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Sound of cables breaking in?

When I try cables, of various types, I find that when I first put them in, they give me a little taste of what they will sound like after they are broken in. Then, things get strange, and the sound can vary all over the place, until they finally settle in.

Who else has similar experience? I'm thinking people sometimes give up on a particular cable during this volatile period, and never get to what it really sounds like.
tommylion
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,832 posts
 
Exactly!  New cables take patience. When researching cables I'm careful to consider the listening observations of those who make note of giving the cables an appropriate time to break in.  My experience is that the last quality to be revealed is dynamic ebb and flow, the quality that gives music its naturalness.
jayctoy's avatar
jayctoy
4,203 posts
 
Tommy many of us wants instant gratification, when we read a good reviews on cables we jump and buy , then we don’t hear what is written, then sell, and criticize the product, problem every cables should settle first in your system, they are system dependent, True many used cable for sale they are not fully broken in. I have the same experience as yours...This hobby need time and patience and good ears...
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
File this one under too many variables. With so many variables like other system changes, addition of tweaks, weather, time of day, day of week, and many other things it’s not terribly surprising folks report hearing changes in the sound over a period of time with anything.
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pops
2,275 posts
 
Correct all IMHO.  In my case cables may never get the necessary hours because I am mostly analog and tubes and not willing to put dead hours on them burning in wire.

Elizabeth is right, if it sounds like crap out of the box do not look for a monumental change.


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