Borresen X1 & X2

Make sure the + on the speaker is going to the + on the Amp  :)

Hello, two weeks ago I bought a pair of Borresen X2’s from a great guy who ordered them in April 2024 as a temp pair till his large Wilson speakers arrived. Those arrived early so I received a pair of X2’s with only 20-23 hours on them. I’ve put about 30 hours on them and, while they have opened up, they seem to be a fair ways behind my Focal Sopra 2’s in area of comparison. Yet, I hear something I really like about the Borresens....some great detail but a much smaller soundstage (and yes I have the positive and negative terminals aligned).  I’m running a Boulder 866 integrated amp with DAC, an Auralic Aries G2.2 streamer, and Audience Front Row cables throughout.

Can someone who broke in a pair of Borresens tell me how much more I can expect when I cross 100 hours, 150, 200? Borresen estimates 50-100 hours but I’ve read others speak of real audible improvement up through 300 hours.

Just looking for some encouragement to keep putting the hours on them before deciding which to sell. Anyone running Borresens on a Boulder amp? The synergy between my Boulder and Focal is lovely. Went down this road because my wife isn’t super happy about a pair of big red speakers (I like the red) so I thought I would entertain some smaller black floor standing speakers. Greg

I would like to read more about your Sopra 2 vs X2 comparison when you have time. 

I am going to run as much music through them for three more weeks. I’ll drop a post once a week or so.

Here is the single most easily detected difference...the Focals immediately present themselves as coming out of a very black background. I knew it before but didn't really fully recognize till side-by-side testing with the same gear. 

Is this black background that is presenting itself on one speaker far more than the other a result of the limited hours on the Borrensens? Will the black background intensify over time with the B's?

While I do think that (unlike cables) speakers do change slightly after a certain amount of use, I really believe it’s well under 100 hours and probably closer to 10 or 20. And the differences will be subtle. If you’re waiting for them to dramatically change, I think you’ll be disappointed. What I believe is more likely is, your ears become accustomed to them and they’ll slowly start to bring more enjoyment, even though the speakers themselves aren’t changing, you are. :)