Why does it take so many hours to brea in arc preamps and amps?


I recently purchased a like new ARC 5 SE pre amp.  The unit had less than 200 hours on it.  Everything I have read states that ARC preamps take up to 600 hours to fully break in.  Why is this so and what improvements can I expect to hear as the unit accrues hours?
ewah

Showing 1 response by steakster

Bob Crump (TG Audio/CTC Builders) was contracted by John Curl to design/voice the Parasound JC-1 monoblocks - based on the HCA-3500 amp chassis.

Break-in time with the JC-1s is horrible as it takes right at 30 days for the thinness to go away and almost 60 days for units to open up.

Curl thinks he has tracked down the severe break-in problem on the JC-1s to the high current Nichicon caps.

Funny, but some of the cheapest parts break in easier than the fancy spreads.......
This thread includes many of Bob’s comments. It’s an interesting read. No doubt, Bob would have a few choice words to add to this discussion. He wasn’t shy.