Furutech Mains Power Cables Hierarchy & Differences

@painter24 from my experience…

the timelines (ballpark) are when the rollercoaster stops. The cables and the outlet continue to settle but the changes aren’t as drastic…

32n with FI-28 R - 300hrs

55n with FI-50 NCF - 500hrs

GTX-D NCF outlets (I installed two, months apart, same exact break in experience) - 300hrs

Thanks @digsmithd ​​@audphile1 

I've had my system playing while working upstairs, for between 15-17 hrs a day since installing the cable, so I have a ways to go yet then 😊. All part of the journey/fun 😉

😂 Someone please explain to me the insane notion that ‘Cable Breakin’ exists!!…. 

@boostedis really? Quite a few quality cable manufacturers "season" or break in their cables in the manufacturing process, Synergistic Research, Zavfino, Nordost, and others. What is insane about the dielectric properties changing as the cable is used? 

Cables: Most all cable manufacturers agree that break-in is a result of changes in the conductor and/or dielectric. According to one manufacturer: "The insulation (or dielectric) will absorb energy from the conductor when a current is flowing (i.e. when music is playing). This energy-absorption causes the dielectric's molecules to re-arrange themselves from a random order into a uniform order. When the molecules have been rearranged, the dielectric will absorb less energy & consequently cause less distortion."

Cardas has, for years, included a Cable Break-in Guide with their cables. In it they state: "All cables need a break-in and warm-up period. Better cables require longer break-in.  With all cables, the more you play them and the less you move them, the better they will sound." The unique geometry of Cardas cables require that "...the strands be of equal tension... Current flowing through the cable during break-in, and each warm-up period, will relax the structure of the strands." 

Another prominent cable designer believes that during the break-in process electrons are establishing new micro pathways through the conductor material and these changes in the conductor is the primary reason for the improvement realized through break-in. They believe that most of the signal travels across the surface of the conductor. Viewed under a microscope the surface that appears smooth to the naked eye is really a series of peaks and valleys. The irregular surface forces electrons along a circuitous path to their destination. When a cable is bent or twisted, new tears and fissures form, disrupting existing pathways and requiring new ones to be formed. This explanation lends credence to reports that cables need to be re-conditioned and being handled. I've seen this in a very real way.

Years ago, when break-in first became realized, we decided to complete the process before shipping our cables and advertised the service as a value-added benefit. It didn't take before we started hearing back from customers who questioned whether we'd done what we promised since their cables indeed improved after a week or two of use. We believe that, at least in part, the act of coiling the cables for shipment and then uncoiling them after arrival, was the culprit.

While there is no hard data (that I am aware of) to prove to the engineers among you that break-in in exists, I'm sure 99.9% of audiophiles have heard the benefits of the process and believe strongly in its importance.

https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/break-in-real-or-imagined/

Funny how cable manufactures all agree that the product they’re selling really is phenomenal and makes that ‘big’  difference then the burn in .., we don’t know why but all believe it right ? Physics who believes that crap anyway.