Skeptic or just plain hard headed


So I purchased a pair of Morrow Audio phono cables. These are the PH3 with the Eichmann connectors. Wanted to start there to see if MA cables will be a viable option for my system.I think my story is not so unique to others who have purchased MA cables. So no need to go into the hu hum of burn-in in regards to MA cables, and how things sound bad at first, then gets better,  then excellent...yada yada yada. I know the story about this product.  I simply am one who is not a believer in electronics break in periods, or battery packs on cables, etc... Regardless of what side of the fence you are on in regards to that Im NOT trying to start that debate again please.. Anyway. After reading several reviews of the MA cables and understanding that most agreed that the cables needed a substantial burn-in time, and that the cables would not sound its best until this happens I decided to give them a try. Thinking ok lets get a jump on the burn-in period (if the concept is true). I paid for the 2 day burn-in service from MA. What I didn't expect is that when I got the cable it would sound as bad as it did in comparison to my existing name brand cable (not getting into that either, not relevant). I thought well the cable might not quite be up to snuff with all this talk about burn-in (if its true) but not that much of a difference.  I mean as soon as I dropped the needle on the record I immediately heard a profound difference in sound stage and clarity degridation. Needless to say this cable was destined to be returned to MA for a full refund and my thinking was "they are crazy if I am going to trade my cable for this cable" So I decided to give MA a call to setup the return. Talked with Mike Morrow (very nice guy by the way) and we had our differences in what I should expect out of his product. Now my Mother always told me that I have a hard head.. I heard that growing up all my life, and when you couple that with skepticism it makes a pretty, well lets just say not a very fun person to have a debate with lol. However Mike insisted that if I return the cable that I would be missing out on the fruit they would bare after 400 hours of break in. 400 hours??? really!. Oh at that point I was really ready to return them. I told all my friends "Mike must be nuts" (no offense Mike) no way am I going to wait a year to hear what this cable is capable of, AND I do not have any way to expedite the process...at least I thought I didn't until I found an old sound bar I don't use anymore with analog inputs. Ok I know you pro MA and  pro cable burn-in folks are chomping at the bit. Im almost done. Take your hands off the keyboard for just a few more lines. 

So here is the deal to be fair I am going to be open minded about this because Mike really made me feel like I would be missing out if I return the cable without a proper burn-in (great salesman), and since he had such conviction I now think I have to test this thing out right??. Now I know that there are testimonials out there about how the MA cable improved over 100s of hours in their system, and that they are now "blown away". However can you really hear a profound difference in a cable you play in your system over 170 hours or so?  I would think a gradual difference would be harder to detect. I mean my system seems to sound better to me everyday without making any changes. Is it because of  continued cable and electronics burn in?? maybe. Or maybe its just my brain becoming more intimate with the sound of my system. Well this test I'm doing should reveal a night and day difference from what the system sounds like today with the cable pre burn-in if there is any merit to the notion. In regards to does it sound better than my existing cable that is yet to be determined. I think my goal now is to prove or dis-prove if cable burn-in is a real thing. This whole idea has evolved from if it's an improvement or not over what I use today. We can discuss that later.

I now have the cable connected between a cd player , and a sound bar with a CD playing on repeat. The disc of choice for this burn-in is rather dynamic so it should be a good test. At the end of 16 days (384 hours) I will move the cables to my reference system and do about another 20 hours of additional burn-in to compensate for moving the cable. This will put a total of 452 hours of burn-in on the PH3. When I put this cable back in my system I sure hope it sings because this is a lot to go through to add a cable to your system. Mike if you are right I will eat crow and will preach from the highest mountain top that you are right, and that cable burn-in is REAL.  For me anyway the myth will be considered busted or reinforce my belief that cable burn-in is a bunch of BS. 

For those who will argue the point of cable burn-in I fully understand the concept, and I don't plan to get sucked down that rat hole and I won't argue that....yet because at the end of this test I may be in your camp and I don't want to have a steady diet of crow so for now I will remain neutral on the subject until the test is complete.  However I will be totally transparent and honest about the results. So not trying to make anyone angry as I know beliefs about audio are sensitive subjects, and rightfully so this hobby is expensive and I like you have a substancial investment in this. Just trying to get to the truth. I also understand that cable burn-in may actually happen when you consider it from a scientific perspective, but the real question is can you actually hear the difference.  

I will report back to this thread in 17 days from today (need at least one day to evaluate) with the results. 

happy listening!!

-Keith
barnettk
@prof 

"Oh jeeze, I don’t mean to cause you any more work Keith!"

To late... you have gone and done it now :) JK

I really don't mind.  Just when I thought I had this all figured out up pops Prof. 

Ok so I do plan to employ a blind fold.. check 
The randomness of the swap will not be oblivious to me. I will wear some ear plugs or something during the swap.. Check

I should not say my wife has no skin in the game. We have been married for 22 years and she is often my test person for lots of stuff so she actually has a pretty good ear, and does care. 

My Son is also going to do fine. Keep in mind the overall goal of the test. Which is to see if cable burn in makes any difference in SQ. We are also going to see if the cable is able to either out perform the cable I have now or at least equal it.  Now in regards to the pre/post burn in test I only have one sample of a recording pre-burn-in so I am a little limited in that regard but I have some other ideas. If the cable comes up to at least the same SQ as the cable I have the compare between the two will reveal that. it will also be proof that the cable improved with burn-in. You will have to trust me on the fact that the cable sounded  profoundly different (worst) than my existing cable pre-burn in. It was not even close. However I will also allow my participants to listen to that for them selves as well. No sure this will be fair because the only way to do that is to play the tape and have them compare to the actual record and that won't be fair because the record will definitely sound better,  but we will see if we can make any judgment but I think that will be very subjective. 

We will not communicate during the test.. Check. 

Coin flip I will suggest that but I think they will come up with something on their own as well but I  will keep that in mind. I want them to feel that their method makes sense to them. 

So ok the ground work is laid. I think we have as good as a test method we can come up with under the circumstances. I wish you would have spoke up early in the post as i'm sure we could have come up with other ways to do the A/B, but I thought using my reel to reel was as accurate I could get to do a fair comparison. 

Good stuff. So the cable is cooking now again only because its been sitting for a few days. I plan to do the comparison on Sunday. Everyone is ready to rock and roll (no pun) 

remember everyone this is in no way going to be perfect. I realize that but I do think we can at least draw some real conclusions. Regardless of what happens the cable is being returned because I already know that it does not best what I currently have. Even if no one can tell the difference its "no difference" in that regard and not worth the investment to have no obvious improvement. 

If anyone else has any ideas they want to throw out,  this is the time to do it. After this the matter of cable burn in will be closed...for me anyway. 

-Keith
@geoffkait  LOL yup to a certain degree. Seriously not about everything actually. Maybe I should be more open minded because a lot of the things Im skeptical about age just things that done make a lot of common sense but hey Im learning, and opening up I guess. Don't you think so??
@geoffkait  Ok I tell you what. To be fair Sell it to me. Putting green rings around CDs that is. I am going to try and be open minded just to show you :) 
Wait I just re-read his post. He did not say he bought into the idea of green rings. He said: "If you think putting little green rings around the edge of CDs is kind of kooky you would probably think the things I do routinely verges on satanism."

I would still be interested in hearing some of these things. We have time while this cable burns a little longer. 
Of course I was joking about CD’s sound better with more plays. 

Audio it is no different than any other hobby. You have snake oil and gullible people with money. I’m just not one to think $5000 for a small bag of “ sonic pebbles” will improve your system.