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Can an unused cable break in?

I bought a new $300 Audioquest cable about a month ago, hoping to improve the sound of my Cyrus CD transport.  It didn't improve the SQ even after a little  break-in period.   I compared it to another transport system I had and it was quite inferior. So I stopped using the Cyrus but left it plugged in the wall for the month.
Lo and behold, I compared the two transports today and there was virtually no difference in sound between the two of them.
I’m listening to the Cyrus right now and am thrilled with it.
Either it’s my imagination, or the cable broke in while unused!  The difference isn’t subtle.
Is such a thing possible?


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Showing 1 response by pauly

pauly
1,012 posts
 
Many components cannot be turned off; the off switch merely puts it in standby mode. As long as the PC is plugged into a live wall socket and the device, there will be current flowing. Hence, it will burn in even with the CD player “turned off”. 

In addition, if the PC has capacitance across the individual conductors, the cable will be able to achieve some break in even without it being plugged into a component. It only needs be plugged into a live outlet. Most PCs do have capacitance across its conductors.
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