2. cables
  3. 168754-154066

New cables - To judge now or after burn in period?

I am in the midst of auditioning a host of Siltech speaker cables (Siltech Legend 380i & 680i) and interconnects (XLR and RCA - Siltech Legend 380i). Needless to say, they are quite a bit more costly than my existing QED cables (QED Genesis Silver Spiral Bi-wire & QED Signature 40 interconnects).

The Siltech cables are highly recommended by my distributor and seem to be well received by the audiophile press. However, doubts arise as upon trying them at home they do not sound as dynamic as my existing QED cables. While the highs are more resolving and I am hearing things that I have not heard before, the bass seems constricted and the music does not make my feet tap anymore.

Is that because the cables are brand new and have not been burnt in as yet? Or is it because there is no synergy between the cables and my particular system? Or is it a bit of both? If it is a burn in issue, how many hours of burn in is required before I should make a judgment as to whether I prefer the sound of the interconnects and speaker cables?

All inputs or observations are welcome.

128x128dcpillai
kellyp's avatar
kellyp
104 posts
 
In cable design, there should not be any break in unless your amp has a DC offset.  The dielectric will not polarize with an AC signal because the opposing swings of voltage neutralizes it. Surprisingly, most amps have a little DC offset, and that reveals a problem with an amp, not adapting the cable. 
robert53
459 posts
 
Stupid of stupid or deafest of deaf? I've gone into a couple of high end end retailers with a friend and listened to a system set up by the owners. in both cases they asked " doesn't that sound great "? We turned and looked at each other and said " that sounds terrible! ".
robert53
459 posts
 
What would be the motivation for a company to post false information about cable break in? I can't figure it out. It's not going to make you purchase their cables, so what can it be? Also, it's not all cables that need a long burn in as stated by Cardas.
craiganelson
3 posts
 
I currently own Transparent Audio speaker cables and interconnects and my hi-fi dealer recommended that I audition the Siltech cables because, in his opinion, they marry so well with Sim Audio electronics, which I also use.  So I have done a little online research on Siltech cables and came across a bing video of Edwin Rynveld, the CEO, chief engineer and owner of Siltech and his wife Gabi Rynveld, owner of Crystal Cable. Edwin is also the chief engineer of Crystal.  According to Edwin Rynveld cables (at least their cables) require break in.  You can view this video series if you google  Siltech & Crystal Cable Bing Video.  He mentions break-in during the last half of video 2 (I think some point after the 6 minute mark).  It was interesting to hear him say that if you put the cables in boiling water and take them out and let them dry off for a day they will sound better.  He explains fully what the process of heat accomplishes.  He says that you can get the same result with high current but it is not advisable for safety reasons. 
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,823 posts
 
Until I got my Darwin speaker cables, all other brands had a slow and subtle break in over time. Looking back, that told me that practically all cables are just a variation on a theme and behave accordingly.

The Darwins were the first speaker cables to break in differently. For the first four hours or so, they behaved like any other I've tried. Then, they blossomed like a time elapsed video of a flower, opening up like nothing I've heard before.

You'll find there are few makes out there that are different than the usual run of cables.

All the best,
Nonoise
More to discover