2. amps-preamps
  3. 156142-976

Break in time that extends to months or maybe even years!!

On another thread, we have a well known and well respected piece of gear ( and great sounding too, IME) that according to the member who is reviewing it, needs in excess of 1000 hours to fully break in!! 

While we have all heard of gear that needs immense amounts of 'break in' time to sound its best, usually gear that involves teflon caps, I question whether this very long break in time is the job for the consumer? Is it reasonable for a manufacturer of audio gear to expect the consumer to receive sub-par performance from his purchase for potentially several months ( years?) before the true sound of the gear in question can be enjoyed? Or, is it ( or should it be) perhaps the job of the manufacturer of this gear ( usually not low priced) to actually accomplish the 'break in' before releasing it from the factory? Thoughts...
128x128daveyf
mitch2
4,044 posts
 
I had a Brooks saddle that was still not broken in at 1,000 miles.
Unfortunately, Brooks did not believe it was their job to send me the saddle already broken in.
That really chapped my ass!  🚲
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
TRT teflons in crossovers, 200-300 hours. Bigger the cap longer the time. The guy used clusters to reduce breakin time.  Timing issues, sound came from everywhere, crazy sound.

Regards
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,998 posts
 
+1almarg. No reason to doubt the person. What's interesting to me is to understand how the evaluation process was done. To know the amp was changing after that much time, it would also be necessary to know that nothing else in the complex system (cables, etc.) is changing and yet being attributed to the object of analysis. (I assume the other components are all stable, i.e., "burned in"?). And the room and other contributing environmental conditions (including power) are being controlled, too? Then there's the question of memory and linguistic description. Are notes being kept? Are the terms used in the notes precise? Etc.

What makes these kinds of issues tricky for me is that there is the sound of a precise, scientific approach, but there's either an irregular process or one that is not carefully documented. I've got nothing against shootin' the sh*t, but when it sounds like it's something else, I lose interest.

zavato's avatar
zavato
1,405 posts
 
1000 hr to break in? Nah- 1000 hrs for the reviewer to get used to the sound? Possible 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Reviewers are the worst. always changing things, speakers, cables, turntables, CD players. The system never, ever fully breaks in. The whole review process is broken.

Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones
Take a deep breath, feel like you're chokin',
Everything is broken

Every time you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my faceBroken hands on broken ploughs,
Broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,
Everything is broken
More to discover