What Exactly Does "Burn In" do for Electronics?

George is right.

But you need to let your computer screen break in to fully understand the concept.

The effect of burn in on dielectric materials and how it affects the dielectric constant is well understood and can be found all over the Internet by a simple Google, so you can just about ignore all the hoopla surrounding burn in of cables, anything with wires side, capacitors, transformers, things in that vein.

So Al, by disagreeing respectfully, are you saying that you believe that "breakin phenomena" does exist??
Or just to my assumptions that there should be a measurable difference in component specification?

And if so, in which do you believe the "breakin phenomena" exists, passive cables or active electronic components?

Cheers George

George, what I was disagreeing with were the three assumptions I listed that your disagreement with ZD appeared to be based on. As far as my own beliefs are concerned, I think we are all agreed that speakers, cartridges, and tubes will change their behavior significantly as they break in. Beyond that I can’t particularly speak from experience, as the only major components I’ve bought new in many years have been speakers. But since you’ve asked, FWIW my beliefs concerning other kinds of components, and cables and power cords, are as follows:

1)I have made the point in dozens of threads over the years here that it is extremely easy in audio to attribute a perceived change to the wrong variable. And I believe that many reported perceptions of changes due to “break in,” especially those involving many hundreds of hours, are the result of incorrect attribution, made possible by experimental methodology which is not adequately thorough and disciplined. Of course, I also assume that in a significant number of cases such reports are simply the result of misperception. And all of that is fostered by a goodly amount of what I perceive to be mythology and technical misconception that is pervasive in audio.

2)Concerning electronic components (solid state as well as tube), as I said I can’t speak from experience. However, a considerable majority of those audiophiles whose opinions I have come to particularly respect, and who also have vast amounts of experience with excellent equipment, believe based on that experience that new electronic components generally require a breakin period of at least tens of hours, and in many cases hundreds of hours. While my technical background and my understanding of how this stuff works does not enable me to precisely explain that, it also does not provide me with any definitive reason to refute it. Therefore I believe that solid state and tube electronic components can be expected to undergo significant amounts of breakin, perhaps several hundred hours for some components.

As I implied earlier in the thread, however, my strong suspicion when I see reports of 800 or 1000 hours or thereabouts being necessary is that either there has been a misperception, or something else has changed in the system or its AC power or its environment (e.g., temperature or humidity, as we both cited earlier in the thread).

3)Concerning cables and power cords, I would say that I’m somewhere in the skeptical part of the spectrum, but I don’t completely rule out the possibility. Among various explanations that tend to be offered, effects related to the dielectric, such as dielectric absorption, are perhaps the most commonly cited. However I have never seen any QUANTITATIVE analysis or measurements offered which would either establish or negate the possibility that such effects may be great enough in degree to have a reasonable chance of being audibly significant. It is very easy to conjure up explanations when they are not, or as a practical matter can not be, subjected to quantitative scrutiny.

The bottom line: As with most things in life, I believe that the truth depends on the specifics that are being considered, and generally lies somewhere in the middle part of the ideological spectrum.

IMO, YMMV, FWIW, etc.

Regards,
--Al

So it seems like we are in agreement, that to us "break in" for better or worse can occur with the mechanical devices such as speakers drivers, cartridges, and tubes, as you also said.
And you and I will not commit without skirting around the edges and state to "break in" periods of semiconductors or active components can get "better sounding" with said "break in" times of 100's of hours, unless some technical proof is brought forward, forgetting hearsay of friends and customers.
Cheers George