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Burning/breaking in new equipment?

I am a complete beginner to stereo equipment, never having even owned so much as a record or CD, but I have been reading about it and found what I thought were good deals, so I pulled the trigger this weekend.

The following are on their way:

Benchmark DAC3 (DAC and preamp)
Bryston 4B3 (power amplifier)
KEF R900 (speakers)
XLR cables (from Benchmark)

I have read that new equipment needs to be broken in for about 100 hours. Does that mean I have to play music through them for 100 hours at the same volume I would use when listening or can I play it at a much lower volume?

Note: I am a little worried that the above system might be too bright, sharp or clinical (as I have read about the previous generations of Bryston amps) but I am trying to go for clean, pure, true, honest, accurate, transparent — whatever that means, but I am thinking I want it to sound like what the artists, producers, directors, audio engineers, etc intended when they created, mixed and mastered each track, with nothing artificial added by the equipment. I also went with companies with more solid engineering and less marketing.

.

bobk3
randy-11
1,913 posts
 
Oppo gives you ability to play video even if you stream

BTW, galvanic isolation is important for streaming - lots of engineers discussing this on computeraudiophile.com


willemj
1,036 posts
 
There is a good argument for not getting into audio discs anymore, now that redbook cd streaming of a huge repertoire is available. Similarly, internet radio offers a huge choice, with often pretty decent or even superb sound quality (usually better than FM radio). With video it is a different story, however. Netflicks has its own series, and some B movies, but very little in the way of art films, or opera/ballet etc. And I know of no streamed alternatives. For that, you still need (UHD) Bluray discs.
bobk3 OP
9 posts
 
" Netflicks has its own series, and some B movies, but very little in the way of art films, or opera/ballet etc. And I know of no streamed alternatives. For that, you still need (UHD) Bluray discs."

I didn't know that.  I thought you could stream, rent or download any video. 4k video might be so big that it would overwhelm their download/streaming sites.

I had a budget of $10,000 and I am several hundred dollars below that.  I thought I was going to spend what is left on acoustic panels, but now I might need to go with the Oppo -- or break the budget by a few hundred dollars, although if the Oppo is for video, it probably shouldn't be included as part of the stereo budget.
bobk3 OP
9 posts
 
@ willemj: "The only component with a sonic signature will be the speakers. Even the best speakers are very imperfect compared to electronics. I take it you have auditioned those and like them. However, if you will ever consider upgrading anything, look at the speakers, because there may well be room for improvement in that area (at a price). Think of something like the Harbeth M40.2 (provided the room is big enough). But stay away from changing the electronics."

The KEF speakers are what I was least sure about.  I will look into the Harbeth M40 2, probably after a few months, unless I come across a fantastic deal before that.  Thanks.
inna
7,296 posts
 
itunes. You could rent films for under $5 or buy them for $10 - $15 depending on title and resolution. You would need to donwload free itunes software to be able to do it.
youtube has streaming service for many titles, $2 - $5.
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