Myth of break in period for speakers
Home Theatre
Posts: 469
Is there any truth to this? The guy at Tweeter said I should just leave my speakers on for 48 hours. If these speakers are going to get better, I will be happy.
Everything I own burned in the fire!!!!!!!!!!
Post edited by Home Theatre on
Comments
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They do break in. My LSi's sounded quite a bit different after about 100 hours of playing.
MichaelMains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms) -
There is a perceived difference after some time but what I don't particularly believe is that you need to keep your speakers on for days, why not take your time and try to catch the percieved difference? the speakers aren't going anywhere if you plan on keeping them.
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Bada HD-22 CDP -
There are as many people that don't believe in the myth as there are those that do, it's almost as bad as the $$$$ wire debate. If the speakers sound good right out of the box, it (break-in) doesn't matter. If they don't, why keep 'em?
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You are breaking in your ears and brain. The speaker characteristics don't change. Your perception of the sound changes.
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Speaker break-in is not a myth. Period.
Argue about cables.... argue about source vs amp.... argue about friggin' world peace, Jessica Simpson, or your favorite flavor of yogurt. But please don't tell me that many (if not all) speakers don't need time to break-in. We're not talking about needing a "golden ear" to ascertain this.I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore -
It is not a Myth that break in occurs in loudspeaker drivers. it is a proven fact! after a long protracted and nasty debate over loudspeaker break in @ the Audiocircles website Danny Ritchie of GR Research posted before and after testing results of a large variety of loudspeaker drivers that clearly shows that after use the characteristics of the drivers do change and can be proven with scientific measurements .thanks....WCW IIIHome Theatre wrote:Is there any truth to this? The guy at Tweeter said I should just leave my speakers on for 48 hours. If these speakers are going to get better, I will be happy.Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
.Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.
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Sorry, never have bought into the manufacturer's published hype. Moot point actually, if you want to believe it and it makes you feel better about your purchase...then thats all that matters.
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The speakers might sound better BEFORE break-in, so make sure YOU are there for the first 48hrs.
MUHAHAH -
Look for an article in the December issue of Affordable$$Audio on this subject with scientific measurements proving one side or the other on this debate!Review Site_ (((AudioPursuit)))
Founder/Publisher Affordable$$Audio 2006-13.
Former Staff Member TONEAudio
2 Ch. System
Amplifiers: Parasound Halo P6 pre, Vista Audio i34, Peachtree amp500, Adcom GFP-565 GFA-535ii, 545ii, 555ii
Digital: SimAudio HAD230 DAC, iMac 20in/Amarra,
Speakers: Paradigm Performa F75, Magnepan .7, Totem Model 1's, ACI Emerald XL, Celestion Si Stands. Totem Dreamcatcher sub
Analog: Technics SL-J2 w/Pickering 3000D, SimAudio LP5.3 phono pre
Cable/Wires: Cardas, AudioArt, Shunyata Venom 3 -
W WALDECKER wrote:It is not a Myth that break in occurs in loudspeaker drivers. it is a proven fact! after a long protracted and nasty debate over loudspeaker break in @ the Audiocircles website Danny Ritchie of GR Research posted before and after testing results of a large variety of loudspeaker drivers that clearly shows that after use the characteristics of the drivers do change and can be proven with scientific measurements .thanks....WCW III
Ed Zachry.Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
Oh come on people... yes, speakers may change an itsy-bitsy bit in the first 48 hours as things loosen up. But, the fact of the matter is that your brain, your memory, your perception changes much more than anything acoustically. We used to think cassette tapes sounded pretty good until the CD came along. Now, are brains have adjusted. Same is true with with speakers. You can claim that you have perfect perception... but, I think the physics related to the speaker and amp are much more consistent than your perception. This is what drives upgrade-itis. Our brains adjust and then we hear something that is better. Of course, there are those that think the they can perceive differing oxygen levels in the copper in speaker cables too. So, I think thats just ego coming into play (again, brain based opinions). You can't separate opinion from fact without measurements. So, until I see an Oscilliscope printout to a step function at differing frequencies... there is no point arguing with other peoples "perceptions".
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Let me cast my vote in favor of speaker break-in!
I do not believe in expensive speaker wire or ICs. Don't believe in a break-in period for electronics (unless you have NIB caps that have never been powered on before.)
My non-golden ears tell me that speakers do change a bit over the first 40-100 hrs. And how fast this occurs, and to what degree, depends on the construction of the driver(s). But if the speakers sound like total crap at first, then they probably are. No use waiting for the sow's ear to turn into a silk purse.
Cheers, JimA day without music is like a day without food. -
It is not a myth. The during the break in period the suspention on the drivers losse some of their stiffness and move a little smother. wires will expand a tiny bit in the voice coils and settle as heat is built up. For break in I would use a cd with a broad spectrum of sounds, not necessarily music, face both speakers face to face about an inch apart and wire one out of phase to help keep the perceived sound level down, and the volume set at moderate level( enough so you can see the drivers moving). Then let it go for around 24 hours or so if you can.
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I can say that I have (for **** and giggles) bought a pair of Mundorf silver/gold caps (sized as close to the original as poss.)and put them in a spare set of RTi-70 crossovers (tweeter side) and the sound was painfully bright to the point that I had to leave the room with them still playing in about 1.5hrs the sound tamed down to the point of where it was before I changed them except with a whole lot more detail in the upper freq.. So I can tell you that the electronics will have to seat themselves before giving you their full potential not to mention the actual speakers themselves.
just my 2 cents
Dave -
Like Dave said, the caps need about 50 - 100 hours to break in. Cheap speakers with cheap components won't sound much different. Good speakers with good crossover components will have burn in time to come into their own.Carl
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Would Monitor 60's be considered a good speaker?Everything I own burned in the fire!!!!!!!!!!
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By some, yes. By others, no. The same applies to just about all gear.
You sure do ask a hellva lot of questions!!!Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Whether it does or not, don't worry about it! Just play your system & enjoy!Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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Does a system break in?
I think it might, but I havent heard an audible difference really. I remember having a pair of the Axiom M22ti bookshelves and I had a problem with the vinyl veneer and Axiom sent me another pair of the M22... I had two pairs in my room (the old one was about 4 months old, so plenty "broken in" by anyone's standards). I plugged them both and I heard absolutely ZERO difference. The beauty is, the whole time, I thought my Axioms broke in. Funny how it was all in my head.
As for the other speakers, I think I got used to the sound rather than them breaking in.
So even though I can "see and understand" how/why speakers would be able to break in (as opposed to the dielectrics of cables and whatnot), I have not experienced break in.
JoeyMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
This is somewhat like asking if sneakers require break in. The answer is some do and some don't. Likewise, some speakers require a break in period and some don't. Some speaker manufacturers specify a break in period and some don't.
With the virtually infinite variety of speaker designs, materials, and testing procedures among speaker manufacturers, it is impossible to make a valid blanket statement regarding the requirement for break in. For example, one manufacturer's speakers may require a 50 hour break in before the driver suspensions reach their optimum compliance and the crossover capacitors reach their optimum performance capability. The manufacturer may decide to do the break in procedure as part of the manufacturing process (which adds cost) or they may decide to do only minimal functional testing and let the consumer do the break in. Dunlavy Audio Labs, a former manufacturer of very expensive (up to $35,000 per pair), very accurate, high performance speakers, performed extensive break in procedures on their speakers because they wanted them to be delivered to the customer at their optimal design performance.
The requirement for break in could also vary among the different speaker series from the same manufacturer. A manufacturer could skip break in procedures for their lower priced series but include it in their top of the line speakers.
From my personal experience, the LSi speakers that I purchased new (LSi7, LSi9, LSi15, LSiC) sounded great right out of the box. However, they did become more responsive with more overall detail and bass definition after about 100 hours of play. It was not a night and day difference, but it was noticeable.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
It's been said, with only slight tongue-in-cheek, that "Break-in was invented so that we could never return anything!". See "Speaker Break In: Fact or Fiction" .
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Once again, Johnny imposes on us some article he dug up on the net instead of sharing his personal experiences. Of course, the fact that he thinks Sony mega changers and Axiom speakers are the best available, leaves no doubt as to why he has nothing personal to share. :rolleyes:
I'm your huckleberry.
BTW Ron, do you need an oscilliscope printout to tell you if something sounds good or not!?! Yeah, that's what I thought.
I really have to wonder what is wrong with some of you. If you can't trust your own ears, WHY are you even in this hobby???Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
If it makes you more happy with your purchase to believe speakers dont break in you should rock on with your bad self.
RT1 -
FI,
Did you even read the entire article? Why is is so hard to accept that YOU just might be wrong. Perhaps it's your ears that are AFU.
At what point did Ron say he needs to see a printout to tell if a speaker sounds good? Are you refering to this?...So, until I see an Oscilliscope printout to a step function at differing frequencies... there is no point arguing with other peoples "perceptions".
I DO trust my own ears and they tell me there's no difference. I'm in this hobby for the love of music and good sound from my HT and 2-channel systems, not for bragging rights about how much I spend or save. I'm not in it to waste money on a speaker that doesn't sound good right out of the box.
You claim there's a difference after X amount of hours, fine. If that's what you believe, fine. I claim that there's zero difference after the sam amount of time. Who's right? Either one of us can make any claims we like to suit our argument and could easily find something in writing, somewhere, from aN expert to support our arguement. So whos expert is right?
Too many of you have folks have taken this old debate way to far. Stop for a minute, listen to your gear, relax a bit. Does anyone else's belief about break-in affect your enjoyment of what you're hearing? I didn't think so. -
Well.... if it's as simple as my ears simply acclimatizing to a particular sound, I think I'll just borrow John K.'s Sony boombox and wait for the "magic" to happen....
Speaker break-in is not a myth.I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore -
I herd an improvement with a set of Boston VR-30's I had. The Monitor 40's never really seemed to change. I'm sure they all improve after break-in, just some more then others.Michael
Samsung 50" HD DLP
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Adcom GFA 555
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Harmony 880 -
Speaker sound can definitely change during initial use. And blaming it on perception doesn't wash, because I am not listening to them during break-in, except for short sessions each day or so.
And I should note that I have been a skeptic when it comes to things like equipment break-in, powercord "sound", etc., but have been forced to acknowledge they do exist by my own ears. In other words, I am not predisposed to believe in such things, but have come to accept the evidence in front of me.Steve Carlson
Von Schweikert VR-33 speakers
Bel Canto eVo2i integrated amp
Bel Canto PL-2 universal disc player
Analysis Plus Oval Nine speaker cables and Copper Oval-In Micro interconnects
VH Audio Flavor 4 power cables
Polk Monitor 10B speakers, retired but not forgotten -
Sure seems like my 70's took 100 hours to break in, noticeable difference in sound from them now verses when I bought them. I don't think my hearing has changed in that amount of time... I think it took warming mine up more than just a few times for them to warm (sound wise) up...
Call me crazy I believe the break in period is valid...Rockin' In My House
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I can definitely say that my Von Scweikerts have opened up since I have bought them. I am breaking in my new surrounds also.Sharp Elite 70
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Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door. -
Frank,
Unlike you or I, the posters in question want to rely on "tests" rather than their own ears, which was my entire point.
When I'm wrong, I admit it. In this case, I'm not.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
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