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Okay, How Important Is Speaker Break In? (Dynaudio Contour 60i)

I have been running 25+ year old B&W Matrix 803 S2 speakers in my 2-channel system for about 15 years, and I finally treated myself to new speakers.  Mock me for buying based on research alone, but I got a really good deal and just unpacked my beautiful Dynaudio Contour 60i's.  The Dyn's are not broken in, just starting to play around with different songs, but I am expecting an improvement out of the box, and not getting it.  They are no more revealing, and slightly harder and more jangley in the mids and highs.  The bass is of course much better with the big Dyns, but the B&Ws with the Dyn Sub6 subwoofer I was running were better.  I have very good equipment so it is not a matter of driving bigger speakers (ARC Ref preamp and Bryston 7bSST2 monoblocks).  Unless speakers get A LOT better with break in, I thinking these Dyns may be converted back into cash.   Thoughts? Thanks.
mathiasmingus
arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,549 posts
 
@jjss49
Yup, about 200 hours.
That is how long it took mine to relax, the bass was tighter, deeper, mid much more accurate, highs less tinny, and more natural sounding.

Even after 200 hrs, you will notice differences. Enjoy!

Those speakers are amazing! Enjoy them!!


midrange....WILL be amazing, have patience.
I thought mine were muddy, after time they are simply smooth, and accurate, guitar, vocals, are all superb!

twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 
If you think about all the material and mechanical elements that go into the construction of speaker drivers, it's clear that speakers will need a break-in period (just as car engines used to do).  On the other hand, it's true that whatever change is going to occur, is not going to be night and day.  Audiophiles trade in hyperbole, because small differences matter a lot to them.  Be aware also that there's another school of thought that contends that part (or all) of break-in is your ear getting used to the new sound.  So a reality check against the old product, if possible, is a good idea.  Above all, just don't let indecision take you past whatever deadline exists for a full-refund return.
mathiasmingus OP
52 posts
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys.  The good thing - interesting story - is that I got them for a song due to a series of retailer and OEM errors, so I could easily sell them in the used market for what I paid.  I can wait a bit to let articdeth's experience play out, and I have kept the old speakers - I will be setting up both in the room (like an audio demo room!) for better A/B testing.

knotscott
822 posts
 
Speaker break in/burn in can be fairly significant.  The suspensions need to flex to loosen up, and good caps can take many hours to burn in.  The first several hours tend to make the most dramatic difference.  I used to place new speakers face down on the floor, crank em up, close the door, and let them thump for a few hours.
tuberist's avatar
tuberist
951 posts
 
I still vividly remember my present day loudspeakers when I took them out of the box and plug them in they didn’t sound very good. I had live demoed these speakers at the dealers so I knew what they were capable of. It took upwards of 400 hours until the speakers settled in and then it was night and day by that time
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