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Burn in vs perception

Posting here in speakers, but could probably go in any of the forums. Question of the night: how much of burn in of components is actually burn in of our perception? That is, is burn in partly us becoming accustomed to a change in sound.
 

I’m listening to my SF Amati Traditions that at first I found a bit strident, but I now find lush, dynamic, and generally brilliant. I bought them as 1-year old demos so theoretically they should have been played enough to be broken in. I haven’t changed anything in my system—I have been working on my room with more stuff, but that’s it.

Sometimes reviewers or arm chair audiophiles (me) will state that said component needs to be plugged in and left alone for weeks until it gels with the system. Could this simply be our own perception burn in OR is something real happening here?

For speakers I can buy it (woofers need to loosen up and all), but I almost always buy used, and I almost alway a) find a difference of a new component (good or bad), and b) in time, I couldn’t tell you what the change was. Maybe just me, but our brains are pretty good level setters.

I willing to bet this can be a large part of “burn in”.

 

 

w123ale

Showing 1 response by jcferguson

jcferguson
4 posts
 

What is the basis for the belief that a mechanical device, speakers especially, would change over time? If they require break in for the first 200 hours for optimal sound, and it’s interesting that it’s always a round number in the 100’s, what is preventing it from continuing to change over the next few hundred hours and so on, continuing to change to failure? Is there really a “bathtub” curve for flexion of the suspension material, a’la MTBF? 

This isn’t like breaking in an engine in which the bearing surfaces are getting smoother and hence experiencing less friction improving performance. This is a flexible material that is being flexed and stretched. A change in those properties would seem to require a chemical or molecular change, not simply usage. 

i believe the only thing that is “breaking in” is your perception. 

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