2. amps-preamps
  3. 167165-159739

Amplifier Break-in - It's Real

I just completed a major amplifier upgrade from using the power amp side of a NAD 375BEE integrated to a Coda No. 8 and can swear to reality of a necessary amplifier break-in period and the need for a great degree of patience. For the record the 375BEE is a great integrated and the power amplifier side is very good. I replaced the preamp some time ago with a Freya+, a significant upgrade. Regardless, the 375BEE has some limitations and I "needed" an upgrade. I have severe space restrictions for my gear/rack, so size mattered, and final candidates were Bryston and a latecomer in the Coda 8. The Coda had such great reviews/comments I went with it.

Days 1, 2 and 3 were pretty frustrating and I was concerned. My NAD setup had a very good sound stage and rich bass, neither of these were evident early on with the Coda. I thought it might be an impedance mismatch with the Freya (75 SE or 600 balanced ohm output) and the Coda. Some online specs show the Coda at a very low 1K Ohm input impedance, however before I bought I checked with Coda and they confirmed it is actually 10K ohms. Still I swapped out the new balanced cables for RCA's, no significant change. For the first few days I was turning on the amp in the morning and running it all day, but off at night. I decided to have patience, accept the need for break-in, and just start running 24/7. Lo and behold about three days into that process, during which I found some new respect for electronica, the sound stage and bass started to appear and have only improved. It was uncanny. IMHO there was no way I was imagining this change because contrast was so great from the NAD when I first plugged the Coda into the system. I know my system well and changed nothing else, aside from the noted interconnects, from one amp to the other. I realize I am mostly preaching to the choir, but am writing for the next person that plugs a new amp in and does not hear what they expect right away.

In case it matters, the rest of the system is KEF LS50, Gumby DAC, REL 7i sub and Pi 4 with Allo DigiOne running Moode.
zlone
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
You, and everyone who thinks they hear equipment breaking in, need to read my articles about this topic at Dagogo.com;

Audiophile Law: Thou Shalt Not Overemphasize Burn In

and 

Audiophile Law: Burn In Text Redux 

The community needs to gain some perspective on how much of a range of perception humans have from day to day while listening. It's complete nonsense to think that we are more consistent than electronics, or that we can definitively assess changes to systems over days, weeks, etc. A great deal more humility/experience is needed in the audiophile community.    :(

Enjoyment/perception of an audio system can change significantly, while there is no change in actual performance. This should be obvious as a result of establishing a very pleasing system and hearing more music on it over time. I have this experience perhaps two dozen times each year as I set up discrete systems and adjust to their performance.   :) 
zlone OP
706 posts
 
it was so different, sometimes, weak midrange, sometime in your face midrange, treble sometimes, super bright, other times relaxed and warm,   Same with the bass, deep, not deep, tight, muddled,
Thanks for your post, I am experiencing some of the same. I do want to note that none of this is a knock against the Coda, it has delivered a lot of what I hoped for, just taking a while.
zlone OP
706 posts
 
You, and everyone who thinks they hear equipment breaking in, need to read my articles about this topic at Dagogo.com;

Audiophile Law: Thou Shalt Not Overemphasize Burn In

and

Audiophile Law: Burn In Text Redux

The community needs to gain some perspective on how much of a range of perception humans have from day to day while listening. It's complete nonsense to think that we are more consistent than electronics, or that we can definitively assess changes to systems over days, weeks, etc. A great deal more humility/experience is needed in the audiophile community.  

I read, admittedly skimmed, your first article. It's a good article, but just one test of one class D amplifier. It could be that these are less prone to showing change with use. I am not doubting your conclusions, but it is a small data set.

The purpose of my post was to add my perspective to the conversation and report in the most objective way my personal results. This is what I heard, and I worked hard to keep all the other variables the same. My conclusion is that there is a break-in period needed for this amplifier. Is it measurable and does it make sense at an engineering level, probably not, but nonetheless my humble opinion is that the need exists.
clearthink
1,421 posts
 

douglas_schroeder"You, and everyone who thinks they hear equipment breaking in, need to read my articles about this topic at Dagogo.com;Audiophile Law: Thou Shalt Not Overemphasize Burn In and Audiophile Law: Burn In Text Redux "


It is strange, odd, and unusual that you claim to be an independent, unaligned, objective journalist on matters pertaining to Music Reproduction Systems and yet you promote and advertise you’re columns, opinions, and thoughts here is it that no one read’s your blogs?
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
clearthink, to clarify for you, I do not believe you would be able to provide any evidence wherein I claim to be "independent, unaligned" as if unassociated with any magazine. I have disclosed consistently that I write for Dagogo.com. 

Objective - I believe the community would see that to be the case, given the impossibility of any of us to rid ourselves of personal biases and preferences. 

"promote and advertise" - Promote, certainly. Advertise. No, sir, absolutely wrong. I have no involvement whatsoever with anything associated with advertising, either with Dagogo.com, or any entity in the industry. If you have the perception that I have any involvement in advertising, or have conducted any activity remotely associated with advertising, then please correct that misperception. 

I do not have an audio blog, so you are correct, no one reads a blog that does not exist. 

I have no clue whether Doug Schneider (note the spelling difference) is as you claim, and this is yet another case of mistaken identification. Perhaps that is why this all strikes you as strange, odd, and unusual. If that has been the case, then perhaps it will all be resolved now. What I find strange, odd, etc. is that for all these years in the industry, I have never met Doug Schneider. 

Finally, it is ironic to me that articles that I was not commissioned to write, nor were solicited, but were written simply as informative guides based on work done for my own benefit, experience, are questioned in regard to my motives and association as a reviewer.  :( 


More to discover