Cable Break-in....again?

If your cables require break in then I would very be suspicious of either the design or the manufacturer.

There should be absolutely no scienific reason that cables driven at normal AC current levels and made of appropriate materials, such as copper, with reasonable diameter, shielding and insulator, would change their response over time. From time to time ( over months/years ) the contacts might need cleaning (due to oxidation) but that is about it!

Anyone who designs cables that require a break in must necessarily be using some materials that are not stable or fit for purpose in either the cables or the components driving them ...in essence probably a very bad cable/system design as nobody desires that the audible output drift over time.

Anyone who claims that any of the commonly used audio cables actually requres a break in period is probably deluded....most are designed to do their job and would never be driven to the kind of extremes that would cause drifts or changes in their properties.

It could be delusional to think that cables are the only part of a system that does not require break-in, but we know for sure that audio components in themselves do require this break-in period. Audio components have traces on circuit boards for the exception of point to point wiring which interconnects electronic parts (tubes transistors etc.). We know they all contribute to the final sound but do cables in themselves change during break-in & can it be proven? Who really knows for sure. Some electronic engineers can add, subtract or substitute various electronic parts (including wiring) to improve sound but admittingly can't always explain why, resorting to theories.

Bob, I don't know how you reached that (those) conclusions from what I said, but no I don't think that.

As for power cords, and other cables: I surely thought it clear that I take all this "lore" I reported, with a very large grain of salt!

No one I know, or whose article I've read has ever made reference to any scientific study or listening test. Well wait a minute, there was a very well designed (and carefully written-up) listening test that took place in San Fancisco, I think. But the results were inconclusive.

Phd,

A good system design should require very little break in...any design that drifts significantly over time is likely to require regular maintenance or calibration...something a good designer will try to avoid.

Fortunately regular copper speaker wire driven with normal AC audio signals and within its design tolerances is so extremely stable with time that it should far outlast everything else with no drift in properties that would affect the sound....this means that a break in is simply not required for your regular run of the mill copper speaker wire. (only a cable made from materials that were not stable over time/electrical use could conceivably require a break in period, but this would be a poorly designed cable in the first place)

Shadorne, you could be very well correct in regards to the subject of breaking in cabling. If I understand you correctly your suggesting that if there is anything breaking in at all it would be the components & not the cables. Since most quality cabling as well as components are designed by ear for a desired sound and in the end become part of a whole system makes you wonder exactly what part of it, if not all of that system is breaking in. I don't how one can prove if the cable is or is not breaking in with the new components since you really can't test separately. I think this is a thread that everyone has their own opinion and maybe no one can be proven wrong but an interesting topic nonetheless.