Driver breakin period, what’s the science?

I believe the break-in period will be one hour longer than the warranty.

Zu does the break in at the factory, 100-200 hours before shipping out...I did not like the Vandersteen 3 after only a few hours playing (at a friend's shop), thought they were awesome and bought them after they had played about 200 hours...

Just starting a b&w 802 d3 breakin period.

No one has even attempted to answer the question: What is the science?

The two parts that are easiest to explain are spiders and surrounds. These are typically accordion shaped or pleated, folded, however you want to call it, and so they stretch and bend with speaker cone travel. Whatever the material, almost doesn’t even matter, it is never perfectly manufactured. There are always lots of little regions of stress and tension or compression. Playing music stretches and compresses the material. In some of these restricting areas the bonds break and this reduces stiction and the driver moves more freely.

Think of a crease in a sheet of paper. Fold it back and forth a few times, the crease that was stiff becomes almost like a hinge. Might not be measurable but that freedom of movement allows the driver to respond to big dynamic swings and subtle audio details. Exactly what we hear with break-in.

MC
Best said.