I don't know how one can prove that cables do require a break-in period since cables cannot be removed from their connections to test separately. It leaves the question as to what truely is breaking in, the components/tubes, cables or all since a whole system is a combination of its many parts. If I could speculate on cable break-in I would tend to think that the electrons would have to establish their shortest signal path thus producing an eventual change.
cable burn in process
Hi folks, do you also share the same experience regarding cable burn in process? A not yet broken in interconnect (or speaker cable), right out of the box sounds during the first 10-20 hours of listening quite good. We are hearing some or the cable's characteristics and how it would sound when fully broken in. After 10-20 hours the sound gets worse, the cable sounds totally off. After >50 hours (a few weeks of listening) the sound returns to baseline, but with more body, smoother treble and bigger soundstage. This is a phenomenon which I have encountered many times during my cable journey. I believe cables need burn in time, but the sonic changes in this particular order remain one of the mysteries of audio.
Chris
Chris