 minute marker and the 6 hour period. Actually, the Spectral 50-90 get louder somewhere around 5 hours. I build cables, and even in solderless designs they all, and always have a break-in period (200 hours min, and different metals differently) and have about a 20-120 min each time you use them as a warm-up period.
I do not have "golden Ears" I have "hypersensative ears" the difference being that I do not have perfect pitch nor can I tell you the hertz for a note. However, I use Raven Ribbons, which are wired with silver internal leads, and nearly nothing I do to my system gets past them. Sorry, voice coils are wires too, caps and binding posts are metal, and I've been assembling since 1988. If you've never heard it, it's okay, but I'm not saying you've never heard it, so please don't say I've not.
You're all great guys.

>not a believer in the " the theory" or better "the myth" of the "break in period"<

Better components will convince you.

One thing is for sure..Leaving your equipment on for weeks on end is NOT a good way to break in your new equipment. This is a technical fact. One reason specifically is that all capacitors have a maximum expansion point they can and should eventually reach, and this is only achieved properly by allowing them to cool, and heat up over and over. Otherwise, you burn them in to one expansion point by leaving the equipment on for endless periods, potenitally limiting the sonic ability of the capacitor and thus your equipment.