I'm sure there are many other threads but I can't find any via various search things, so feel free to just post links to those threads.
I'm curious what albums people use to run their full-rangers (particularly Mark Audio gear - but that shouldn't matter) during break-in period. I'd like to setup a 100+hr playlist that slowly ramps up... I can't be the first to think of this, just looking for suggestions.
I'm curious what albums people use to run their full-rangers (particularly Mark Audio gear - but that shouldn't matter) during break-in period. I'd like to setup a 100+hr playlist that slowly ramps up... I can't be the first to think of this, just looking for suggestions.
for quality entertainment I'd recommend something cool and older like this large and free collection of the great "Whispering Jack Smith" - but beware - there's a couple of cuts with very heavy bass for ~1927 or so - ("My Blue Heaven" at around 2 minute mark for one.
listen to the rather strong bass on this 1930 cut (not with your new speaker) https://ia600304.us.archive.org/10/...2/ElevenThirtySaturdayNight1930JackSmith1.mp3
there's a lot of free great music from the past - there's internet radio stations where you might find genre with not much bass - if you find a station dedicated only to string quartets, let me know. There may be station featuring only classical and flamenco guitar. Acoustic era recordings have powerful midrange but weak bass. I've used rap on some Eminence
https://archive.org/details/WhisperingJackSmithCollection1925-1932
listen to the rather strong bass on this 1930 cut (not with your new speaker) https://ia600304.us.archive.org/10/...2/ElevenThirtySaturdayNight1930JackSmith1.mp3
there's a lot of free great music from the past - there's internet radio stations where you might find genre with not much bass - if you find a station dedicated only to string quartets, let me know. There may be station featuring only classical and flamenco guitar. Acoustic era recordings have powerful midrange but weak bass. I've used rap on some Eminence
https://archive.org/details/WhisperingJackSmithCollection1925-1932
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For gently breaking in a new pair of SFRDs, there's nothing like chamber music & string quartets. Unfortunately, I have little tolerance for such, with the exception of Ofra Harnoy playing Beatles tunes. Try:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...F8&child=B0013AIW6A&qid=1410366213&sr=1-1</a>
Cheers, Jim
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...F8&child=B0013AIW6A&qid=1410366213&sr=1-1</a>
Cheers, Jim
^^^^^ good suggestion.
Personally I'm into Guitar speakers and I break-in new ones, if needed, with a looping AC-DC "best of" or similar *simple* music programming ....... played LOUD.
Maybe some Punk rock too.
It gives me a frequency and relative instrument volume mix somewhat similar to what it will actually see later in life, also more realistic than either a sinewave or pink noise.
If I have to do it at night, neighbours will kill me, so I instead put raw speaker frames in the floor, pointing up, over a folded towel or similar to avoid them rattling (and scratching labels) and straight connect them in parallel to a ransformer, which provides cheap and constant 50 Hz at either 6 or 12V AC.
Since sound mostly self cancels at that frequency in an unmounted raw speaker, actual "audible" level is very low and bothers nobody.
And unmounted/unloaded speakers move a lot at that frequency, even with relatively low power.
Just one night is all it takes.
Personally I'm into Guitar speakers and I break-in new ones, if needed, with a looping AC-DC "best of" or similar *simple* music programming ....... played LOUD.
Maybe some Punk rock too.
It gives me a frequency and relative instrument volume mix somewhat similar to what it will actually see later in life, also more realistic than either a sinewave or pink noise.
If I have to do it at night, neighbours will kill me, so I instead put raw speaker frames in the floor, pointing up, over a folded towel or similar to avoid them rattling (and scratching labels) and straight connect them in parallel to a ransformer, which provides cheap and constant 50 Hz at either 6 or 12V AC.
Since sound mostly self cancels at that frequency in an unmounted raw speaker, actual "audible" level is very low and bothers nobody.
And unmounted/unloaded speakers move a lot at that frequency, even with relatively low power.
Just one night is all it takes.
You are asking about vinyl ?
Cant help with that one but i use this CD:
6moons audio reviews: IsoTek System Enhancer
Cant help with that one but i use this CD:
6moons audio reviews: IsoTek System Enhancer
Drivers, particularly woofers do need break in, the suspension in a new driver is generally very stiff and there are significant changes in TS parameters during the first couple of dozen hours of operation.
I worked for a decade at a large audio manufacturer and prior to characterizing samples for QC references and the like we ran them on pink noise for 24 hours. FS, QTS and some other long forgotten parameters changed significantly, and then stabilized for most of the life of the driver.
I used pink noise over the course of several days to break in the woofers in my last project.
I worked for a decade at a large audio manufacturer and prior to characterizing samples for QC references and the like we ran them on pink noise for 24 hours. FS, QTS and some other long forgotten parameters changed significantly, and then stabilized for most of the life of the driver.
I used pink noise over the course of several days to break in the woofers in my last project.
Here is a documented test on woofers:
Speaker Break In: Fact or Fiction? | Audioholics
Conclusion In an electrodynamic driver featuring the usual surround-diaphragm-spider construction, driver suspension mechanical compliance plays a key roll in determining the measured value of various driver parameters. All of these parameters will shift as the mechanical compliance of the driver's suspension shifts in value. The bulk of a driver's compliance shift will occur at the time of initial burn in.
Subsequent shifts in compliance are largely temporary in nature. An example of one such mechanism contributing to such temporary shifts is that which arise from the elastic deformation of butadiene-styrene surrounds. Given sufficient time to recover, these changes tend to reverse themselves and the driver returns to its pre-stimulus state.
As the enclosure compliance in both totally enclosed boxes and vented cabinets dominates that of the driver for most practical implementations of either type enclosure currently in production, any potential changes in system amplitude response attributable to changes in driver suspension mechanical compliance tend to be minimized. Normal production unit-to-unit driver spec variances can affect final amplitude response of a system to a larger degree than that expected from normal pre- post-burn in driver suspension compliance changes.
Note full-range drivers are not woofers and their paramteres/tolerances are very different i.e.even less changes.
Speaker Break In: Fact or Fiction? | Audioholics
Conclusion In an electrodynamic driver featuring the usual surround-diaphragm-spider construction, driver suspension mechanical compliance plays a key roll in determining the measured value of various driver parameters. All of these parameters will shift as the mechanical compliance of the driver's suspension shifts in value. The bulk of a driver's compliance shift will occur at the time of initial burn in.
Subsequent shifts in compliance are largely temporary in nature. An example of one such mechanism contributing to such temporary shifts is that which arise from the elastic deformation of butadiene-styrene surrounds. Given sufficient time to recover, these changes tend to reverse themselves and the driver returns to its pre-stimulus state.
As the enclosure compliance in both totally enclosed boxes and vented cabinets dominates that of the driver for most practical implementations of either type enclosure currently in production, any potential changes in system amplitude response attributable to changes in driver suspension mechanical compliance tend to be minimized. Normal production unit-to-unit driver spec variances can affect final amplitude response of a system to a larger degree than that expected from normal pre- post-burn in driver suspension compliance changes.
Note full-range drivers are not woofers and their paramteres/tolerances are very different i.e.even less changes.
No no loud bass, this is stupid, is a white noise with some sweeps and pops ... nothing more ... @ last on this CD a suggest ...
There is preview on YouTube IsoTek - Full System Enhancer, Rejuvenation and Demagnetisation
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FWIW, break in effects (audible and measurable) vary a lot depending on type of speaker and enclosure chosen.
The change we are studying is compliance, both edge suspension and spider suspension.
The experiment posted above is valid, of course, but was designed to minimize effects of break in
How come?
Let's start with a plain, old style, all paper (including edge) "full range" speaker ... or a Guitar one, which is also "full range" within the audio band which is thrown at it.
In fact, some of today's respected Guitar speakers (Celestions) in fact were the same as Hi Fi units .... in the 50's .
"That's what was available" ....period.
In such a speaker, both suspension compliances (edge and spider) are very important, both are made out a fibrous material (cellulose fibers with some binding agent) and both will soften significantly with repeated flexing.
Changing speaker parameters, of course.
No news here, you can easily distinguish a new vs. an already read book.
A well read one will even "open on its own" on favorite pages
So in all paper speakers, mounted in non sealed boxes, break in is VERY noticeable ... and easy to hear.
Now on modern Hi Fi (or PA) speakers with a soft foam/cloth edge, we remove 1 factor.
Still the impregnated cloth spider softens appreciably with use.
Now in the link example: in an Acoustic Suspension system, which is sealed but even more important, internal air stiffness is, say, 10X the spider stiffness, well, in that case air importance (which does not vary), swamps spider stiffness (or compliance) changes.
So in a nutshell: speaker compliance does vary significantly with use, most of it at the beginning, of course, but its acoustic effect can go from important to minuscule depending on cabinet design and intended use.
The change we are studying is compliance, both edge suspension and spider suspension.
The experiment posted above is valid, of course, but was designed to minimize effects of break in
How come?
Let's start with a plain, old style, all paper (including edge) "full range" speaker ... or a Guitar one, which is also "full range" within the audio band which is thrown at it.
In fact, some of today's respected Guitar speakers (Celestions) in fact were the same as Hi Fi units .... in the 50's .
"That's what was available" ....period.
In such a speaker, both suspension compliances (edge and spider) are very important, both are made out a fibrous material (cellulose fibers with some binding agent) and both will soften significantly with repeated flexing.
Changing speaker parameters, of course.
No news here, you can easily distinguish a new vs. an already read book.
A well read one will even "open on its own" on favorite pages
So in all paper speakers, mounted in non sealed boxes, break in is VERY noticeable ... and easy to hear.
Now on modern Hi Fi (or PA) speakers with a soft foam/cloth edge, we remove 1 factor.
Still the impregnated cloth spider softens appreciably with use.
Now in the link example: in an Acoustic Suspension system, which is sealed but even more important, internal air stiffness is, say, 10X the spider stiffness, well, in that case air importance (which does not vary), swamps spider stiffness (or compliance) changes.
So in a nutshell: speaker compliance does vary significantly with use, most of it at the beginning, of course, but its acoustic effect can go from important to minuscule depending on cabinet design and intended use.
I certainly want to avoid buying a speaker that soften's significantly with repeated flexing - poor design indeed!
Ted Jordan has been designing full range drivers for well over 50 years and he personally told me he has not been able to measure any parameter changes after the first 5 minutes that is not temperature dependent.
Will you get some change - yes of course
Can you hear it - very probably not (DB trial needed here)
Even if you can hear it will it improve??
Ted Jordan has been designing full range drivers for well over 50 years and he personally told me he has not been able to measure any parameter changes after the first 5 minutes that is not temperature dependent.
Will you get some change - yes of course
Can you hear it - very probably not (DB trial needed here)
Even if you can hear it will it improve??
His recommendations are what led me to post this thread. I'd like to set up a playlist that slowly over 100+hrs adds more bass and rhythmicity as per the manufacturer/designer's recommendations and am looking for album recommendations for that purpose. The variety and hilarity of a lot of these responses is entertaining though. Do you have any albums that come to mind that would work well?
I'd also like to steer away from using unpredictable things like radio or TV to ensure a proper break in.
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Hum, maybe something like this:
Cardas Frequency Sweep and Burn-In Record
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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Somehow I doubt that'll play freely for 100+ hours (my turntable doesn't auto repeat). I'd like to set up a digital flac playlist that I can walk away from and come back to after work.
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