Speaker break in period


Is this a myth or what? I understand with bass drivers the spiders can be a bit stiff...but other than that...imaging and soundstaging abilities really dont improve IMHO..any thoughts?
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Mbhcid is right! New parts are stiff and must perform at a fast continuous rates of vibration. Just a new shirt is more comfortable after a few washings. The compliance of a speaker must be flexable and present no resitance to the cones excursion. Also and I add, maybe most importantly, the voice coil must wear in. It similar to a new engine in the same sense as a piston rings wear into a cylinder, the voice coil must wear in as well to move freely without the resistance of friction.
DON'T TAKE MY PREVIOUS POST REAL SERIOUSELY since if you pass an enormous signal you might damage or over-stress the voice-coil. Over-stressed voice coil(i.e. with damaged or deformed chrystalic structure) will permanently revoke any of your break-in attempts.
For a sencitive speakers the best thing to do is to connect a microphone to the proper input and leave the system on just idling and catching the sounds of honks of a car or bus passing on the street or anything going on in your home.
If you don't have one you can buy one with even microphone amp and than return those to the B&H or SamAsh after one week of use.
Woofers probably can handle splashes and sudden stresses but watch out for a smaller drivers and tweeters very carefully.
If you're breaking-in a sub on one side you can exersise some extraneous loud sounds trhoug it with no speakers connected but hey, would you realy find so-much differences when you're breaking-in a sub? Does the sub "open"???
For those who likes to break-in speakers at high volume, I recommend break-in your new car at speed not less than 105mph. Who cares, it's still on warranty huh?

The best way to break-in is to place the DJ cartridge or the one that you don't care about onto your platter preferably with no mat and place the record that you don't listen or don't need at all and start scratching it and carelessly droping needle with no cueing mechanizm on the record. also start spinning and slipping record over the platter different directions and speeds like DJs do. oh, forgot about volume level! adjust it, or you'll pop one or more of the drivers even including tweeter under certain conditions.
have no turntable? get DJ CD-player from B&H or SamAsh and return it after one week of spinning what'yathink?
My experience mirrors Sean's. I have a pair of Talon Audio Khites I purchased in May of this year. They are still changing (for the better) to such an extent that I have to make minor adjustments in location about every two weeks. About a month ago I had the "WHAMMO" happen right in the middle of Beethoven's 3rd. I had to start the LP over because I thought I had a problem somewhere in the system!
I've heard gradual changes in speakers and then WHAMMO !!! It was as if another bass unit was added to the cabinet and a sheet was lifted off of the speakers. I've had this happen on two different occasions. Both times, i had been sitting and listening for several hours on end and then it was like "magic" happened in the middle of a recording. Can't explain it, nor do i worry about it. It will happen, so just count on it. While i don't recommend "throttling" the speakers to speed up the process, the more signal that you feed them, the sooner it will happen. Sean
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The change in tonal balance during break-in is significant to the abilities of the speaker, but break-in is more a of reality for some speakers than others.
I've heard the improvement in mine. They seem to gradually improve during the break-in period. I'm not done yet, so far its been about 75 hours.
It is definately NOT a myth - the rubber or foam driver surrounds, cones, crossover parts (inductors, resistors & caps)and wiring all need to break-in for 100-200 hours before the speaker sounds the way the mfgr. intended.