Break in time for Black Gate Caps?

[SimontY]

RedRabbit,

I agree with a lot of what you say and I think much of it "feels" like it is true for many of us tweakers. However, it's when we stop taking things for granted and questioning other peoples' ideas things get interesting. It is only then we can judge changes without prejudice (impossible to actually do but we can get closer).

I often think that idea should be taken up by the naysayers who are so keen to jump on the intellectual high horse / bandwagon about passive component quality. You guys need to try nice parts too, and without assuming it's all "pixie dust" and "hogwash".

In my world, component burn-in and warm-up is an annoying problem, not an exciting fantasy.

Simon

[SimontY]

I don't know why I bother posting about this stuff, I am happy to do things my way. The tweaks are not used solely in place of good design and functionality. Maybe sometimes they are and we get too carried away.

Personally I see Black Gates, electron pools, EnABL, cone feet, mains filters, CD treatments, laser LED baths and other naughty tweaky things as the finishing touches that make the difference between good sound and exceptional sound. I am not afraid to try things I can't explain. I am not an engineer or a scientist so I can't be expected to explain why some of these things work, I'm just concerned with whether they do or not, and for me personally.

I am not keen on people who try to silence the experimenter, as if the fun we have is illegal in most US states and unethical...

[redrabbit]

Here's what I don't understand about component burn-in, and the differences people claim to hear after the process....

>>> The "memory" of what it sounded like before the burn. <<<

It's hard enough to audition-and-compare two pieces of gear in "real-time" because.... by the time you disconnect "A", and reconnect "B", your memory of the musical nuances have quickly diminished .....in my experience, much too quickly to call such a comparison fair and accurate. (even if notes are written down)
So how on earth can one compare the sound, from pre-burn, to post burn ?
This is even a longer period of time.

=RR=

P.S.... Before someone accuses me of forming baseless opinions, I have built and use one of these, has anyone else ?
A/B Switch Box
(I used it to audition the differences in opamps, headphone amps, preamps, tweaks, etc...)

[SimontY]

The switchbox looks good, but it's a big commitment to buy two of everything for that kind of testing

[bmwpowere36m3]

I think part of the problem is that on PAPER some higher-quality (audiophile) components might have better specifications... but does that translate into an AUDIBLE improvement. I would relate this to measuring lumbar with a micrometer for cutting lengths used for framework. Sure, the pieces will be exact, but is that extra 0.001" of precision going to make a difference. I guess that depends on your goals of precision, time, and money.

I also strive to use the "best" components that are reasonably priced, for both performance and personal satisfaction. I've done some A/B testing (input stage tubes in headphone amp and output caps on DAC), but to me even changing major items results in a subtle audible difference. For example I tested a couple of output electrolytic caps (Silmic RFS and SANYO OS-CONs) on my ϒ1 DAC to see what sounded best. They both sounded good and the only difference was a general warmth with the RFS's and a more pronounced clarity with the SANYO's.

Like RR points out, it was hard for me to exactly remember what I heard before to make detailed observations for comparison sake.