Breakin is VERY important with our line. They sound great out of the box, but nothing can compair after breaking them in. |
Here's my issue; once broken in and then not used for some time, they seem to need breaking in again. WTF? |
Oh, and they did NOT sound great "out of the box". Sounded horrendous. As they do again. |
Hi Repluso
I don't know if you saw this but Morrow details the break-in process here as well their findings through the various parts in the whole period.
http://www.morrowaudio.com/breakin_2.html
They included a printout of this when they send you your cables. Was it not included with your phono cables?
Morrow is pretty up front with what you will be in for with them. If you are having a problem with them why not contact them directly? They all seem like reasonable people who will work with you. Maybe they can break-in the phono cables for you. They did that with some speaker cables I bought from them. I told them I was reluctant to buy higher level cables from them again because of the extensive break-in required. I just didn't want to go through all that again. They offered to break-in the speaker cables I wanted before they would ship out to me. |
Rpeluso: Why are you venting your displeasure here? Just return the cables and move on. |
Well past the return period. After a few months of use am a bit disappointed, plus a little irked that Morrow seems to be using my original post for his benefit. Not being totally truthful. OK? |
Which cable did you purchase? |
|
I've been using the SP2 for a couple years now. I thought they made an immediate improvement in clarity and imaging over my previous Goertz MI2 speaker cables. The only thing I'm not sure about, due to the small gauge is bass weight and heft. I don't see how they can carry a lot of current. |
I use both interconnects and speaker cables from Morrow. FWIW, I have not noticed the effect you are describing. Perhaps there are other variables contributing to the inconsistent sound you are hearing.
Bryon |
Bryon, I disconnected the phono cables then repeated the burn-in for an additional three days using the XLO burin-in CD track, and they sound nice once again. Any thoughts or ideas you have are welcomed. I had not used the TT for more than a month, possibly a bit longer. |
A short follow-up; the issue SEEMS to be that with lack of use for some time there is a regression of the "burn-in". I play music every day, so if I had interconnects and speaker cables this would not have occurred. Its the phono cables that got very little use that allowed this effect to surface. Maybe its not a surprise to those in the know about these cables but it is to me. |
I find it to be surprising also, because I'm not sure how the miniscule amounts of current that flow through a phono cable could result in a difference between when the cable is used frequently and when it is not used for some length of time.
If you are using a low output moving coil cartridge, depending on loading the amount of current would be no more than a few millionths of an ampere with most recordings. If you are using a moving magnet cartridge, it would be far less than that.
Regards,
-- Al |
Al, Using a Grado Sonata. A mystery, but a true fact none the less. |
Rpeluso -- I don't doubt that you are hearing what you are hearing. I'm just wondering whether there are other factors that are causing or contributing to the inconsistent sound. I don't have a good alternative hypothesis for you, perhaps Al will think of one.
And your attribution may very well be right. Audio is filled with strange things like this. I would second Jedinite's advice and talk with Morrow. I've always had good experiences with their customer service.
Good luck.
Bryon |
The recommended load for both the high and low output versions of the Sonata is 47K. Assuming your loading is in that vicinity, the amount of current flowing through the phono cable under typical music conditions would be in the rough ballpark of one-tenth of one-millionth of an ampere for the high output version of the cartridge, and one-hundredth of one-millionth of an ampere for the low output version.
Given that, I can't see how loss of breakin, if any, would be affected by frequency of use.
The only hypotheses I can envision are the two described below. Although they may seem somewhat improbable, I would think that their likelihood is considerably greater than the likelihood of a tiny fraction of a millionth of an amp making a difference:
1)The month of non-use perhaps caused the cartridge suspension to tighten up slightly, and during the course of your initial listening session following the month of non-use, during which you concluded that the cable had lost its breakin, the suspension gradually loosened up and regained its normal compliance. That perhaps being the reason for the improved sonics when you re-tried the cable following the burn-in process you subjected it to. Or,
2)Perhaps in phono applications the cable tends to lose its breakin over time regardless of how frequently or infrequently records are played, and it was a coincidence that the loss of breakin happened to become apparent following the month of non-use.
Regards,
-- Al |
Thank you Al. As a scientist its hard to accept either, but I have no other explanations. Other than self-deception, which I, of course, don't think to be the case here. I am hoping to avoid such events again, playing LPs more frequently. |
Repluso,
If a person removes the cables from his system, moving them around and coiling them up, they will only need a few hours to 2 days at most to settle in again. The breakin process does not "start all over".
Also, our cables are VERY revealing of equipment and music sources. Their quality will be very apparent with our cables. Typical cables smear this over, hiding sonic distortions that can be present in lesser equipment.
The system we test our cables on is in excess of $200,000.00 so that the equipment can get out of the way and we can hear the cables.
If you are not happy with your purchase, contact us, reminding me of this post. We cannot give you a refund, but will be glad to talk to you about the situation, even giving you a store credit if so desired. We also carry power cords and other products that you can use that on.
Mike Morrow
Mike Morrow |
Hey Mike ...
First, thanks for the inner-connect cables you gave me at the Newport show. Much appreciated. You just can't beat free!
My system consists of an original Well Tempered table and arm. The table and arm have been modified to reduce resonances. The arm has been rewired with the best Cardas copper wire.
Phono-stage: Audio Research PH-8.
Audio Technia OC-9 MKIII phono cartridge.
Preamp: Audio Research Ref-3.
Amp: Audio Research Ref-75.
Speakers: Legacy Signature IIIs.
The inner-connects I was using were no slouch and were compatable with the rest of my system.
Upon arriving home from the show, I put your two pair of inner-connects between the CD player and the preamp and the preamp and the amp. I immediately heard deeper bass, with better bass definition. The midrange had more clarity. The highs were about the same as with my old cables. The best improvement came in the form of pace and the timing of the music. Sound stage was wider as well. As your cables break in more, I'm hoping for the same clarity improvement in the highs that I've gotten in the mids and bass. I can't thank you enough for your generosity. And, it should be noted that these results are with your most inexpensive cables which were on sale for $39.95 per pair. As business picks up for me, allowing for more disposable income, I will be popping for at least your MA-5 series of inner-connects, power cables, and speaker wires.
Thanks again, Mike ...
|
