Burning/running in, fact or fiction?

[chatziva]

My humble opinion:

I have never observed any "burning in" effects on things like amps, cd players dacs etc.

As for speakers, as they are electromechanical systems I would expect some degree of "burning in" / settling. And I think that I have heard it.
BUT:
1. I might be hearing something that I am expecting to hear while there is no real differentiation.
2. The getting used to the sound process might be perceived as "burning in".

I am sure that this "getting used to the sound" is true. I have two audio systems and my father has one as well. Every time I switch between the three I do hear some difference of course. At the beggining I do feel something is not right. However after a while of listening one system I grow to like it again. When I switch again i undergo the same process. And these are all "burned-in" systems.

So, could this "burning in" be largely due to our ear getting used to the sound, rather than electromechanical settling of the system? I don't know. Maybe.

It's the same with other senses right ? e.g. vision and taste. When we sit long enough in a dark room we start to see more things after a while. When we eat salty food all the time, we can't taste delicate flavours.

I don't see why it should be different for hearing.

Maybe both phenomena occur but hearing settling might be faster than electromechanical settling. I don't know!!

 

[nad]

My humble opinion:

I have never observed any "burning in" effects on things like amps, cd players dacs etc.

As for speakers, as they are electromechanical systems I would expect some degree of "burning in" / settling. And I think that I have heard it.
BUT:
1. I might be hearing something that I am expecting to hear while there is no real differentiation.
2. The getting used to the sound process might be perceived as "burning in".

I am sure that this "getting used to the sound" is true. I have two audio systems and my father has one as well. Every time I switch between the three I do hear some difference of course. At the beggining I do feel something is not right. However after a while of listening one system I grow to like it again. When I switch again i undergo the same process. And these are all "burned-in" systems.

So, could this "burning in" be largely due to our ear getting used to the sound, rather than electromechanical settling of the system? I don't know. Maybe.

It's the same with other senses right ? e.g. vision and taste. When we sit long enough in a dark room we start to see more things after a while.

I have to completely agree with your theory.

Thanks.

 

[Andrea:]

I have appreciated ("observed" ?) audio equipment burnin' in all the time, instead.

However, I think that burn in is more apparent in some passive audio components, such as cables , or also (inside the pieces of equipment) caps in the signal path...


Surely, with transducers all burn in is 'amplified' enough that no one can deny it.

 

[Key]

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 (this) burning-in non-sense come in?

I don't get your point. With mechanical items that have elasticity if the manufacturer is any good at what they do they will be tested with optimal elasticity, after they have been broken in. Who cares if they are off spec for the first 24 hours? When they stretch out their parts they settle into spec this is the way mechanical parts should be designed.

 

[john curl]

Well everyone, we have discussed burn-in (impossible), wire directionality (nuts), and wire differences (almost impossible). Why not go on to preamps, power amps, crossover distortion and digital sources(all the same?)? It has been done before, on other venues.
Actually, interestingly enough, everything you need to know about hi fi testing was put in print, 34 years ago, in 'The Absolute Sound' Vol.2 #7, winter 1975-6.
Everything that I have found independently is mentioned there about hi fi testing in general, including optimum A-B testing procedures. Wow! I was 3 years late. This makes you guys, 34 years behind. This is an accurate statement, not some random insult, often made here, by others.

 

[event horizon]

Experts from Stereophile (and others) always say they leave the gear ON for some time before "serious listening".

I think that's probably down to listening to something like a class A power amplifier where you'd want the thing to get to some kind of thermal equilibrium & therefore optimum bias. In that instance it might well make some sense.

Not only that, but if you happened to be fantasticly rich you could leave the amp on all the time (big leccy bill). This would actually vastly increase the lifespan of the amp assuming it was solid state. It's the heating & cooling of the output transistors that causes device failure.

All fine & dandy

What i'm failing to understand is howcome a Krell DT10 wipes the floor compared to a Theta Data Basic CD transport when the Theta kept the digital side powered in readiness so to speak & the Krell doesn't. Yet there is no comparison between the two transports sound wise - the Krell makes the Theta sound like a midi system even from the word go

 

[planet10]

As for speakers, as they are electromechanical systems I would expect some degree of "burning in" / settling. And I think that I have heard it.

I have.

I've had a number of opportunities to compare side-by-side a pair well-broken in, vrs the same freshly assembled.

How much depends on drivers, load etc.

Running in Alpair 12

dave

 

[c2cthomas]

Actually, interestingly enough, everything you need to know about hi fi testing was put in print, 34 years ago, in 'The Absolute Sound' Vol.2 #7, winter 1975-6.
Everything that I have found independently is mentioned there about hi fi testing in general, including optimum A-B testing procedures. Wow! I was 3 years late. This makes you guys, 34 years behind. This is an accurate statement, not some random insult, often made here, by others.

Ahhh - At my age I find it's sorta fun to discover stuff again for the 2nd or 3rd time.