With my two systems, both with B&W speakers, one powered by Audire and the other by Bryston, I have noticed that the break in is in our auditory system, not the equipment. It takes a while to adjust, because since nothing is perfect, we have to move our concentration away from what we don't like..
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Mijostyn, my prior post: Thank you all for your input. The reason I asked the question is I just recently borrowed some different speaker cables and I'm in the process of evaluating those and the differences they might be bringing to the table. I didn't want to add 2 new variables at once. When I feel I have an idea of what the cables are doing I will introduce the CD player to the system. I just thought that while I wasn't using it I might just throw some burn in time on it. Its nice when people can simply answer the question that was asked, and not interject their biases. Thanks for nothing |
winoguy17 OP FWIW, any time I see conflicting answers I go with Al ! >>>>That’s weird, I always do the opposite. 🔙 |
Because turn the amp off, now you are back to the same situation where the circuit is open and nothing is happening.Thanks, millercarbon. Set my day off ROTHFLMFAO! Al is 110% correct, as usual. expose it to a powerful magnetic field and then take that field rapidly away.That is a certain way to magnetize something. Any analog tape op knows that you remove the signal slowly to flatten the field lines. If one recalls science class, we passed a DC current through a coil to create an electromagnet. If AC current created a magnet, transformers would attract steel tools. They don’t. Watches are demagnetized by placing them in an AC field. There is next to ZERO magnetizable material in an electronic path: copper, brass, lead, tin, silver, gold. AND the µA of an audio signal won’t do diddly. Perhaps Mr. Carbon’s moniker is really MrConfirmationBias? |
Expertise when vastly exceeded by ego is just tedious. and knowing what one is ignorant of is very powerful- indeed it is the font of learning yes, even the master sensei has.... a sensei a kernel of value, sweep disc for your TT also IF ya don’t have one. Unless you invented it, you learned about it from someone else :-) @slaw thank you Sir. |
Yes , the amplifier or preamp doesnot need to be on but the Digital signal does going through the interconnects need to be sending a music signal and electrical signal this way the circuit gets a workout. I use the Isotek breakin cd cuts 300 hours in 1/2 ,track3 demagnetizing signal to the whole system 1-2 x a week it truly works well. |
Also highly recommend the XLO test CD. Worth it for the demagnetizing tracks alone. One sweep track, one bass fade. Seems like it could never work. Hearing is believing. What’s going on? How does magnetization work? How does demagnetization work? Both work the same way. Magnetic fields can cause ferrous metals to align with the field. As kids back in the day (before schools traded in education for indoctrination) we used to all do this fun experiment where we would use a magnet to magnetize stuff. Hold the magnet real close, rub back and forth a little, your paper clip or whatever would get magnetized. High end cables are deliberately made from materials that resist this. Nevertheless they are not perfect. Nothing ever is. Tiny magnetizable pockets exist. As these regions become magnetized they interfere with the signal. Music signals vary constantly with big extremes of power at different frequencies that are exactly what you would do if you wanted to magnetize something- expose it to a powerful magnetic field and then take that field rapidly away. Just like the experiment, only this time the signal in the wire instead of outside. But exact same thing. One way to demagnetize, expose the part to a powerful alternating magnetic field, then gradually reduce the intensity of the field. Tape head demagnetizers work this way- turn em on, bring em real close, gradually pull away. This is great if you have the Radio Shack Bulk Tape eraser like I do, and can get at the stuff you want to demagnetize. What about voice coils? Wires inside components? For that you run the XLO tracks, which consist of a powerful bass frequency that gradually fades out, and a sweep tone that slowly goes up in frequency, demagnetizing everything in the signal path as it goes. The improvement is easily heard and quite impressive. While I know from the messages I get there are people who come here to learn and appreciate such highly informative posts as this, evidently there are others who come here for other reasons and it irks them no end. Tough. We now return you to our regularly scheduled schoolyard taunts pissing contests. |
My master bedroom and listening room, are at opposite ends of the house, so besides keeping my gear on 24 / 7, I leave my FM tuner playing through the system, 24 / 7, as I find the system sounds better and more consistent this way, for when I am ready, to sit and listen. Living alone allows me to do this. Daisy, my Calico, and Coco, my Maine Coon, are fine with it. |
Millercarbon, Almarg is among the classiest, most knowledgeable, helpful members on this site. He has been and is a huge resource for me. He would never tell you to shut your mouth and stop being disrespectful and insulting to other members. He would never tell you that audio advice does not require tough love to be effective, and that you can be helpful and respectful at the same time if you care to try. I promise. |
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Thank you all for your input. The reason I asked the question is I just recently borrowed some different speaker cables and I'm in the process of evaluating those and the differences they might be bringing to the table. I didn't want to add 2 new variables at once. When I feel I have an idea of what the cables are doing I will introduce the CD player to the system. I just thought that while I wasn't using it I might just throw some burn in time on it. Its nice when people can simply answer the question that was asked, and not interject their biases. |
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Its not that hard. You run it good and long with nothing connected. Then when you're really sure its run long enough you hook it up and listen. Then if you still hear it change and get better, which you will, then guess what? Unfortunately we never will get any agreement on the answer. Instead of admitting yeah gosh open circuit, what was I thinking? people will make up any excuse for why the sound continued to improve. Assuming of course they even notice. Its one of the bigger more fundamental problems. People with monster listening skills have been hearing this and knowing all about it and it never even comes up. People who don't have to ask- and then make things even worse. Because instead of doing what they should be doing- playing the darn thing and listening to it, learning to hear first hand what's going on- they throw a dart, pick something to "believe" in, and miss out on yet one more opportunity to develop as an audiophile. Lather, rinse, repeat. |
@Millercarbon, The output stages of all (or at least virtually all) CD players, as well as all or virtually all other devices providing line-level analog outputs, operate in class A. Which means that the transistors or tubes in the output stage will actually be conducting very slightly MORE current when no load is connected compared to when a load is connected. In the case of the typical example I cited earlier, that difference would be 0.00002 amps. An analogy can be drawn to power amps operating in class A. As you may realize, such amps will actually dissipate less power internally, and hence operate slightly cooler, when music is being played and current is being provided to the speaker, compared to when no music is being played. Also, regarding ... That said, the only way to fully burn it in is to play it, and to play it into a working operating turned on amp. Because turn the amp off, now you are back to the same situation where the circuit is open and nothing is happening. ... Many and perhaps most power amps (and preamps, if that is what the CD player would be driving) will present an input impedance when turned off that is not much different than when turned on. So in those cases the CD player won’t "know" the difference. Regards, -- Al |
Meanwhile, back in the real world.... not being connected means you have an open circuit. Getting silly technical as per the norm around here, that means no electrons moving. No current. Not even milliamps. Zero. Zilch. Nada. So the output stage isn’t breaking in at all. That doesn’t mean nothing is happening. Obviously there are plenty of circuits operating within the player that are indeed being burned in this way. That said, the only way to fully burn it in is to play it, and to play it into a working operating turned on amp. Because turn the amp off, now you are back to the same situation where the circuit is open and nothing is happening. Personally, I enjoy listening all through this process. If I ever bought anything so crappy it wasn’t fun to hear right out of the box I would first of all pack it up and ship it off, all the while berating myself and searching for answers as to why my search process was so flawed anything so awful was even possible. Then I would make sure and not repeat this mistake ever again. Which is why the last time this happened was so many years ago I don’t even remember.... But that’s me. The guy who actually understands this stuff. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 |
