Do headphones requiere break-in?

Hi Tiofelon

From perusing threads in HeadFi various headphones do benefit from break-in according to the users there. With each set of cans it is different. I say give it about 50 to 100 hours. There is a video on youtube of 12 hours of white noise. I've used that to break-in my headphones when I'm away from the computer.

Absolutly Yes. Good rule of thumb is 100-300 hours. Depending in the phones. Don't just leave them on 24/7. Give them a break every 4-6 hours.

Yeah they do, usually about a minimum of 20 hours playing nonstop at least. But there are a lot better phones out there if you have money, from $700 for the Hifiman HE500 (awesome to me and a bargain) to the $2000 Fostex TH900. It sounds like both of these would suit your taste. Check out head-fi (with a great thread on 50 flagships compared).

Hi Dmacg

I'm curious. Why the pause every 4-6 hours on headphone break-in? Also does the volume matter? The reason I ask is that during the off hours when I'm not listening I play white noise at a pretty high level on my headphones to break them in. Then when I do listen I turn it down and play at a normal level.