If you don't believe your ears, maybe it's easier to believe your eyes. I've owned several PS Audio Power Plants over the years and I always break them in using my TV since I hate the break-in process and watch more TV than listen to music. The first time I did this the picture initially looked crap- colors were oversaturated and the tonal balance was off. But after a a number of days days everything started to change and the improvement was obvious- a more three-dimensional picture, better shadow detail and more subtlety in colors etc.
Since music is constantly changing we tend to play the same track over and over and it's difficult to know if our memory is fooling us sometimes. But a picture is somewhat steady state, say at a live football game. You'll get the same camera shot of the same scene for hours and it's very easy to analyze the picture quality. The first time I used my TV in this manner I made the mistake of changing my settings after a day or two, only to have to do it again a few days later once the Power Plant settled down.
I was already well aware of the break-in requirement in audio because I've had some components with very long and painful break-in period. But the TV was the most dramatic proof that something was changing in the electronics. Since I'm a mechanical engineer by training, I don't believe in unicorns or alchemy, but I do believe that electronics require break-in, and the more revealing they are the more likely you'll hear the difference.
Since music is constantly changing we tend to play the same track over and over and it's difficult to know if our memory is fooling us sometimes. But a picture is somewhat steady state, say at a live football game. You'll get the same camera shot of the same scene for hours and it's very easy to analyze the picture quality. The first time I used my TV in this manner I made the mistake of changing my settings after a day or two, only to have to do it again a few days later once the Power Plant settled down.
I was already well aware of the break-in requirement in audio because I've had some components with very long and painful break-in period. But the TV was the most dramatic proof that something was changing in the electronics. Since I'm a mechanical engineer by training, I don't believe in unicorns or alchemy, but I do believe that electronics require break-in, and the more revealing they are the more likely you'll hear the difference.