Cable burn-in questions

TN_Polk_Lover
TN_Polk_Lover Posts: 243
edited March 2005 in Electronics
Well, I took the plunge and order a couple of Audioquest Sidewinder interconnect cables to use in place of the Monsters I'm using now. The Sidewinders are relatively low on the Audioquest product line. I've done a lot of reading on the audioquest web site and they have a pretty good downloadable pdf file which explains a lot about cable theory and construction.

I can't say that I've really noticed a "burn-in" improvement with my system. I'm not saying that there is no such thing, I've just never really noticed.

According to what I've read at Audioquest, it takes a couple of weeks for a cable's dielectric to take on an electrical charge, which slightly changes its behavior, hence the "burn-in" effect. After you quit using a cable, it gradually returns to its "un burnt-in state"

Questions:

1) Does a system have to be played continuously for a certain period of time to "burn-in". Or is 1 hour a day sufficient? 2 hours a day?, etc.?

2) After a system is "burnt-in" how often should it be played to maintain the "burn-in"

3) If you wanted to compare cables, wouldn't you have to keep the cables that you aren't listening to at the moment in use on another system so that they would stay "burned-in"? If you didn't wouldn't' you forget how the first pair sounded after you switch to the second pair and have to wait a couple of weeks for the "burn-in"?

Mantis - are you listening? You seem to be really knowledgeable about cables.

Thanks for your help !
Robert
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Post edited by TN_Polk_Lover on
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Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,769
    edited March 2005
    1. After 100 hours they are pretty much cooked. Any improvement after that is slight and you'd most likely not notice it. I like to run a new cable on a system continuously for the first 100 hours and turn the volume level down all the way at bedtime.

    2. I play my main set up just about daily, but have not for a week or so while out of town and I haven't noticed any change. Actually, once burned in and played at least once in awhile I can't see the need for burn in again.

    3. That's a interesting question. Generally, I burn in a new cable on a second set up and then compare. Once you learn the sonic sig of a cable it's not that hard to remember the sound.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

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  • HBombToo
    HBombToo Posts: 5,256
    edited March 2005
    TN I think you made a wise choice with the sidewinders. Enjoy and let us know if you hear a difference.

    HBomb
    ***WAREMTAE***
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