I think this response from a member on another thread fits well here.
Basic Hyberphysics 101
Posted by Aball
"As far as I can tell, the break in effect is not due to the conductor or the dielectric, but rather the INTERFACE between the two. This interface, where conductor meets dielectric, has charge there due to dissimilar materials. It is basically static charge like you get when you rub your feet on carpet. It is the friction that produces the charge.
When you move cables around and bend them to get them connected to your gear, you are moving the dielectric relative to the conductor since in a curve, the outer side moves more than the inner side. This differential speed causes a charge build up on the surface of the conductor that remains there since the dielectric is not electrically conductive.
But when an electrical signal (e.g., music) goes through the cable, a magnetic field is generated around the conductor (called Ampere's Law). This field interacts with the electrostatic charge present at the outer surface. As with anything in nature, an equilibrium of the charges has to occur since energy is being pumped through. The time it takes for these charges to stabilize (or get eliminated?) is what would be the "break in" time. Cardas on his website has a blurb about this. I think it is called "triboelectric charge" in technical terms.
I think some cable makers try to get around this problem by leaving an air gap between the conductor and insulator. Tara Labs does this in their high-end models and a couple others do too I believe. It is a clever idea but hard to make in practice.
I am a believer in cable break in ever since I conducted an experiment. I had two identical MIT T2 cables. One was new and the other was used heavily and still in the system. I took the new ones and twisted them in all directions to increase the potential effect. Then I carefully removed the installed pair and put in the tortured new pair. The difference was totally obvious - particularly in the high frequencies. The used pair was distinctly smoother than the brash-sounding new pair. I was then going to twist up the old pair and retry but never did.
But I also think our brains change too. We spend every moment of our life getting used to things and we all know that if you are cooking in the kitchen, you can't smell the food - but that doesn't mean the food isn't there.
Basic Hyberphysics 101
Posted by Aball
"As far as I can tell, the break in effect is not due to the conductor or the dielectric, but rather the INTERFACE between the two. This interface, where conductor meets dielectric, has charge there due to dissimilar materials. It is basically static charge like you get when you rub your feet on carpet. It is the friction that produces the charge.
When you move cables around and bend them to get them connected to your gear, you are moving the dielectric relative to the conductor since in a curve, the outer side moves more than the inner side. This differential speed causes a charge build up on the surface of the conductor that remains there since the dielectric is not electrically conductive.
But when an electrical signal (e.g., music) goes through the cable, a magnetic field is generated around the conductor (called Ampere's Law). This field interacts with the electrostatic charge present at the outer surface. As with anything in nature, an equilibrium of the charges has to occur since energy is being pumped through. The time it takes for these charges to stabilize (or get eliminated?) is what would be the "break in" time. Cardas on his website has a blurb about this. I think it is called "triboelectric charge" in technical terms.
I think some cable makers try to get around this problem by leaving an air gap between the conductor and insulator. Tara Labs does this in their high-end models and a couple others do too I believe. It is a clever idea but hard to make in practice.
I am a believer in cable break in ever since I conducted an experiment. I had two identical MIT T2 cables. One was new and the other was used heavily and still in the system. I took the new ones and twisted them in all directions to increase the potential effect. Then I carefully removed the installed pair and put in the tortured new pair. The difference was totally obvious - particularly in the high frequencies. The used pair was distinctly smoother than the brash-sounding new pair. I was then going to twist up the old pair and retry but never did.
But I also think our brains change too. We spend every moment of our life getting used to things and we all know that if you are cooking in the kitchen, you can't smell the food - but that doesn't mean the food isn't there.