Value of burn/break in?


I have my first hi end audio system. I fired it up, popped in a cd, and it doesn't have the vibrant sound that I thought it might have. I have a slightly used demo power amp from a dealer, slightly used demo speakers from a dealer, but a brand new tube preamp. A friend of mine told me that I will see a huge difference in sound quality once the tube preamp breaks in. I was wondering if I should get a break in cd or just wait till normal listening does the job
128x128easola01
roberjerman
Tube equipment I like to turn on early in the day and shut off in the evening after listening is done. You may choose to do the same!

That’s neither break-in or burn-in. It’s warm-up.
A friend of mine told me that I will see a huge difference in sound quality once the tube preamp breaks in. I was wondering if I should get a break in cd or just wait till normal listening does the job.

Assuming the tube preamp does not contain significant digital circuitry, whether it is playing music or simply powered up and playing nothing makes very little difference in the amount of current conducted by the tubes and pretty much everything else in it. So I would expect that simply leaving it on would break it in as effectively as normal listening. (That is not necessarily true for most power amps and many digital components, btw).

I have no opinion about breakin CDs, though, as I’ve never used one and I have no particular knowledge of the technical characteristics of the signals they provide.

Also, given that the power amp and the speakers are "slightly used," and might have sat unused for much of the time they were in the dealer’s shop, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that their breakin state might be more of a factor in what you are perceiving than the preamp’s.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al
almarg
I have no opinion about breakin CDs, though, as I’ve never used one and I have no particular knowledge of the technical characteristics of the signals they provide.

Generally the signal is a mixed sinusoid White and or Pink noise mid range signal played at a moderately high level continuously for a minimum of a few days up to two weeks or more. Works like a charm for everything in the signal path. As I mentioned earlier one can easily hear the improvements over the course of the burn in.
It took about 350-450 hours of break-in time for me for the various high-end electronics, speakers and cables to approach 90-95% of perceived maximum performance levels. There was a continued incremental settling in period after that that I did not track in detail. 

(1) the audio performance improvements were non-linear, .... but rather an ad hoc series of incremental steps with periods of pause or flatlining in between.

(2) it was never a sudden” a-ha “ moment either, but rather a subtle journey. (Emphasis on the “journey” instead of any “destination” conotation) 

= Patience required ....
I am a big fan of the Purist Audio Design "System Enhancer Ultimate" CD..It assists with burn-in and it demagnetizes the system. Play it at moderate volume on repeat.  You will notice a difference in your system after burn-in.  Be patient and enjoy hearing your system come to life!