Wyred STP-SE : Break In Times


Hi All,

I recently purchased the W4S STP-SE preamp. I have been breaking it in. It's nearly 350 hours now and feel like it hasn't opened up yet. Vocals are harsh, sound stage is limited and everything feels cramped.

Now, the manual says 200 hours, but does anyone have experience of breaking in much longer to get it to optimal sound?

I have experience with other Wyred products (DAC, MC amp), so I have a very good idea of their sonic character.

I'm just wondering if this is time to panic or wait it out, to say, 500 hours.

Any input appreciated.
Thanks.
pack_tor
I bought a new W4S STP-SE and ST1000 amp and probably have 100 to 125 hours on the units. They are running Maggie 1.7's with an AudioSpace CD8 as the source. I routinely play the Maggies at 40 to 50 on the volume control so I am staying in the passive mode.

The W4S units are plugged into a surge protector from Parts Express with no special cabling or power cords. The speaker wires are nothing special; the gauge is thicker than lamp cord.

The W4S have really opened up in terms of bass in the last few weeks compared to straight out of the box. The bass is articulate with texture and timbre. No boominess at all. I used palpable to describe the bass when I first heard the W4S in my house. I was wrong, it is palpable now. Thicker and richer.

The sound stage seems to come and go so I think that depends a lot on the specific CD or album. This is a piece of advice that I picked up on another Audiogon thread and I think that it is true.

The treble, to my ear, sounds good most of the time. On occasion it does seem a bit harsh. I would not call the treble "liquid" by any stretch of the imagination and I am not sure that that it is necessarily "smooth" all of the time. I do not often hear the "sheen" coming off cymbals. Perhaps this is the source; I am setting up a turntable so more to come on that score.
Dsper

My experience relates to the preamp only and it did originally sound dark and closed in..Now it does not and is very open and neutral. I have never liked any type of conditioner or power strip in my system so I would go direct to the wall as simple as you can and see if that cleans up the high end. Sheen on the cymbals sometimes means added distortion or glare somewhere else in the chain. Being obvious is not always a good thing to hear. Tom
Feil

I have found some history here and on Google about you and Wc65Mustang being the same critter and I will be posting very soon. Goes back to 2005 and 2006..Yeah know some of us never forget. Tom
What was it that they said in the Stephen King movie...SSDD?

Same Sh*t Different Day.
I remember Wc65 Mustang and some of the inflamatory posts.
I've had good days, and bad days on Audiogon...even had too much wine and made a fool of myself...but I've NEVER had to use fake names, change identities.
Tom has NEVER hidden his sale of these products...anyone paying attention knows this--only a confederate, a fraud would change their name, though.

Good listening,
Larry
Hi All,

Thanks for all the input in this thread.

I decided to persist to about 500 hours and see what happens. It started to open up at around 425. It's around 550 hours now and it sounds very very nice. I still think the highs have a slight harshenss to them - rather a tinge of metallic hissiness, but I'm hoping it will go away soon. The soundstage is much more wider, open and holographic.

I did try plugging in directly to the wall and it only made a minor difference in my system.

In any case, I'm still surprised as to why it took over 500 hours for it totally open up. I'm glad it's atleast not any problem with the components themselves.

Thanks for the input!