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Why does it take so many hours to brea in arc preamps and amps?

I recently purchased a like new ARC 5 SE pre amp.  The unit had less than 200 hours on it.  Everything I have read states that ARC preamps take up to 600 hours to fully break in.  Why is this so and what improvements can I expect to hear as the unit accrues hours?
ewah
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
This to break-in or not break-in question pops up regularly regardless of the "object" in question; internal combustion engines, tires, etc. And there are always folks who argue against or for it. While there's some truth in the notion of the "expectation bias", there's no denial that physical (or chemical) properties of most electronic components changes as a result of going through constant temperature cycling. Some get better some get worse, depending on the piece in question. There is one fact that remains common - the longer a component is left on, the lesser it will last.
rsv4
18 posts
 
"
a lie told many times becomes truth.

V Lenin. "

Not always. After 65+ years of Leningrad, the Russians still remembered the name of their city was St. Petersburg.
czarivey
5,740 posts
 
rsv4, one lie is too many and there are many. some lies will and some won't be remembered and that's where the trick is.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
While the Dreadnaught D amplifier will sound wonderful without any burn-in time, users "MAY" experience small sonic improvements during the first week or so of operation.
"MAY" this is a get out of jail card. Otherwise they would have used the word "WILL" 
It also infers "Expectation Bias"

The unit is put on a burn-in torture rack to test for any possible component failures
This test is for weak/faulty components under heat stress, not to "burn in" for better sound.


Cheers George
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
" To all those that say the manufacture has specified a certain "break-in" period, please link the rest of us to those manufacturers links, instead of it being just personal opinion. "  Georgelofi

A second to rsv4's previous post.

Quote from Ayre CX-7eMP owners manual:
"100 to 500 hours of music played through the system will ensure full break-in.

Due to the manufacturing processes used for the printed circuit boards, wires, and capacitors, a break-in period is necessary for the CD player to reach its full sonic potential."

Manufacturer's link:
http://www.ayre.com/manuals/Ayre_CX7eMP_Manual.pdf

Does this meet your criteria George?

Dave
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