Regardless of expert opinion to the contrary, I consider "break in", "burn in", and "settling in" effects to be real based on experience with various pieces of electronic gear (as well as cable). Having said that, it doesn’t mean those pieces were unlistenable out of the box...more that the sound improved over time. I wouldn’t sweat the whole break in thing if I were you. Get what you like and use it. Worst case, if the experts are right, it will sound no different over time. On the other hand, you might find the sound gets better with time. Good luck with your purchase.
DAC break-in...
I am ready to make the move from a cdp to a transport plus DAC. One of the DAC's I am interested in is notorious for a lengthy break-in. Taken into consideration my families listening habits, the shear amount of hours I am reading for expected settling is slightly disconcerting.
So is the break-in hours I am reading about synonymous with all brands...is it expected across the board regardless of price? Is there a price threshold where this is mitigated or performed by the manufacturer?
Hoping to learn here...TIA