2. cables
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Cable Break In for the Naysayers

I still cannot believe that in this stage of Audio history there are still many who claim cable break in is imagined. They even go so far as claim it is our ears that break in to the new sound. Providing many studies in the way of scientific testing. Sigh...

I noticed such a recent discussion on the What’s Best Forum. So here is my response.

______________________________________________________________________________________________ I just experienced cable break in again firsthand. 10 Days ago, I bought a new set of the AudioQuest Thunderbird XLR 2M interconnects.

First impression, they sounded good, but then after about 30 hours of usage the music started sounding very closed in and with limited high frequencies. This continued until about 130 hours of music play time.

Then at this time, the cables started to open up and began to sound better and better each passing hour. I knew at the beginning they would come around because they sounded ok at first until the break in process started. But now they have way surpassed that original sound.

Now the soundstage has become huge with fantastic frequency extensions. Very pleased with the results. Scientifically I guess we can’t prove cable break in is real, but with good equipment, good ears, it is clearly a real event.

ozzy

128x128ozzy
benanders's avatar
benanders
212 posts
 

FWIW I don’t believe any inanimate object can break an entering, cables or otherwise.

normb's avatar
normb
145 posts
 

I read an article somewhere in the past year about the sounds associated with aurora borealis (northern lights).

It’s been “folklore” for centuries that people have reported HEARING them while scientists, ahem, *S*C*I*E*N*T*I*S*T*S* have scoffed, ridiculed and generally been real d**ks about the idea.

That’s the thing about “THE SCIENCE!” There IS no “THE SCIENCE!” as a fixed, invariant, quantifiable unchanging thing as new data comes in as it has indeed.

Cables, Capacitors, Cartridges, Vacuum tubes need to break in? Synchronicity? In the words of Sigmund Freud to Carl Gustav Jung, “Bosh, Doctor, you are mistaken.”

Until “THE SCIENCE” changes.

Auroras make noise? Who knew.

benanders's avatar
benanders
212 posts
 

My joking aside, I think an important contention is that despite many manufacturers / engineers in other lines of products conducting [robustly designed] consumer preference analyses for a variety of reasons, for whatever reason these seem utterly absent from cable companies. Preference studies can be mildly painstaking and usually not free. In this case it’s almost like something that’s not been demonstrated is better staying that way; why?

Just curious to me. No bother any which way.

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
3,860 posts
 

For those that don’t believe let them live in their own world.

fact the metal has to season in as well as the connectors as dielectric 

Teflon takes the longest , I deal with upgrading Loudspeaker capacitors Xovers frequently and 100% just like with a cable I give them minimum of 200 hours to 

fully settle in . If they don’t believe ,not worth your time debating .

just like with new electronics .

rbertalotto
137 posts
 

As long as YOU are having fun and YOU can hear a difference......Carry on!

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