Warm up time for record playing

Take it easy Slaw, why so needy? I did acknowledge your post. Notice the “indeed” in my comment. Yours was the first and only post (until I post) to mention suspension. So, when I wrote my comment about the suspension as a possibility and write “indeed” as acknowledgment, who or what pray tell would I be referring to if not your post? So, to hopefully make up for my great transgression and to bank a few actual name mentions for possible future oversights 😊:

Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw, Slaw

I don’t think so. I don’t doubt what mijo states about the physiology of it all and it probably is a factor...... to a degree. However, wouldn’t the same physiological “break in” occur when listening to live acoustic music?  In live settings I don’t experience anything close to what rv describes. noromance mentions a couple of possibilities. I would add the possibility that your particular cartridge does indeed “relax” during the first half hour or so. Maybe.

Rvpiano, as I mentioned, your cartridge’s suspension is probably relaxing during the first half hour or so of use. However, as tooblue and others have said “a little of this and a little of that” is probably closer to the truth. For example, how is it possible for “the rest of the system is (to be) fully warmed up” if one has not listened to LP’s yet? Whether stand alone or integrated a phono stage needs to warm up as well; especially if it is a tube unit, in my experience. My experience has also been that it is not enough to simply turn electronics on and let them idle for a while. One has to actually play music through the system for it to be “fully warmed up”. In the case of my all tube system, and as silly as it is to try and quantify these things, I would say that it sounds about 75% of the way to reaching “full sonic potential” after about one record side and pretty close to full potential after two record sides. Full potential even later than that.  

**** Why do you think they have warm up bands at concerts! ****

I was not doubting your comments about physiology at all and I made that clear; only the degree to which it might be a factor. You lost me with this one, ‘though. I seriously doubt concert promoters are concerned with the “physiology of hearing“ other than the deluded notion prevalent these days that louder is always better. Building anticipation, giving the audience their money’s worth, or even setting a lower (not always) bar for the main act with a warm up band?  Sure. However, I have known a few and not once has the issue come up. Moreover, where’s the physiological “warming up” when attending a live orchestral concert, for instance? Does the third movement of a symphony always sound (!) better than the first. Not a chance.

Nah! But, I did like the first version of your post better, Slaw. That’s one; thirteen left in the bank. Does thirteen buy me a piece of plastic?  (You just had to go there, eh?)