"Also, is a burn in CD required? In the past I've used Classical CD's in my collection that have a wide range of frequencies to burn in a new pair of speakers. Wondering if a dedicated CD would be better?"
Music is fine to break in speakers, but if you use white noise, it may get the job done faster. You won't hear too much on this from high end equipment manufacturers, though. There's a conspiracy throughout the industry to keep break in times longer than the average return policy. That way, if you don't like whatever you bought, you won't be able to bring it back. Its the only way they can stay in business. |
"12-14-14: Will62
Would it make sense to buy more than one of these CD's to burn in a new pair of speakers? Will one Test CD offer some advantages over the other with the kind of noise or music it contains?"
No. Break in is break in. It doesn't matter how you do the break in, the end result is the same. The sound of your speakers won't change if you use different CD's.
"I know the kind of sound that I desire in a speaker and have narrowed my choices down to around 5 models that possess these traits based upon both professional reviews and user reviews."
I would do it that way only as a last resort. There's no substitute for demoing the speakers yourself. When you go by reviews and opinions, there's just too many variables at play to make it a reliable method of selecting the right speaker. So, even if the reviews say that the speaker has certain qualities that you want, you may not get the same results. That's one of the main reasons why some people have such a hard time putting together a good sounding system that they can live with. |
"I'm going to spend less than $500 for a pair of bookshelf speakers. I know the kind of sound that I desire in a speaker and have narrowed my choices down to around 5 models that possess these traits based upon both professional reviews and user reviews."
"A guy that also owns the Jamo C601 bookshelf speakers said he was able to measure the bass response on this speaker down to near 40hz. But it is rated by Jamo for 62hz. I've read other reviews that claim the bass is better than advertised. I tend to believe this since it creates a lot of bass in the smaller room where they presently sit.
In light of this, I am wondering if I buy another pair of C601's, use a Test CD to properly break in the speakers and then use my heavy duty speaker stands (3 large legs of steel) in the larger room where they will probably be used, if I can get just a little stronger bass? And is it possible to buy a new pair of IC's that will retain the high end and midrange of this speaker but add a little low end?"
The problem of doing it this way is that you're trying to fix problems that you don't have yet. Who's to say that you will even need to buy a pair of IC's in an attempt to retain your highs, while adding low end? I would try to avoid putting myself in that position in the first place. If you need to start buying cables to fix your mistakes, you've already failed and are just making the problem worse.
Also, I don't think its necessary to keep focusing on break in. The speakers are going to break in regardless of what kind of CD you use. Its an issue that takes care of itself as long as you use the speaker. |
"12-21-14: Will62
Zd542. Regarding the break in of speakers. Seems to me that a speaker will break in better if music containing a wide variety of frequencies is used. Thus not all music is suited for breaking in a speaker properly."
A speaker is either broken in, or its not. Using a special CD may help speakers break in faster, but that's all. The end result is the same. With regards to the IC's, going from whatever they give you in the box to the level of improvement that you got with the AQ and Art, is not going to happen again. The improvements, if any, will be much smaller if you upgrade from your current cables. The only exception will be is if you bought a whole new system with much more costly and revealing components. Then there may be room for a big change in SQ from cables in a situation like that.
"I suppose if I had spent a grand or more on speakers I may not have needed to upgrade the IC's. But for the $100 I spent on the IC 3 pair and then $180 for the speakers (originally sold for nearly $500) I would have to say I have speakers that sound like they cost far more than I paid. :-)"
I understand, but you can't always expect the same results every time. Do the same thing again with different components, and you may have a completely different outcome. I won't tell you what to do, but for me personally, I don't want to put together a system where I expect, or even need, the cables to make a really big difference. If that's the case, I messed up on my component selection. I'd fix that first and get my system sounding good, and only then would I buy cables. |
I was just suggesting that you listen to speakers before you buy them. I never said that you should go out and buy and return a bunch of speakers. As far as using cables to fix the speakers you buy, all I can say to that one is, you'll see. Its like your stock broker tells you. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. |
"12-21-14: Will62
How they sound in a showroom will not be representative of how they sound at home. I bought the Klipsch Heresey's back in the 1980' after listening to them in the store. Got them home and they definitely didn't sound right at all. Too bright and lacking bass and I don't even desire a lot of bass. Messed around with placement but to no avail."
No question that's a valid point, but I still think you can benefit from doing store demo's. As an example, I'm very sensitive to high frequencies. I can easily weed out speakers that have HF issues that I don't like, right there in a store. Granted, its not a perfect way to judge SQ, but you can rule out speakers that you know you won't like. Also, the Klipsch speakers you mention are very odd. Your description of them is pretty much the same as mine. I wouldn't use them as a reference to compare other speakers to.
I should have mentioned this earlier, but I forgot. You may want to give The Cable Company a call. They have a program where they send you demo units of anything you want to try. I'm not sure if they'll send you speakers, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. They may do it. Also, Cable Co is the largest cable and accessory store there is. If you're still interested in a test CD, they probably carry every one on the market. If you don't live near any B&M stores, they can be a very valuable resource. |
"Pink noise is great for analyzing but can be hard on the mechanics of the driver if they are too still out of the box and you push the noise a bit too hard.
Also, music breaks in the speakers to match your musical preferences."
I don't suppose that you could back either one of those 2 statements up with some info on why that's so? |
A4bfamily,
"Just remember that pink noise generates full throttle noise across the entire spectrum, where as music doesn't. If music did the same it would sound like pink noise."
That's white noise. Pink noise is similar, but differemt. Regardless, your entire thread regarding the use of pink/white noise for break in can be summed up in 1 statement: If using pink/white noise for break in, go easy on the volume. Thanks for the tip.
"Mechanically there are a few potential issues using pink noise, especially if used incorrectly. The first is heat. Pink noise generates heat in the voice coils far faster than music; because of the continuous level/nature of pink noise compared to the dynamic nature of music. If you run pink noise at or above the coils rated continuous wattage for too long you will blow the coil and need to get the driver reconed. My towers are rated at 130 watts rms and are a 6 ohm box. My bryston has been measured at over 260 watts at 8ohms, which is going to deliver well over 300 watts at 6 ohms. I can listen to music at the full capabilities of the bryston without damage to the coils because the peaks can't be more than what the amp can cleanly deliver. The peaks are high but the continuous level is within the rated ability of the coil."
The problem with relying so heavily on specs, like you do in the above quote, is that you need to consider all of the specs. Otherwise you'll probably damage something in your system if you push it that hard. |
