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Cable Burn In

I'm new here and new to the audiophile world. I recently acquired what seems to be a really high end system that is about 15 years old. Love it. Starting to head down the audiophile rabbit hole I'm afraid.

But, I have to laugh (quietly) at some of what I'm learning and hearing about high fidelity.

The system has really nice cables throughout but I needed another set of RCA cables. I bit the bullet and bought what seems to be a good pair from World's Best Cables. I'm sure they're not the best you can get and don't look as beefy as the Transparent RCA cables that were also with this system. But, no sense bringing a nice system down to save $10 on a set of RCA cables, I guess.

Anyway, in a big white card on the front of the package there was this note: In big red letters "Attention!". Below that "Please Allow 175 hours of Burn-in Time for optimal performance."

I know I'm showing my ignorance but this struck me as funny. I could just see one audiophile showing off his new $15k system to another audiophile and saying "Well, I know it sounds like crap now but its just that my RCA cables aren't burned-in yet. Just come back in 7.29 days and it will sound awesome."
n80
n80 OP
2,133 posts
 
Jim, thank you. I think it is ironic that I started this thread in my ignorance, both of the existence of this phenomenon and the debate surrounding it.

The irony is that for me it makes no difference whatsoever:

1) I already have great cables (from what I've been told and the resale value I see on them.
2) They are all burned in for what that's worth.
3) The cables I bought are to connect a weak link in my system which no cable, burned in or not is, going to improve and which I don't care to do anything about.
4) I'm going to use this set of cables now....and later. If they improve things great, if not great.
5) My system sounds super incredible awesome to me. I feel no room or need for improvement.

So for me, at this moment, the issue is moot and is mostly just a curiosity to me in regard to the passions it engenders.
celander's avatar
celander
1,503 posts
 
@n80. You speak about your cables of a recently-acquired, 15-y/o system being “burned in.”  Was the system actively used prior to your acquiring it or was it stored for awhile?
audiobunker's avatar
audiobunker
36 posts
 
Warning: I'm a cable designer and manufacturer.
Cables and a system has to be resolved enough to hear the break in period. Cables like Monster are so grainy and blurred that there is no difference and just because a system is detailed doesn't mean it is resolved. Detailed just emphasizes the leading edge of notes.

Of course other things make bigger differences but just like speakers sound better when they are warmed up, cables change usually between the 20 and 200 hour mark depending on voltage and the materials used in the cable. Ours take 225 hours because of the Nano tubes.
BTW I think music is better than one of those break in machines that causes a signature on the wire.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Whoa! Back up! Beep! Beep! Did somebody say nano tubes? Is that like a really small bicycle inner tube?
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
Detailed just emphasizes the leading edge of notes.
And just, pray tell, how does a wire emphasize the leading edge of notes? That makes as much sense as saying that some ethernet cables italicize while others CAPITALIZE

The electrical signal is a continuously changing value which when transduced to moving air, our brain decodes into 'music'

Cables are equalizers and just as they may emphasize upper frequencies and sound 'detailed' they may just as readily roll the top and sound 'warmer'.

What any cable does when is utterly system dependent. See http://192.168.1.160/Audio/CableSnakeOil.php/ 

In over half a century of listening, EVERYTHING ascribed to cable burn in has been found to be connector related. See http://ielogical.com/Audio/#ConnectorCleansing
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