Speaker Break In...? Or listener “Break In”?

How about the fact that there are a plethora of designs, incorporated in speaker systems(ie: domes, cones, ribbons, Mylar diaphragms, horns, two spiders, one spider, horn loaded, bass reflex, acoustic suspension, cloth or rubber surround, etc), each of which will make a difference in how long the suspension will take to loosen up. Then there’s the wide disparity in SPL levels, between different listeners. Less excursion has to result in longer break-in(or whatever your term). That’s just simple mechanics. Got a crossover? Anyone that’s been around electronics, should recognize how long capacitors take to form. The better the dielectric, the longer they take. And yeah; psycho-acoustic studies do indicate our brains compensate, over time, for what seems wrong.

Here’s one I’m going to throw out, because Audiogon is just not contentious enough tonight.

Anyone who doesn’t believe capacitors break in, substitute tweeter caps for Mundorf MKPs.


This isn’t a point I’m really willing to argue. Believe what you will. If you want to experiment, try that swap and listen for yourself.


The MKP’s are really cheap ($7-12 each) and really have the most difference between fresh and broken in, especially with imaging.

They’re also not the very best either!! I’m just saying, if you can’t hear them break in, you can rest assured you won’t hear anything else break in either. Not only do they sound different, they sound weird while breaking in.

Peace.

E

As fate would have it all capacitors are directional since all wire is directional. So, simply reversing the direction of a capacitor should be obvious to the astute listener. But reversing the direction of all capacitors at the same time might not be audible since about 50% are in the wrong direction to begin with by chance, so you would wind up in the same 50-50 situation. Same thing goes for fuses.

rodman99999
“Psycho-acoustic studies indicate...” Sorry, not interested.

Crossover parts need time to break in. Caps and resistors can take up to 300-400 hours to settle in. This is particularly true of the large value paper in oil/wax types that change sonically quite severely. Break in can also be like a roller coaster ride with things improving at first, going south for a time and then finally entering that final linear stage of constant improvement.