South: Yes, new shoes are stiff. But leather is a very high-resistance conductor, and I find it really rolls off the high end (down, oh, 100 dB or so at 20 hz). YMMV. |
Wen you by a new pair of shoes are they not stiff at first? Have you read on some product manuals that a breakin period is required(80+ hrs on anthem gear). New ic's and spkr wire are no different-burning them in is a must. I have set my tuner in between stations amd let the white noise do the rest. |
For the 100th time: It is real |
I have nothing new to add but will mention the old. I burn IC's in by runing the cable music station through our VCR to the television (with the new IC's in the link). This way I do not have to listen to them and they can run in most of the day(s). I have also used our second mini system (which is always used as a source only and is piped through either a Musical Fidelity or Audion amp), for speaker cable especially, but also IC's and PC's. This way the main system stays intact and listenable while the cable is being run in. I always do, out of curiosity, try new cables out first in the main system, but quickly tire of the sound (when fresh) and then send them off to the other devices. The only IC that I have used that required little to almost no break in has been the Mapleshade Double Helix digital cable which is a micro wire design. It sounded stable to me after an afternoon's play. I have also noticed that storing IC's (that are not in use) flat and not coiled seems top preserve most of their better sound qualities when they are once again installed. If an electrical current does not change the inherent characteristics of metal, then why does electro plating work? I also have a question about magnets (in this context), but don't know exactly what the question is. |
Oh Sean,apaologies, "chucklehead" myself. I misunderstood, no, I did not use anything to speed up the process. Just played music. |
Haven't we been through this all before ? And with the same yay and nay sayers? My humble opinion is that it is not voodoo, I think I have heard differences before, during and after burn in again and again, but the sceptical part in me would like cut and dried proof, that what I hear can really be attributed to this process in debate. |
If interested, go to the www.cardas.com where they have a discussion of cable burn in posted in the "insights" section. I'm not sure I buy into it, but it makes for interesting reading |
Th XLO "burn-in" CD reduced my burn in time considerably. From around an average of 150 hours to 90 hours. I run my system around 14 hours a day when breaking in a new cable. |
Looks like the same old argumentitive attitude is prevailing on this thread regarding those who dismiss perceived changes in components and suchlike. Maybe stevemj would like to further substantiate his remark that all electrons are alike as I am sure he must have a through understanding and grasp of quantum mechanics and how this subject details the random versus orderly nature of sub-atomic particles and their physical attributes. Can he explain this subject to all us simple audio enthusiasts who have decided they just like to listen and enjoy their music via components selected through their own free choice (whilst also taking advice from all sides who have meaningful contributions to make). Apologies if this post appears agressive but I would just like to see this forum provide meaningful and helpful ways of allowing us all to enjoy and further our knowledge of this hobby without replies to posts degenerating into a "p**ing" match at every opportunity. Regards, Richard. |
If the sound of the cable changes over time, why does it always get better? It seems to me that at least some of the time, the sound would get worse. I believe it is because you adapt to the sound of the cable. If I spent big bucks on a cable, I would work hard to convince myself that it was starting to sound better, not worse. My vote is for voodoo. |
If you shorted one end of the cable and made an adapter that put a 10K resistor in series with the other end you could just plug the cable into an AC outlet.
But, keep in mind, guys, that all electrons in the universe are EXACTLY alike. And, electric current does not change metal. You can run current thru copper for a billion years it will not change it. There just isn't anything in the copper to change.
The psychoacoustic effect of almost always hearing a difference is very real. Cable conditioners are proof of this. |
i just bought 2 pair of nordost valhalla interconnects and the nordost CBID 1 (cable burn-in device). after 6 days on the device the difference was astounding. i had demoed some cables broken in on the device by the dealer and was very impressed by the cables so i purchased some. but i had no way to asses the effect of the CBID 1. when i first got the new cables i plugged them in and was underwellemed. the effect of 6 days of break-in on the device was like a clearing a clogged pipe. i have always found breakin of anything effective; but this takes it to a new level. i had also pugged my speaker cables (transparent opus mm) to the CBID 1 so the effect was communelative for the whole system.
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I have noticed nothing but improvements as a cable breaks in. Becoming smoother, less bright, more extended at both frequency extremes. I don't have a fancy apparatus for cable break-in. For speaker cables, I simply run them hard. Usually for two to three weeks. At least a few hours a day. For interconnects, I learned a nice little method here on Audiogon(thanks to whoever suggested it, apologies for not remembering their name). I insert the cable between my tuner and integrated amp(preamp for those who have one). I keep the tuner on(which I always do anyway). The amp is off, but the tuner is selected. I have found that this actually works! |
Hi Sean,
I too use the Duo-Tech Cable Enhancer with good results and yes, after using this devices to break in the cables, there is an obvious difference. Even did a comparison on 2 cables, same brand and the ones on the Duo-Tech sounded better overall. Another cheaper product is the XLO burn in cd.
Regards
Ramesh |
There was a post (forget which thread) and the individual described a method for making a cheap SE resistance cable break-in device. Half watt, 10K ohm resistor and an RCA plug. Sounded like a reasonable approach. Does anyone know of any similar cheapo methods for making your own balanced device for breaking in cables? Is the described approach okay? Thanks. |
Hi Sean, I hate breaking in cables in my system so I offer my cables to friends or I will put them in my Moms system without her knowing about it. I also have a duo tech cable break in thingy that does a good job. The difference after break in is like the difference between a cold start and a system that has been warmed up for several hours. It makes a HUGE improvement IMO. |
OK Sean you know my answer but for the others...
I bought 2 pair of Synergistics (from Albert) the Resolution Reference MKII's, not exactly cheap. Charactaristics were initialy pleasing, but after several days use the highs were very veiled & I'm thinking "oh no" they're broken in now & I've made a mistake here. Albert says continue playing them so I did that. Highs came back a few days later, then dropped out again days after that. I was driving him nuts over the phone "keep playing them" he insists; I'll even take them back but I want you to wait A MONTH. OK Albert. I even called Synergistic; got the same story from Scott Novak. I got tired of listening to them fluctuate so I connected a pair to my VCR's audio out's & looped back to its' inputs as a dummy load. The other pair went on the tuner's 2nd. pr. of outputs routed into a signal processor's inputs as dummy load. Didn't touch them for 30 days. Finally put them back online & guess what - all was fine it it stayed that way too. Added the active shielding later on which greatly expanded stage & image. |
Maybe you "chuckleheads" misunderstood what i was saying, so i'll try and clarify it here. For the record, i DO believe that cables do change sonics with use. I simply wanted to know if others had done anything to "speed up" the process, what they used to do it, the overall results, etc... I didn't post what i've used, how i've done it, the results, etc... because i didn't want to taint the responses or have them lean any specific way. I was hoping for honest responses to the specific questions i asked. Once again, PLEASE try and keep this on topic. Sean
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Rather than vote negative : haven't we been over this ground enough; and recently at that!!! Those that believe;..believe. And those that don't;no skin off my nose as they used to say>>>>. |
It is real...
Cables after the burn-in or break-in process sounds smoother, but you need a pair of trained ears to notice it. |
