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Cartridge burn-in

Hi to all analog friends here,

Any time I purchase a new cartridge, when I set it up and sit down to listen to it, I cringe a little. It always sounds stiff, harsh, glassy, shrill. Then, after a few days/weeks of playing, it appears to 'break in' and start sounding relaxed, more musical, sweeter, less straining, presenting the music with better flow and finesse.

Common wisdom teaches that the cartridge, being a mechanical component, needs to loosen up its suspension. So, the only way to really hear what the cartridge is capable of is to play it for at the minimum 20 to 30 hours (some sources even say 50 hours).

OK, makes sense (kinda). But an alternative explanation is also possible: whenever we replace our current cartridge with a new one, the new one will sound different. Maybe it is this different, unfamiliar sonic character of the new cartridge that is causing us to feel that the sound is harsh, metallic, unpleasant, strenuous? Then, after a few days/weeks with the new cartridge, our ears and our listening habits get adjusted to the new type of sound, and we grow to like it.

This gradual conditioning to the new type of sound is then called 'cartridge break-in'. But maybe the cartridge doesn't really break-in; maybe it is our ears and our listening habits that gradually break-in and get accustomed to the new sound?

What do you think?

crazybookman
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,751 posts
 

Yes the Hana ML sounds very good right out of the box but with about 30-40hrs you can hear the improvement in the bass and mids. 

lewm
13,850 posts
 

There’s absolutely no question in my mind that cartridges need break in when new or even when they’ve been out of service for a week or more. I use a Cardas test LP to bring mine back to life. Bands 2a, b, and c on side1.

dogberry
827 posts
 

The bloody hard thing is to know when to dismiss a cartridge as...err...not what you wanted. I can agree that they continue to change for up to 100 hours. Most of the change will be heard in the first 20 hours. But if there are cartridges that are absolute shitgibbons before 100 hours, and become angelic world-beaters after 100 hours most of us will never appreciate them. Makers of such esoteric cartridges ought to run them in before sale, don't you think?

crazybookman OP
24 posts
 

Makers of such esoteric cartridges ought to run them in before sale, don't you think?

Which brings up another question: if indeed cartridges need break-in, why don't manufacturers perform that break-in when the cartridge gets assembled? Doing that would minimize the hassle of handling return items from people who get disappointed when listening to their new purchase. You know what they say -- you have only one chance to make the first impression.

Doing the break-in before they ship the cartridge shouldn't be a big deal for the manufacturers, no? So, why aren't they considering doing it?

medium_grade
117 posts
 

While I am a firm believer in "breaking in" most new gear, it is hard to quantify. It's hard to know how much of it is the gear itself changing character over time and your own ears becoming accustomed to what it's hearing and also not hearing. That being said, the two cartridges that I have had that used shibata styluses definitely felt thin and less dynamic until I played through them for a while.  

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