I removed my previous post, not the moderators.
ozzy
Cable Break In for the Naysayers
I still cannot believe that in this stage of Audio history there are still many who claim cable break in is imagined. They even go so far as claim it is our ears that break in to the new sound. Providing many studies in the way of scientific testing. Sigh...
I noticed such a recent discussion on the What’s Best Forum. So here is my response.
______________________________________________________________________________________________ I just experienced cable break in again firsthand. 10 Days ago, I bought a new set of the AudioQuest Thunderbird XLR 2M interconnects.
First impression, they sounded good, but then after about 30 hours of usage the music started sounding very closed in and with limited high frequencies. This continued until about 130 hours of music play time.
Then at this time, the cables started to open up and began to sound better and better each passing hour. I knew at the beginning they would come around because they sounded ok at first until the break in process started. But now they have way surpassed that original sound.
Now the soundstage has become huge with fantastic frequency extensions. Very pleased with the results. Scientifically I guess we can’t prove cable break in is real, but with good equipment, good ears, it is clearly a real event.
ozzy
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- 189 posts total
@ozzy , I’m at 240 hours on the three AQ Dragon power cords and they are really opening up starting today. I actually hung on to one of the fully burned in demo Dragon cords for a bit longer. I tried replacing one of my new cords with the fully burned in demo cord, the one feeding my Tambaqui DAC. Sure enough, the fully burned in demo cord made my system sound even less constrained, through the entire frequency band. So even at 240 hours I think my cords have a ways to go. I read a pro review of the Dragons where they say AQ says that it takes two weeks “to form the dialectric”, and two more weeks for it to fully improve. And yeah I know many give AQ flak for stuff that may not be absolutely grounded in science, with their little battery packs attached to the cords. All I know is the cords sound great and they are getting better, as I can easily hear comparing the broken in cord with the new ones. Haven’t done a blind test yet but I’m sure I could easily tell the difference. But not for long as my new cables catch up. |
@ozzy , no question my Dragon cords have improved yet again checking in at 265 hours. I do not have the Niagara, for two reasons. I borrowed a Niagara 5000 from my dealer once, and found that the transformers buzzed audibly from across the room. The manual even states that I’d this happens, you are simply out of luck. Secondly, I find that any and all conditioners change the sound in some way. I found the Niagara 5000 to enhance the sound in every way except for the upper frequencies which I found to be a bit closed in sounding. The sound was more of a hard, energized, dense, driving sound, which I actually enjoyed aside from the upper frequencies. Of note though, I had tested the Niagara 5000 with my Hurricanes, not the Dragons. I’ve found happiness with a Puritan 156, after having used a Torus RM 20 for a few years. The Puritan may not be as smooth and may not have as “black” backgrounds but in my system I found it to be more even-handed than the other options I’ve tried and it has a very free-flowing and musically engaging sound to it. It’s a bit more up-front and in-your face which I like. |
- 189 posts total