Cables "Burn In"

I do believe cables need some break-in. Something changes in the molecular structure when a current is applied. Just wondering if we are going too far? As a mused above: Why wait forever for the cable to burn in? Just get one that sounds good in a perpetual partially burned in state, whatever that is!?

On the one hand, on the other hand. Have I not heard something like this on numerous occasions? The whole burn-in thing has to be a joke. If any component actually needs burning in to sound better, this means that, unless whatever change happens in the component that is not simply metaphysical in nature stops at some point, the component will either sound better and better as it ages, almost without end, or will get to a point where it loses its optimal listening quality as whatever is changing starts on a downward curve. Maybe components should have a "best before date" so that we can throw them out? No that would not do, because in audio everything is in the ears of the one listener, so the only solution is to listen for any, repeat any, change, no matter how subtle, and, if deemed to be on the negative side of the holistic listening experience, to ditch the component when it gets too "burned-in". To solve this, invent this wacky theory for cables that they go back and forth in their ability to carry a signal and that they have to "relearn" this fine art of conductivity by being "re-burned-in" from time to time. This whole thing is so unreal! Top it all off by saying "well I know it has to be so because I can hear the difference", with the sub-text implying that if the sceptic cannot, he is either deaf or stupid or both, and should get out of the hobby, and you have, yet again, a snapshot of the state of subjective audio. If, in fact, humans could hear these changes caused by some yet un-named, un-measurable and imperceptible phenomena save to the initiate, life would be unbearable. Sort of like seeing the blackheads on the nose of a stadium-full of people at two hundred and fifty yards because of extra high resolution bionic vision. Even if it was possible, why would anyone want to?

I wasn't all that sure if the audio interconnect burn-in thing was my imagination or not, but I'm convinved after buying a new Monster M2000 S-Video cable and watching a few DVDs. When I first hooked it up the picture was pretty bad...extrememly grainy, very weird color saturation, and I was very disappointed. I watched it that night and then left it hooked up with a DVD playing on repeat. It was better the next night, but still far from perfect. I bet it took a week of letting in run by itself and watching films before it looked good (and it now looks very good). That experience really made me a believer because I could "see" the process. I guess I trust my eyes more than my ears.

Pbb: not to get into the subjective vs objective thing, but your analogy "seeing the blackheads on the nose of a stadium-full of people at two hundred and fifty yards because of extra high resolution bionic vision" completely misses the point, yet completely summarizes the objective point of view.

The more ACCURATE analogy to in this situation would be "hearing the crowd in an open stadium at 250 yards, and figuring out which team is winning".

In your analogy, a machine (ccd imager with telephoto lens) would certainly perform better than the human eye. HOWEVER, in my analogy, no oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, or distortion meter could tell me which team is winning. But my 5 year old could.

Point is, "subjective" criteria are not about the microscopic details as much as the big picture - believable music presentation. It is just that us humans are taught from birth to describe these things in a microscopic way.

I have personally found many cables to change the musical presentation with burn in. If you haven't tried it, try it. If you don't hear, don't burn it. But don't redicule the concept based upon what you have heard from "objectivists".

Audiofile9, I really don't care what you found, since you appear to have missed my point entirely. This forum is for you and yours in any event. The whole thing is so predictable at any rate that my post indicated what the likely comeback would be. You served your side of the argument as well as anybody else who would have come up to say that you are entirely satisfied that your own well trained golden ear is all you need to satisfy yourself of the existence and relevance of absolute horse feathers. I'm content in listening to music on my system and have no need to chase the will-o-the-wisp. My very last point is that there is no debate left, Audiogon is dedicated to believers and no one else. I have received many e-mails from people who have come to this realisation. The discussion forum is merely a sideshow to the only true raison d'être of Audiogon: encouraging the sale of the most outlandishly priced equipment.