What is "break in" and what difference does it make? In amps? Preamps? Speakers? More?

I am pretty sure everyone agrees speakers need some kind of break in. They are mechanical devices and it takes a while for the cone / surround to become pliable. Next on my list is anything with capacitors. The new dielectric undergoes some changes with use. This phenomenon has been known for over 100 years and is not snake oil. This break in can easily be shown scientifically and some capacitor data sheets even have recommended break in procedures. I don’t have a firm opinion on transistors or IC’s. So lets say maybe (or it won’t hurt).

But when it comes to breaking in a wires, interconnects or speaker cables I don’t buy it. Some people even claim if you unplug, move or even touch a wire it will take some time for it to settle back in.

Others will strongly disagree with what I just said though. And that is why this thread will eventually melt down and turn to......

You just said it yourself. The dielectric material needs to break in. That itself explains why interconnects, speaker cables, power cords, HDMI cables, digital cables, etc. require break in. Hel-loo!

Just because there is the same dielectric word describing both don’t let that confuse you. They play different roles. A capacitor stores a relatively large amount of energy between the plates and having the right dielectric configuration is very important for optimum efficiency. And although I didn’t mention it there is also capacitor break in of the conductive plate surfaces that is equally important.

For wires a dielectric is just a fancy term for an insulator. There should be minimized interactions between the wires and that is what insulators do. I have never heard of an insulator that doesn’t work that good at first but gets better at insulating after use.