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New cables - To judge now or after burn in period?

I am in the midst of auditioning a host of Siltech speaker cables (Siltech Legend 380i & 680i) and interconnects (XLR and RCA - Siltech Legend 380i). Needless to say, they are quite a bit more costly than my existing QED cables (QED Genesis Silver Spiral Bi-wire & QED Signature 40 interconnects).

The Siltech cables are highly recommended by my distributor and seem to be well received by the audiophile press. However, doubts arise as upon trying them at home they do not sound as dynamic as my existing QED cables. While the highs are more resolving and I am hearing things that I have not heard before, the bass seems constricted and the music does not make my feet tap anymore.

Is that because the cables are brand new and have not been burnt in as yet? Or is it because there is no synergy between the cables and my particular system? Or is it a bit of both? If it is a burn in issue, how many hours of burn in is required before I should make a judgment as to whether I prefer the sound of the interconnects and speaker cables?

All inputs or observations are welcome.

128x128dcpillai
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
There is no break in. What you hear when cables /wires are new is what they really sound like. The "break-in" is your ears adjusting to the be sound over time.
If break-in was true there'd be science articles explaining how it works and there would never be any arguments over it.

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Actually there is no argument about break in, just whether you know about it or not.. Kind of silly statement on your part.. 

Science articles about break in and HOW to accomplish the best results were articles of the 50s, your only 70 years behind..

Enjoy your zip cord, nothing to be ashamed of when you just don't know or just can't hear the difference. We use to see a lot of that 10 years ago.. not so much any more.

Your welcome to read and learn though..

Regards

wolf_garcia
6,693 posts
 
The dilemma can be that you like the cables immediately and then they burn in and they SUCK. The only answer when that happens is to get new cables every couple hundred hours...
soundbiter
2 posts
 
So, is the break-in within the cable&terminal itself, or is it the chemical/physical union of terminal-to-receptacle?
    If one buys a second-hand high-quality set of cables, would they be already broken-in, or would break-in be starting from hour #1 once the used cables are attached to their new rig?
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
installed new 4s11 canare speaker cables with double wiring to fit my recently acquired PBN speakers. I got about 30 hours on the cables and they have been all over the map so far, specially the first 25 hours. Sometime bass lacking, sometimes piercing highs, sometimes opposite. For real. The last few hours they seem to be stabilizing and I can start seeing their potential but it will take a lot longer to achieve it. So yeah, speaker cables do get better with use, not a single doubt in my mind.
Same issue as when I installed Canare 4S11. I allowed them to break in for 200 hours during which the sonics were  changing all over the place. After I had given them what I thought was enough time, the highs sounded harsh and brittle. I gave up and put them in the closet. 
A few years later after a major system upgrade, I tried them again due to all the good user reviews. After another 200 hours they settled in and presented a smooth top-end, very good dynamics, and a level of transparency that was an additional upgrade to my system.


1971gto455ho's avatar
1971gto455ho
477 posts
 
Cable burn in ? That is another Silly story for those with a wild imagination. 
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