2. speakers
  3. 186951-185746

Do you think driver “break in” is real?

Do you think “high end” drivers and crossovers typically need a “break in” period before they sound their best?  I ask because, I believe I’ve experienced this first hand in a very significant way. I replaced the tweeters (same exact brand and model as original) in my ACI Sapphire 25 year anniversary edition speakers and for the first week I thought I’d lost my all time favorite speakers. I was depressed!  So I just kept playing them…  finally after a couple weeks, I’m literally stunned and blown away at how incredible these speakers sound. Completely different than the first 30 or 40 hours after I put in the new Scan Speak tweeters. So I say break in period must be real - at least for some drivers. Has anyone else experienced this to a degree that is unmistakeable?  
Crossovers too?  I just rebuilt the crossovers for a pair of ACI Sapphire XL’s (using highest quality components- same values) and so far they sound mediocre. Hoping for the same result as my other Sapphires but after about 20 hours - no noticeable difference - and they do not even sound as good as prior to crossover rebuild. They sound flat, too bright with poor imaging - but for 10 to 15 years they were pretty great sounding speakers. Thoughts on crossover break in?? 
Thanks to anyone who responds!!  

sal1963
mashif
242 posts
 

Sure it’s real. But another thing that’s real is your brain adjusting to a new sound. We all have a mental template of how something should sound and over time, we adjust our brains to the nuances of different gear. 
 

paradisecom
307 posts
 

In my opinion , I’m sure it can be measured with instruments as being real. But, can those measured differences actually be heard or just our ears and brains adjusting to the new component/ speaker?

Here’s a good test:  Buy a set of used speakers. If they have been used for several months, years or even decades, they can seem to change their sound over the first few days in your existing system, even though they are fully broken-in. That’s just you adjusting to how they sound. 

edbay
1 posts
 

Hi, new here,

From a purely physical standpoint it makes perfect sense to me. Realistically, if they get better, it means you made the right choice. I just went from Bowers and Wilkins Nautilus 803 floor standers to 705 S2 stand mounts and couldn't be happier. Are they better, probably not. Do they sound better in my set up/room, absolutely. The tweak goes on...

Ed

 

 

larsman's avatar
larsman
1,926 posts
 

None of my speakers are 'poorly designed'; they were designed to require around 200 hours of break-in. Buy used speakers if you don't want to deal with things like that. 

terry9
2,333 posts
 

Several components to break-in. One is strictly post-manufacture time - like Magnepan glue which holds film to frame. That's a matter of time, not use, according to the factory. The same would hold for ESL's.

Then there's mechanical change as parts wear into a tighter or looser fit. And then there's warm-up, which matters in every listening session. My Quads sound better after a day's warm-up. My Class A  SS monoblocks sound best after 10 days. My SS phono-pre is always on - wall power for standby, NiCad for listening. My cartridges always sound better after 30 minutes.

More to discover