Do you think driver “break in” is real?
Do you think “high end” drivers and crossovers typically need a “break in” period before they sound their best? I ask because, I believe I’ve experienced this first hand in a very significant way. I replaced the tweeters (same exact brand and model as original) in my ACI Sapphire 25 year anniversary edition speakers and for the first week I thought I’d lost my all time favorite speakers. I was depressed! So I just kept playing them… finally after a couple weeks, I’m literally stunned and blown away at how incredible these speakers sound. Completely different than the first 30 or 40 hours after I put in the new Scan Speak tweeters. So I say break in period must be real - at least for some drivers. Has anyone else experienced this to a degree that is unmistakeable?
Crossovers too? I just rebuilt the crossovers for a pair of ACI Sapphire XL’s (using highest quality components- same values) and so far they sound mediocre. Hoping for the same result as my other Sapphires but after about 20 hours - no noticeable difference - and they do not even sound as good as prior to crossover rebuild. They sound flat, too bright with poor imaging - but for 10 to 15 years they were pretty great sounding speakers. Thoughts on crossover break in??
Thanks to anyone who responds!!
Absolutely real. I once had to replace the diaphragm on one of my previous horn tweeters; well the fixed channel was harsh and piercing for a couple days, skewing the stereo image to that side, until it settled down and both channels started playing equal. Same with my new tweeters, I had to change the crossover settings after a few days because they started really hot and bright fresh out of the box and ended up smooth to the point of dullness until I changed the settings again. |
@willywonka come on... it's one of the easiest things to verify. Just put in a brand new tweeter on one side, and keep the old, used tweeter on the other side, and see if you can get any decent center image. I guarantee you won't! And you can do the same with most everything that has a break in period, like capacitors, or even cables, you will get the same results. |
