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Vinyl Warm Up Time

Curiously, I am finding it’s only after a few vinyl albums into a listening session that my system starts to sound convincingly good. 

For instance yesterday, I started off with a couple of Billy Cobham albums, Spectrum and a live one. This was followed by Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. All three albums sounded quite harsh in places, although good sound shone through in others.

It wasn’t until I got to a fourth album, Yes’s Tormato that the sound became really convincing. Then with the fifth album, Yes’s Drama things started cooking. It sounded absolutely superb.

This seems an inordinate length of time for the system, presumably the cartridge to warm up particularly in summer. It has been fairly humid recently.

I have returned to vinyl last year after a gap of five years. I don’t remember this ever being an issue in the past. In general,  I am getting a much better sound than before due to various upgrades to the turntable and the rest of the system.

I am using the same model of coil cartridge, a Linn Kandid that I used for many years previously. I bought the current one used, so it may well be getting towards the end of it’s life. The turntable was rebuilt and upgraded towards the end of 2024.

Maybe, it’s just me who takes a long time to relax and get into the listening zone. I don’t get the same issue with streaming, but then I never reach the same heights as I do with vinyl.

Is this typical of other members’ experiences? Any advice will be much appreciated. 

newton_john

Showing 4 responses by lewm

lewm
13,713 posts
 

Solid state devices have an ideal operating temperature, just like tubes. Even if you leave your SS phono stage or preamplifier in "stand by" mode when it is not in use, the audio circuitry still has to warm up a bit after operating DC voltages are applied. In my main system, I alternate between an SS and a tube preamplifier.  Warm up of the SS device,before optimal performance is achieved, is as obvious as it is with the tube device, even though the former is always in standby. It's not just transistors and tubes; it's also capacitors, resistors, diodes, etc, that benefit from a bit of warmup.

lewm
13,713 posts
 

Joey, baby, a phono cartridge is most apt to "warm up" before sounding its best, among all other audio gear, IMO.  It has suspended moving parts, and the suspension is made from organic materials or synthetic versions thereof.  Those materials have to flex in the course of doing their job. Initial flexing is beneficial for literally warming the materials to operating temperature and also making them engage in their full range of motion and remove any residual stiffness.

lewm
13,713 posts
 

Proof that no one reads anyone else’s post.

lewm
13,713 posts
 

Warm up is a real thing and one need not resort to fantasy in order to understand it. Neither tubes nor transistors are at their best immediately after being awakened from cold (which is an argument in favor of leaving SS gear powered up at all times unless you’re going on vacation for an extended period). Then too, cartridges have mechanical parts that obviously benefit from exercise and flexing. Speaker diaphragms also loosen up when signal is applied over time. There should be no controversy on this subject. My systems require 30 to 45 minutes before they “sing”.

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