2. misc-audio
  3. 137261-94635

Value of burn/break in?

I have my first hi end audio system. I fired it up, popped in a cd, and it doesn't have the vibrant sound that I thought it might have. I have a slightly used demo power amp from a dealer, slightly used demo speakers from a dealer, but a brand new tube preamp. A friend of mine told me that I will see a huge difference in sound quality once the tube preamp breaks in. I was wondering if I should get a break in cd or just wait till normal listening does the job
easola01

Showing 1 response by akg_ca

akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,353 posts
 
It took about 350-450 hours of break-in time for me for the various high-end electronics, speakers and cables to approach 90-95% of perceived maximum performance levels. There was a continued incremental settling in period after that that I did not track in detail. 

(1) the audio performance improvements were non-linear, .... but rather an ad hoc series of incremental steps with periods of pause or flatlining in between.

(2) it was never a sudden” a-ha “ moment either, but rather a subtle journey. (Emphasis on the “journey” instead of any “destination” conotation) 

= Patience required ....
More to discover