ricred1, I appreciate the quandry about money vs. time. I just went through it with two five-cord looms. My repeated experience is that many developers claim that their cables are burned in wholly or in part before sending them out, usually on that cooker, but I’ve yet to find one where it was ever close to sufficient - and I’m talking by at least two weeks, 300+ hrs, if not the full three weeks, 500 hrs.
The other thing I’ve found with some consistency is that around 300 hrs in, better cables go through a magical change, as if someone threw a switch. It might be an explosion of detail or soundstage or bass, or some combination of characteristics. It’s immediately evident when it happens and gives a much more substantial appreciation of what the cable can do. The example that most stands out to me was the Sablon Reserva power cords, which one day after two weeks exhibited a level of detail well beyond anything I’d ever heard before or since from a cable. In the end, it didn't overcome some reservations, but had I liked it more an earlier comparison and decision would have been way off the mark.
The other thing I’ve found with some consistency is that around 300 hrs in, better cables go through a magical change, as if someone threw a switch. It might be an explosion of detail or soundstage or bass, or some combination of characteristics. It’s immediately evident when it happens and gives a much more substantial appreciation of what the cable can do. The example that most stands out to me was the Sablon Reserva power cords, which one day after two weeks exhibited a level of detail well beyond anything I’d ever heard before or since from a cable. In the end, it didn't overcome some reservations, but had I liked it more an earlier comparison and decision would have been way off the mark.