Do speaker cables need a burn in period?

@hifiman5 I did not want to get into the details of how the cables were switched, ie blind or not but since you brought it up.  One of us would switch (or not switch) the cables when the other two were in another room.  When the switch was completed they would return to their exact seating position and the same track at the same volume was played. None of us could accurately say which of the cable sets were in use because both sets sounded the same.

To repeat, we were comparing cables with >1000 hours of use to BRAND NEW cables, my take on this is that cable 'break-in' is a myth and that no-one has ever been able to show that there is any scientific justification to the claim, nor shown or measured that the performance has changed in any way.

I would suggest that cable break-in is real, and occurs between the ears of the listener, not in the cable.

azbrd
@hifiman51 A few years ago i replaced my existing cables with some slightly longer ones of the EXACT same brand and gauge. The existing cables had >1000 hours of use the new ones had none and I could NOT hear ANY difference between the 2 sets. I had a few friends over so I could swap the 2 sets for them, Back and forth we went and none of us could hear any difference between the sets.

I guess my system is missing "dynamic swing?" so I was unable to hear what a "broken" in cable sounds like. Also, please define what "dynamic swing" is????

>>>>There are a whole bunch of reasons why cable comparisons oft fail. Many of these reasons explain why almost any test of any audio thing fails.

1. Unplugging a cable destroys the delicate electrical/mechanical connection that took a long time to establish. So, going back and forth between cables proves nothing.

2. The new cables were not properly broken in so you can’t really expect them to sound too good.

3. One or both cables were not connected in the correct direction.

4. As has been pointed out many times cables don’t get fully broken in without resorting to a burn in track on a test CD or a burn in device. Playing music through cables, even for years, is not sufficient.

5. Both cables in the test are not sufficient quality to reveal differences that might be there.

6. The system used for the test is not of sufficient quality to reveal differences.

7. There are errors in the system.

8. The test subjects’ hearing is not all it’s cracked up to be.

9. Differences were masked by “outside conditions” - weather, time of day, unknown causes.

10. Test subjects were drunk.

@geoffkait 

I was waiting for you to chime in!

1. Unplugging a cable destroys the delicate electrical/mechanical connection that took a long time to establish. So, going back and forth between cables proves nothing.

So now you are moving the new cable to old cable discussion to the electrical/mechanical connections?   would this mean we need to unplug our wires every time to get to audio nirvana?? 

2. The new cables were not properly broken in so you can’t really expect them to sound too good.

So >1000 of actual use is not enough to "break in" a cable???
Please provide us with the measurable, repeatable documentation on how to properly break in a wire! 

2. The new cables were not properly broken in so you can’t really expect them to sound too good.

this is my favorite geoffkait claim right up there with Dark Matter Optical Coating and his Teleportation Tweak!  Just for fun I called several cable companies and asked them to sell me wires that were directional.

ALL of them politely laughed and explained that wire does NOT have any directional property.  I personally reversed the wires during our listening test and could not hear any differences.

  Look inside your speakers or amps, see if there is any wires in there with little arrows on them OR is there ANY documentation from these companies to advise one which direction your cables should be when connecting them??

@geoffkait 

I forgot to ask, please provide us some actual (not from Audioquest) documentation on how wire directionality applies to an AC circuit?  

I believe the content of this thread has reached a level of metaphysical drivel that I find untenable.  So, before I retreat to the comfort of the informed discussion on AudioKarma, I ask the new or casual reader to heed these few tips:

DO NOT purchase expensive power cords, interconnect cables, "spikes", or any other grossly overpriced darlings of the failing HiFi marketing establishment.  If you already have a system of any reasonable quality, you will be very disappointed with the impact of any perceived improvement from these marketing ploys.  Instead, put your resources (not necessarily money) into improvements to your listening room.  I can not think of one area more neglected than listening room acoustics.  In 95% of the systems I have heard, for some reason, form will out over function... leaving the components, especially the speakers, in acoustically undesirable locations.

INSPECT YOUR SPEAKERS.  I recently refurbished a pair of B&W 703 speakers.  The proud owner had no idea that there were any issues at all until I noticed (through his open patio door) a clear disparity between the channels in the mid-range.  What I found on close inspection was an open circuit (bad capacitor) in the crossover.  This was a worse case situation, having a non-functional driver and not being aware of the problem, but it points out that these machines need periodic attention.  Keep them clean.  Nothing will destroy a set of fine speakers faster than dirt.  Drivers move a substantial amount of air in a days use and dirt pumped between the voice coil and pole-piece will make short work of any driver.

KEEP YOUR INTERCONNECT AND SPEAKER CABLE CONNECTIONS CLEAN AND TIGHT.   Bad connections will not only cause a loss in amplitude and audio quality but, this problem can actually damage your equipment.  Class A devices MUST operate into a load at all times.  If the load is removed for any length of time... your output transformers will perish!

DO NOT AQUIRE ANYTHING YOU HAVE NOT AUDITIONED FIRST!  This should be self explanatory.  And, if at all possible, audition a new device in your own home, with your own system.

Best of Luck Everyone,
LEO