Burn-in and Equipmemt Value


A lot of people strongly believe that burn-in results in better sound quality and some will even pay more for cables that have the burn-in done by the manufacturer. If burn-in is real, then why isn't used equipment worth more than it is? At a minimum, shouldn't the demo equipment from a respected retailer be worth more when manufacturer warranties are still in play and the equipment is essentially new?

As a side question, why is it that any perceived change in a system where burn-in is credited it is assumed that the burn-in was on the newest piece of equipment? Some users report changes from burn-in hundreds and thousands of hours down the road.

I understand break-in on speakers and tube amplifiers, but struggle greatly with things like cables and digital sources.
mceljo
That's interesting. Why do you believe that it is a factor with tube amplifiers and speakers, but not cables and digital sources?
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Burn-in is free. It doesn't cost anything. Why would anyone pay more for something they can do for free?

If the "only" way to break-in a component was to pay to have it done, then maybe it's worth more, but it isn't.

Some buyers might even look at it as being more used and want to pay less for it...
Burn-in is free, bit does take time. A long burn-in takes some effort.

Speakers are mechanical with physical movement so it makes perfect sense that things can change with use. I am not sure how much of what I hear with my tube amp is just warm up vs. actual break-in, but it seems that something has changed. I don't believe that solid state really benefits from warm up or break-in and this goes for cables as well.

People pay for cable burn-in so it seems that those same people might pay more for a demo amplifier or speaker. The used market come with more risk of abuse so I can understand paying less.

Why is it that burn-in is generally assumed to always result in a positive change? Why can't speaker cables wear out?
A cable can have oxidation/tarnishing issues and mechanical joints can weaken from repeated handling, but what exactly in a cable can wear out?