Burning/running in, fact or fiction?

Burning/running in?

  • Fact?

    Votes: 21 42.0%

  • Fiction?

    Votes: 29 58.0%
  • Total voters
    50
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Jump to Latest
unclejed613

unclejed613

Member
Joined 2006
SY said:
...and it is why the extra-cost service warranties offered here in the US by big box electronics retailers are a rip-off and the most profitable item they sell. Things tend to either fail quickly, thus falling under the manufacturer's warranty, or after a very long time, thus falling outside the extra-cost extended warranty.

(I took the liberty of fixing your typo)
Click to expand...

actually on some types of equipment, the extended warranty CAN be a good deal, as there are components that may last through the manufacturer's warranty, but fail within the term of most "extended" warranties. i see plenty of DVD and Blu-Ray players come in under extended warranty, usually for the failure of the laser (blue lasers tend to die quicker than red ones do) or the spindle motor. depending on the manufacturer, the DVD or Blu-Ray drive cost can be anywhere between $30.00 and $700.00 (no, i'm not joking), and COD labor rates are fairly high these days. there are some types of equipment where the extended warrany is unneccesary, but this is highly variable among different manufacturers. if it's a Samsung product, an extended warranty makes sense, but a Denon or Yamaha product, it might not make sense. it really depends on the overall component quality. unfortunately most retailers won't let you look "under the hood"

i used to work for a manufacturer that ran a 24 hour burn-in test on new equipment. the reason for the burn-in test is to catch all of the "infant mortality" failures. the idea that something has to be "burned in" for 2 weeks or so to "remove the rough edges" on the way it sounds is pure HOGWASH. that type of "burn-in" is more to get your ears used to the way it sounds. way back when, there was an article in Audio magazine called "Catastrophe Theory" which was about how, over a period of time, we get used to things in our environment, and if changes happen over a long enough period (such as a tube in a preamp gradually getting noisier) we tend not to notice them. then one day you are at a friend's house that has the same tube preamp (but his tubes aren't noisy). when you go back home after listening to his system, all of the sudden you think something has gone wrong with your system, because it now sounds noisy. so the usual "burn-in" periods that are recommended aren't to burn-in the equipment (any well made equipment should have a stable operating point), but to "burn-in" your ears, and to burn time off of any return policy that a retailer may have.
 
N

nad

Member
Joined 2009
unclejed613 said:
actually on some types of equipment, the extended warranty CAN be a good deal, as there are components that may last through the manufacturer's warranty, but fail within the term of most "extended" warranties. i see plenty of DVD and Blu-Ray players come in under extended warranty, usually for the failure of the laser (blue lasers tend to die quicker than red ones do) or the spindle motor. depending on the manufacturer, the DVD or Blu-Ray drive cost can be anywhere between $30.00 and $700.00 (no, i'm not joking), and COD labor rates are fairly high these days. there are some types of equipment where the extended warrany is unneccesary, but this is highly variable among different manufacturers. if it's a Samsung product, an extended warranty makes sense, but a Denon or Yamaha product, it might not make sense. it really depends on the overall component quality. unfortunately most retailers won't let you look "under the hood"

i used to work for a manufacturer that ran a 24 hour burn-in test on new equipment. the reason for the burn-in test is to catch all of the "infant mortality" failures. the idea that something has to be "burned in" for 2 weeks or so to "remove the rough edges" on the way it sounds is pure HOGWASH. that type of "burn-in" is more to get your ears used to the way it sounds. way back when, there was an article in Audio magazine called "Catastrophe Theory" which was about how, over a period of time, we get used to things in our environment, and if changes happen over a long enough period (such as a tube in a preamp gradually getting noisier) we tend not to notice them. then one day you are at a friend's house that has the same tube preamp (but his tubes aren't noisy). when you go back home after listening to his system, all of the sudden you think something has gone wrong with your system, because it now sounds noisy. so the usual "burn-in" periods that are recommended aren't to burn-in the equipment (any well made equipment should have a stable operating point), but to "burn-in" your ears, and to burn time off of any return policy that a retailer may have.
Click to expand...

Excellent reply, makes perfect sense.

Thanks
 
K

Key

Member
Joined 2009
Tony said:
burning-in of electronics is the responsibility of the vendor, end-users must never be subjected to this burn-in non-sense...
Click to expand...

The vendor or the manufacturer? When I think about this a line has to be drawn somewhere. It seems like in the PC building world or in anything modular where you assemble it yourself you are expected to do your own infant death testing. And if you think about the costs and energy consumption involved for burning in products I am pretty sure it becomes unrealistic for either the vendor or manufacturer to perform something that is just going to happen anyway.
 
TonyTecson

TonyTecson

Member
Joined 2003
Key said:
Because it probably brings the cost down significantly. I just see it as unavoidable with certain things like guitar strings, cartridges, and speakers. None of those sound great out of the box but I still buy them.
Click to expand...

these things are tested to certain specifications at the production house before being sent out, are they not?.......and you purchased those because you know their specs do you not?

now where do these burning-in non-sense come in?
 
N

nad

Member
Joined 2009
brianco said:
@ NAD

It is very confusing that you have two threads running which are covering such similar ground. Would you allow a Moderator to merge these threads and retitle to cover both aspects of your enquirey? e.g. "...fact, fiction, how long?"
Click to expand...

I have already asked the moderators to completely remove the "how long" thread, I started it before I even thought about what the outcome would be, hence the new thread titled "fact/Fiction"
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Top Bottom