Reason why manufacturers might not want to do "break-in" in advance of sale: Because, in my experience, no cartridge is happy just sitting around, whether as a freshly built virgin in a sealed gift box or on the end of a tonearm. In both cases, the suspension, which has either never been worked or has stiffened up from lack of use, benefits from use, which is why I recommend playing a suitable test LP in advance of a serious listening session, if the cartridge was not in regular use prior to the session and especially if the cartridge is brand new. I specifically recommend the Cardas test LP, but there certainly may be others suitable to the job. Sometimes I don't have the patience to use the Cardas LP in advance of a listening session. In those cases, one can easily hear that the cartridge gets much happier after 20-30 minutes, if you are intimately familiar with the system and the SQ of the cartridge.
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?
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A pretty decent experiment would be to take one cartridge that has over 50 or over 100 hours on it, and then get another brand new cartridge (the exact same model), and play the two side-by-side on the same turntable, same tonearm, same setup, same phono, same preamp, same amp, same speakers, same room. That should tell us if there are audible differences between the cart that is broken in and the cart that is brand new out of the box. To make that experiment more 'objective', the listening test between the two cartridges should be blindfold. The listeners must not know which cartridge is playing when. They are to make notes after listening to each cart, and then compare notes with the layout of the experiment. Who's game? |
No matter how you design your experiment, unless you are willing to spend money to do it, the design is fraught with sources for error that could skew the results. If you compare a used or broken in cartridge to a new one, then stylus wear could be an issue. If you set up the two cartridges in the same tonearm, then there can be error in set-up that could affect the results. But the experiment is unnecessary in my opinion; it is very obvious and logical (given that the suspension is so important to performance) that break-in for a cartridge is real. However, if you are skeptical, go for it. |
Glad the Aidas is continuing to satisfy :) |
I've now installed about a dozen MC cartridges in my setup, from brand new. Some sound spectacular right from hour #1, and others start out decent-ish and then show improvement over the next 20 - 50 hours. I've even experienced both types from the same same brand. But I haven't ever had one sound "cringe", yet. I don't think I've ever heard anything go from cringe to good via break-in. But to be fair, I lose patience easily and have given up on some components (not cartridges) before full burn-in. |
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