Is Break-In essential and potentially dangerous for the Audiophile?


Recently, I started a blog on my website (amorsound.com).  Following is the first blog post...made a couple of month ago....

Let's begin with a basic definition. Break-In is the manufacturer's suggested (or required) usage time for the component to achieve FULL performance. I've seen a few recommended break-in periods as high as 400hrs. Ugh! Also, some manufacturers suggest (or require) a specific METHOD of usage to achieve full performance.

Break-In is often necessary, but also a potentially dangerous part of the Audiophile journey. Why? Three reasons...

Delayed gratification: We want our sound, and we want it now. ☺ Waiting up to 400hrs of PLAYTIME (i.e., almost 17 days) to hear your purchase is beyond unwelcome…., it's painful. We're audiophiles because we LOVE the sound. As modern consumers, we're not accustomed to (nor do we appreciate) delayed gratification.

Impaired selection: Audiophiles are EXTREMELY interested in achieving maximum performance of our systems and ANY components we select for audition or inclusion. We spend significant time and energy selecting SUSPECTS, then PROSPECTS and finally consummating PURCHASES of components to audition. After expending this effort, we shouldn't want to make selection mistakes. The following are a few common selection mistakes.

  • False-positive #1 (can't wait): Audition the component at the BEGINNING of the Break-In period, love it, and keep it. Later, as component elements complete break-in, the performance devolves so significantly that it's NO LONGER a good selection. Stuck!
  • False-positive #2 (self-fulfilling prophecy): Dedicate significant resources (i.e., time, energy, money, etc.) toward selecting a component. Once selected...
    • You want this component to deliver the anticipated joy and sound.
    • You want to hear improvement during the break-in period.
    • You want to believe this component is a winner.

During break-in, you become ACCUSTOMED to this component in your system (warts and all)…so you keep it. Once the new component EXCITEMENT wears off, you realize you made a selection mistake. Stuck!

  • False-negative (can't wait): This is the exact opposite of False-positive #1. Listen at the beginning of the break-in period, hate it, and move on. You're blessed in this case because "you don't know what you don't know." Admittedly, I've been the lucky benefactor of SEVERAL components that weren't fully broken in, did the required break-in, and found "manna from heaven." Good for me, but bad for the original owner.

Diminished performance: With some components, the break-in method isn't just crucial to achieving the full performance of the component…it's required. If a proper method of break-in isn't utilized, some components can be IRREPARABLY damaged…that is, they'll NEVER achieve full performance. I've not knowingly suffered this fate, but I'd be PISSED if I did. ☹

Since Break-In can ONLY introduce delayed gratification, impaired selection decisions, and/or poor performance, Audiophiles should try to avoid it. (Some of you masochists may actually love the break-in process. Not me.)

By design, ALL CH Acoustic products deliver 100% of their designed performance at first use. There's no delayed gratification, no impairment of your selection decision, and no performance risk from Break-In. You connect the CH Acoustic cables and cords, press play, and listen.

  • Your smile should show up in the first ten (10) seconds.
  • Your audiophile enjoyment will last LONG past the first 400hrs of playtime.
  • You can spend your time and energy ridding yourself (and your system) of the former cable loom, maybe even putting some money back in your pocket. ☺

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Do you actually believe all that malarkey? Or this is your idea of an effective infomercial for CH Acoustics?

Millercarbon - For giggles, I’m going to pretend your response isn’t a statement of condemnation, LIGHTLY shaded as a couple of questions. :)

 

I do believe what I’ve written about break-in. In addition, I’ve benefited by putting my beliefs into practice.

 

As for the infomercial question…

ANY manufacturer could CHOOSE to sell their product to clients at full performance out of the box. Or ANY manufacturer could CHOOSE to sell their product at a discount, knowing the client will need to “cook” the item to achieve full performance.

Example: Pizza – Papa Murphy’s allows clients to select an uncooked pizza at a relative discount to ready-to-eat pizzas of similar quality. As such, the customer receives this discount as an incentive toward accepting the burden of cooking @ 400 degrees for 40 minutes. :)

For some reason (???) many manufacturers of high end audio components CHOOSE to do neither (i.e. impaired performance without a discount). These manufacturers sell their products at luxury prices KNOWING the performance is 75%-80% out of the box, knowing the component requires 400 hours of burn-in, effectively passing off this performance risk to their clients.

 

So CH Acoustic CHOOSES to sell products at full operating performance. As this CHOICE is EASILY replicated by any manufacturer, I don't believe it is an “effective infomercial”. However, I do believe this represents a client friendly business CHOICE.


Okay, well then its all malarkey. Break-in isn't even break in its burn-in. Manufacturers don't recommend it, its just something they know about, and use to their advantage in different ways. There's absolutely no way of harming anything by how its burned in- at least not so long as its being used properly. Any and all normal use will result in burn-in, which really is nothing more than a state of equilibrium.  

Its impossible for anything to be completely perfect and the same right out of the box, for the same reason nothing sounds completely perfect and the same from one night to the next. Every day, every night, every time a component is used after not being used for a while it needs a little warm-up time to re-attain equilibrium. This includes being turned off overnight, and so for sure it includes being shipped to you in a box. If you're not hearing it, work on that, because trust me its there. 


Whether we like it or not, components with a physical suspension like speakers and styli simply need playing time to loosen up and perform optimally as expected. I’ve witnessed it repeatedly with new woofers. Many electronic components benefit from burn it time...especially caps and tubes.

I’ve never witnessed an audio component that got permanently worse from burn in/break in, though some go through an awkward stage before they settle in.