Time/Process of Hooking up New Equipment

It is always best to tackle any changes to a system with nothing else on the calendar. Plus, if a change involves disconnecting/moving more than one piece of equipment, I literally think through the process beforehand, writing down each step that needs to be taken. To include unplugging power cords and any connecting cables (how many times have you tried to pull something from an equipment stack and realize that it's still plugged in or one cable remains connected?). I rebuilt a fairly complex A/V system recently with 20-something itemized steps written down on my 'cheat-sheet'. Things went smooth as silk.

Here’s a question: must you put a signal through a new amp, etc, to properly break it in? And does it do any good to just keep it turned on for the break in?

I came home after 65 days of 12 hours shifts. The next morning I picked up my new subwoofers that had been waiting for me for a month. I have Devialet amplifiers, which can be programmed for low and high pass filters so they're ideal for subwoofer intigration. Tired as I was, I stuffed up and sent the lows to my speakers and highs to my subs. As you can imagine, I was pretty disappointed in the sound...

I also damaged a driver in my speaker.

Lesson learned: Take you time :)

Signal must go through.

I wondered this for a while. I got the answer… unfortunately with my terrible memory I don’t remember if I experimented or someone I respected answered it. But I noted, I never needed to revisit the question.

I know what you mean I bought a desktop I just stared at the tower on the floor for five months and then installed it. I bought it so I could do DSP. Now it's two weeks later and I have not done DSP. So now I want to buy some cables well I should be doing DSP. I hate doing DSP would prefer doing LSD.

At least amplifiers are the easiest things to install aside from them being very very heavy.  Mine are sitting on an amp rack with coasters . Why don't more amp racks come with coasters?  So what if an amp vibrates a little bit. It's so damn heavy what could possibly move this thing.  Why can't they make an amp rack for two Mono blocks.  I hate these damn things being on the floor you could trip over them and they take up a lot of space.