Breaking in period
jerseyboy
Posts: 6
Howdy. Just hooked up a pair of Monitor 70's to a hefty H-K receiver. They sound fantastic straight out of the box.
From what I've read, however, there seems to be a "break-in period" during which things happen to the speakers, and after which they'll sound a bit differentthat is to say, even better.
Can anyone enlighten me about the subject? What exactly happens to the speakers; the time period; what I should listen for; etc.
I'm in your debt.
T.I.A.
From what I've read, however, there seems to be a "break-in period" during which things happen to the speakers, and after which they'll sound a bit differentthat is to say, even better.
Can anyone enlighten me about the subject? What exactly happens to the speakers; the time period; what I should listen for; etc.
I'm in your debt.
T.I.A.
Post edited by jerseyboy on
Comments
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Treble can sometimes be a little forward out of the box (usually metal dome), and bass lacking. The tweeter will calm down after some play time, and the woofers surrounds will limber up allowing for a little more bass.
Tell us your impressions after about 60hrs of play time on them. Play some specific tracks, right down comments about what you hear (good and bad), then 40-60hrs later, play the same tracks and look at your notes. Let us know if you find any benefit to break-in.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
Steve, thanks for your post. I've begun a scratch sheet and will report in 60 or so hours down the road. I can't match your audio vocabulary but I'll give it my best shot in my own words.
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Listen for things like:
1. Over done/or too laid back treble
2. "Hooty" or nasal sounding midrange, or midrange that seems pushed to the rear of the stage
3. Over abundance, or too little bass; or what sounds like 1 note bass, versus musical bass
4. Soundstage depth and width (does the music escape the speaker cabinets?)
Be honest with your observations, then go back after break-in and see if things have improved.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
Steve, thanks one more time. Will listen for the speaker tendencies you mention.
I notice you give emphasis to the cables in your system. I assume you mean the cables to/from the various components, not the speaker wires. Which brings me to this: my speaker wires are crummy old things, about 20 years old. But they work. Sound comes out left and right. Do you see any point in springing for fresh speaker wires? (I'm already up to my eyeballs; another $20 won't make much of a difference.) -
The lack of bass has a lot to do with the surrounds of the speakers (the foam part that is flexible) being very stiff right out of the factory. Playing them a lot will loosen them up and let bass will be more accurate.
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Steve, thanks one more time. Will listen for the speaker tendencies you mention.
I notice you give emphasis to the cables in your system. I assume you mean the cables to/from the various components, not the speaker wires. Which brings me to this: my speaker wires are crummy old things, about 20 years old. But they work. Sound comes out left and right. Do you see any point in springing for fresh speaker wires? (I'm already up to my eyeballs; another $20 won't make much of a difference.)
Save up your pennys and get yourself some decent speaker wires. A good place to start out would be Signal Cable. Call Frank at SC tell him what you are running and also tell him you are a member of Club Polk, he'll give you a discount.
http://www.signalcable.com/speaker_cables.html -
Guys, thank you all.
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I for one don't care about "break in". If the sound improves, great! But I always judge product how it sounds soon after unpacking - in my experience the underlining signature of the product, be it CD player, speaker or even interconnect cable stays intact. Sure the speakers might sound smoother after break in, interconnect cable more resolving and CD player get more spacial. But the overall impression about the product will remain the same for and what drew or pushed me from the product in a first place. So don't worry about the break in, enjoy your speakers!
p.s. I often see people complain about harshness of the speakers and how they are willing to allow it to break in. After the break in they report back how it mellowed out, not fatiguing and everything is great now. A year later on the forum that person might mention that they have since sold these speakers because in the end they were still bright. Human mind is a very powerful thing and sometimes we can force our perception to a bigger degree than we care to admit. -
Some aspects will settle in, some won't. If a speaker is forward in the treble by design--all the break-in in the world won't help. It's like anything, it needs to be taken in the right context.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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Newsman, I'm taking your advice and enjoying the speakers. They're super.
I agree with you that the mind is a powerful instrument. Pun intended, it has a mind of its own. One can easily con oneself into believing this or that about just about anything, especially something with a mix of subjectivity and objectivity like the quality of sound that certain speakers deliver in a certain room. Nevertheless, over the next month or so, I'm going to keep a sharp ear for changes in the quality of the sounds, if for no other reason than to see how good my ears are, and to push my abilities to distinguish sound characteristics. Seems like a fun thing to do. I'll try to keep an open, unbiased mind.
I will say this: if the sound characteristics don't improve one iota, unlike the people you mention who buy speakers with the expectation that, like a good wine, they'll improve with age, and are subsequently disappointed, I'll still be a happy camper. I'm delighted with the Monitor 70's. I heard them in a friend's house, so I wasn't buying a pig in a poke. I knew their brightness. I like it. I can dial down the treble a hair if it bugs me. If the bass opens up a little in the coming weeks, that would be very cool.
(Hearing: I ordered speaker cables.)
Appreciate everyone's views. -
Keep us in the loop, and let us know your findings. I much prefer that you experience it for yourself, than have me babble on about what you should hear.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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Keep us in the loop, and let us know your findings. I much prefer that you experience it for yourself, than have me babble on about what you should hear.
Give that man a ceegar! -
Just my 2 cents, but many things have a break in period where their functionality, comfort, etc...improve over time. Every pair of shoes I have ever owned felt much more comfortable after break-in. Same thing with blue-jeans...and most other clothes. Engine rings need to seat in (break in)...I could come up with many things.
Now,...I would expect a speaker to sound good out of box, but I would also expect better performance after break in. If it sounded like crap right out of the box and I was told that break-in would make them sound right...I would be skeptical and probably walk away. If all I had to listen to was Kmart speakers and there were no other options....they would probably sound good to me after a while (the break in period). -
I put some new subs in my speakers last September and they sounded better but by Christmas time the base is increadable. I now have my sub turned off. Really not needing it any more.Sunfire TGP, Sunfire Cinema Grand, Sunfire 300~2 (2), Sunfire True Sub (2),Carver ALS Platinum, Carver AL III, TFM-55, C-19, C-9, TX-8, SDA-490t, SDA-390t
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BuckeyeTim wrote: »Just my 2 cents, but many things have a break in period where their functionality, comfort, etc...improve over time. Every pair of shoes I have ever owned felt much more comfortable after break-in. Same thing with blue-jeans...and most other clothes. Engine rings need to seat in (break in)...I could come up with many things.
Now,...I would expect a speaker to sound good out of box, but I would also expect better performance after break in. If it sounded like crap right out of the box and I was told that break-in would make them sound right...I would be skeptical and probably walk away. If all I had to listen to was Kmart speakers and there were no other options....they would probably sound good to me after a while (the break in period).
When I installed my RD0198s in my 1.2TLs they sounded awful and hollow. I was told they would and that after a break-in period of atleast 35 hours they would wake up . . . they sure did. I'm glad I didn't walk away. -
My pair of 40's went through significant changes from new. Just guessing on hours, but I know that to me they were still settling in at about the 100 hour mark.
Was very surprised to the degree they actually changed, all for the better.Parasound C1, T3, HCA-3500, HCA-2205A, P/DD1550, Pioneer DV-79avi, Oppo BDP-83, WD Media Server W/HDD,
Dynaudio Contour 3.3, Dynaudio Contour T2.1, Polk OWM3, Polk DSW micropro 1000 (x2),
Pioneer Kuro 50" Plasma, Phillips Pronto Control w/Niles HT-MSU. -
Stu, I didn't mention above that it took about 100+ hours for the RD0198s to break in fully.
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Do any speaker companies break-in speakers before they package and sell them?
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Jerseyboy, Welcome to Club Polk. Where in NJ are you?.......I noticed significant changes in the sound of my LSI's at about 40 hours and they continued to change (for the better) until they had 100+ hours on them.
Jimmy -
Do any speaker companies break-in speakers before they package and sell them?
Anyone that tests individual drivers and matches them will have to break-in to get the specs.
I have built many speakers, and I break in woofers only. I don't break in caps or tweeters as that'll happen naturally and I'm not testing their specs. I use my ear to test those components.
With that said, even after breaking in a woofer and testing it, it still breaks in a bit more with time. Kind of like saying, at what point do your new shoes stop fitting you better from break-in and start wearing apart? -
Jimmydep,
I'm in Hoboken.
Re the break-in period: my test went belly up because the room characteristics changed dramatically. A few weeks after I got the speakers, we moved two very large paintings out of the living room. As you might imagine, the Monitor 70s, already bright, became even brighter with less canvas on the walls.
Truthfully, I don't have the ears to say whether or not the speakers broke in before the room's characteristics changed. I liked the speakers very much from the minute I heard them, and I have yet to change my mind. In fact, I bought a second, refurbed pair, on the Polk eBay store for my wife's studio. She's also nuts about the sound they deliver.
Consequently, this post becomes an ode to the Monitor 70s. They're a great value. In a sense, they're wasted on basic rock 'n roll. Symphonic, or multi-layered Pink Floyd-type rock. The more coloration, the better the reward from the Monitors.
I thought I might need a sub, but I seem to be getting what I need from the 70s' lows by bumping up the bass a notch or two.
If by any chance I notice a shift in the speakers in the next couple of months, I'll be back. Meanwhile, thanks to all for sharing their wisdom. -
hearingimpared wrote: »When I installed my RD0198s in my 1.2TLs they sounded awful and hollow. I was told they would and that after a break-in period of atleast 35 hours they would wake up . . . they sure did. I'm glad I didn't walk away.
+1
I thought I waisted $300.
