No, I didn't measure anything. If you are looking for some revelation of an empirical nature, move along.
However, I am convinced, beyond any doubt whatsoever.
I have been running stock EL70 drivers in my "Castle" microTowers for well over a year. I remember when I first got the drivers installed in the cabinets that I was horrified. Talk about harsh - and the bass was nowhere to be found...
I panicked and posted here. "Don't worry", I was told "...they need a few hundred hours."
Indeed, they did. Over the next 500 hours or so, they improved dramatically. Then, incrementally, until they settled in to a glorious state of audio nirvana. No longer did I need any EQ, and the bass dial on my amp could be set to zero.
I recently became uneasy about the fact that EL70 drivers are getting hard to come by, so I decided to order 4 EL70eN from Dave (as "backups"). Of course, as soon as I got them I swapped the new ones into the cabinets!
I didn't anticipate what happened next. Granted, Dave clocked "200-500 hours at low level before the treatment" on the drivers, but I was pretty shocked to hear that my bass was gone. Well, not completely, but so much so that I actually need to turn on my sub now. They are not "harsh" like virgin EL70 can be, but they are not anything like "slightly abused" EL70s, either.
Don't get me wrong, the EL70eN look fantastic, they are matched, and I can already tell that the top end is more coherent and controlled. There is no hint of regret in this post and I am very happy with my purchase. Once they are appropriately loosened up they will no doubt provide what I was accustomed to, and more.
The point is; I have absolutely no doubt at all that "break-in" is very real. Perhaps it is more obvious with these drivers specifically. I don't know, but it is just so obvious.
Anecdotal? Yes. But true nonetheless.
Now, for some Rage Against the Machine at 30 watts!
However, I am convinced, beyond any doubt whatsoever.
I have been running stock EL70 drivers in my "Castle" microTowers for well over a year. I remember when I first got the drivers installed in the cabinets that I was horrified. Talk about harsh - and the bass was nowhere to be found...
I panicked and posted here. "Don't worry", I was told "...they need a few hundred hours."
Indeed, they did. Over the next 500 hours or so, they improved dramatically. Then, incrementally, until they settled in to a glorious state of audio nirvana. No longer did I need any EQ, and the bass dial on my amp could be set to zero.
I recently became uneasy about the fact that EL70 drivers are getting hard to come by, so I decided to order 4 EL70eN from Dave (as "backups"). Of course, as soon as I got them I swapped the new ones into the cabinets!
I didn't anticipate what happened next. Granted, Dave clocked "200-500 hours at low level before the treatment" on the drivers, but I was pretty shocked to hear that my bass was gone. Well, not completely, but so much so that I actually need to turn on my sub now. They are not "harsh" like virgin EL70 can be, but they are not anything like "slightly abused" EL70s, either.
Don't get me wrong, the EL70eN look fantastic, they are matched, and I can already tell that the top end is more coherent and controlled. There is no hint of regret in this post and I am very happy with my purchase. Once they are appropriately loosened up they will no doubt provide what I was accustomed to, and more.
The point is; I have absolutely no doubt at all that "break-in" is very real. Perhaps it is more obvious with these drivers specifically. I don't know, but it is just so obvious.
Anecdotal? Yes. But true nonetheless.
Now, for some Rage Against the Machine at 30 watts!
The problem, of course, is that we can't hear what you heard. That's why measurements are so handy. FR, T/S and distortion measurements from before and after break-in would go a long, long way in helping your argument.
Short of that, you'd need 2 sets that sound the same at the beginning, then break in one and not the other to compare them. Without something like that, you'll get lots of nay-sayers.
(disclosure, I believe in driver break-in too)
Short of that, you'd need 2 sets that sound the same at the beginning, then break in one and not the other to compare them. Without something like that, you'll get lots of nay-sayers.
(disclosure, I believe in driver break-in too)
Been there done that. Only a 100 hrs of breakin. RS40-1197 in BD Pipes.
Break-in is very real.
dave
Not really. There is no way you can remember the sound of a speaker days-weeks ago. This is particularly true if he has been listening to the same speakers all that time. The OP's report would have more credibility if another speaker was used as a reference before/after. Still, a single individual switching components is not a very good test. I know this from personal experience.
Bob
Bob
2 identical pair of speakers side by side, 1 with drivers that had been playing 7/25 for 6osh days and a 2nd pair with drivers freah out of th ebox. No delay between one pair & the other. Dramatic differences.
dave
edit: Bob, you post snuck between too
It took 10 minutes to swap out the drivers. The change was immediately apparent. I didn't create this thread frivolously. Your logic makes no sense. I have been listening to the same system for 14 months straight. I know what it sounded like. 10 minutes later, it sounded very different. I had to turn my sub on. I had to dial my tone controls.
End of story.
Acclimation is bigger than driver break-in. If you think otherwise, you haven't built many speakers.
When you swap nothing but the drivers in a 10 minute interval, there is no acclimation involved. The sound is dramatically different.
Like many of you around here, I spend hours a day (many hours) listening to my system. I change nothing. It always sounds the same. I changed the drivers out for new ones and bam! Different! So much so that my wife and one daughter commented on it. After all, I had to convince the wife to let me buy them in the first place...
Me: "Ummm, ya... I know, I just have to dial in the tone controls..."
Her: [rolleyes]
Perhaps I am missing your point?
Last edited:
Cogitech,
Great suggestion by Pano, if possible please get some measurements done. (another break-in believer
No way. I am convinced. That's good enough for me. I just wanted to report it, not prove it.
2 identical pair of speakers side by side, 1 with drivers that had been playing 7/25 for 6osh days and a 2nd pair with drivers freah out of th ebox. No delay between one pair & the other. Dramatic differences.
dave
edit: Bob, you post snuck between too
Apparently Dave and I can hear better than the rest of you.
of course, who can argue that you did not hear what you heard? that is your reality but it doesn't mean that it has to be mine too....
True. However, if you were here at the time (and you are not tone deaf) you would have experienced the same thing. I'd put a thousand bucks on it.
BTW, it seems simple enough to me.:
Fs on the EL70 is rated at 64hz. The "old" drivers were likely reaching that low.
Fs on the 4 new ones were measured by Dave to be closer to 70hz.
Include the fact that this is a MLTL design, recognizing the fact that such designs rely heavily on lower Fs to really start to dig deep. That 8hz delta would translate to significant bass loss in an MLTL. That's what I am hearing, and I have no doubt I will get it all back, in time.
Fs on the EL70 is rated at 64hz. The "old" drivers were likely reaching that low.
Fs on the 4 new ones were measured by Dave to be closer to 70hz.
Include the fact that this is a MLTL design, recognizing the fact that such designs rely heavily on lower Fs to really start to dig deep. That 8hz delta would translate to significant bass loss in an MLTL. That's what I am hearing, and I have no doubt I will get it all back, in time.
Not asking you to prove it - it's a great opportunity to get some data. I hear differences between a fresh driver and broken in driver BTW.
What kind of replies did you expect?
I guess you dont need to contribute to this topic anymore.
Thanx for reporting.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.