DIY driver break-in?

Phil O.son · 20th October 2002, 05:14 PM

I have ordered some drivers for my DIY project and was wondering if they should be broken in before I do the measurements on them.

If so, how long?

My thoughts were to hook each up to a separate amp, (tweeter, mid, and woofer), run the amps from my Bryston active crossover, and feed that with white noise over night at a moderate level.

Would that do the trick or do the measurements not really change? I would think they would since a speaker sounds better after a break-in period, (which means SOMETHING is changing).

TIA,
Phil

planet10 · 20th October 2002, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phil O.son
[B]I have ordered some drivers for my DIY project and was wondering if they should be broken in before I do the measurements on them.

If so, how long?

Yes they should. How long depends on the driver. 50-100 hours is a good figure of merit.

dave

Bill Fitzpatrick · 20th October 2002, 09:39 PM

Before measuring I break in my woofers for 72hrs with a 5Hz sine near maximum excursion.

Petter · 20th October 2002, 10:14 PM

You should definitely break them in, particularly the woofers.

What I did with mine (after asking around) was to create some synthetic waveforms in SoundForge, burn them to a CD and play the CD on repeat.

As I recall, I had noise in the range of 20Hz-100Hz, resonant frequency signal, various superimposed sinusoids etc. Worked like a charm.

For tweeters, consider doing some pink noise and some sweeps. Do remember to filter so you don't feed the tweeter too much low frequency energy. You can get the noise from an FM tuner tuned out of station and add a regular crossover to remove the low frequency energy.

You could also play regular material but it would probably not be as efficient.

Petter

GRollins · 21st October 2002, 12:35 AM

A trick that I've used that isn't quite so wearing on the ears is to face the drivers/speakers together, then feed them an out of phase signal. The acoustic output cancels (mostly...I'm getting taken to task for generalizing elsewhere at the moment), yet the drivers are getting a full workout. Works like a charm and will help save your sanity.

Grey

Peter Daniel · 21st October 2002, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Petter

What I did with mine (after asking around) was to create some synthetic waveforms in SoundForge, burn them to a CD and play the CD on repeat.

You could also play regular material but it would probably not be as efficient.

Probably some of my industrial music CDs would be perfect for that purpose.

Circlotron · 21st October 2002, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter Daniel

Probably some of my industrial music CDs would be perfect for that purpose.

Well at least the synthetic waveforms would have some sort of aesthetic appeal.

GP.

Phil O.son · 21st October 2002, 06:42 AM

Thanks guys! It sounds like I'll need to run them longer than I thought. I have an unused laptop so I can always set them up in the laundry room and close the door.

Since that's the farthest place from our normal haunts it should do the trick, (till my wife needs to do the laundry).

Phil

FrankDIY · 21st October 2002, 12:16 PM

I am always breaking drivers with real-life signal: music CD or a radio channel. 5Hz sine seems to me too low and too constant.

Bill Fitzpatrick · 21st October 2002, 03:32 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong but the only reason for breaking in before measurement is to get "simulated months of use" TS figures for compliance and resonance. If so, high frequency content of the break in signal is not important and a 5Hz sine is just the ticket - inaudible and effective.

If someone knows different, please speak up with the complete explanation.

20th October 2002, 05:14 PM	#1
Phil O.son diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kenwood	DIY driver break-in? I have ordered some drivers for my DIY project and was wondering if they should be broken in before I do the measurements on them. If so, how long? My thoughts were to hook each up to a separate amp, (tweeter, mid, and woofer), run the amps from my Bryston active crossover, and feed that with white noise over night at a moderate level. Would that do the trick or do the measurements not really change? I would think they would since a speaker sounds better after a break-in period, (which means SOMETHING is changing). TIA, Phil

21st October 2002, 12:16 PM	#9
FrankDIY diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Quebec City	I am always breaking drivers with real-life signal: music CD or a radio channel. 5Hz sine seems to me too low and too constant. __________________ Imagination is more important than knowledge. knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world. Albert Einstein FrankDIY's Audio Corner

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20th October 2002, 09:39 PM	#3
Bill Fitzpatrick diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Eugene, OR	Before measuring I break in my woofers for 72hrs with a 5Hz sine near maximum excursion.

20th October 2002, 10:14 PM	#4
Petter diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Scandinavia	You should definitely break them in, particularly the woofers. What I did with mine (after asking around) was to create some synthetic waveforms in SoundForge, burn them to a CD and play the CD on repeat. As I recall, I had noise in the range of 20Hz-100Hz, resonant frequency signal, various superimposed sinusoids etc. Worked like a charm. For tweeters, consider doing some pink noise and some sweeps. Do remember to filter so you don't feed the tweeter too much low frequency energy. You can get the noise from an FM tuner tuned out of station and add a regular crossover to remove the low frequency energy. You could also play regular material but it would probably not be as efficient. Petter

21st October 2002, 12:35 AM	#5
GRollins diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Columbia, SC	A trick that I've used that isn't quite so wearing on the ears is to face the drivers/speakers together, then feed them an out of phase signal. The acoustic output cancels (mostly...I'm getting taken to task for generalizing elsewhere at the moment), yet the drivers are getting a full workout. Works like a charm and will help save your sanity. Grey

21st October 2002, 06:42 AM	#8
Phil O.son diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kenwood	Thanks guys! It sounds like I'll need to run them longer than I thought. I have an unused laptop so I can always set them up in the laundry room and close the door. Since that's the farthest place from our normal haunts it should do the trick, (till my wife needs to do the laundry). Phil

21st October 2002, 03:32 PM	#10
Bill Fitzpatrick diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Eugene, OR	Correct me if I'm wrong but the only reason for breaking in before measurement is to get "simulated months of use" TS figures for compliance and resonance. If so, high frequency content of the break in signal is not important and a 5Hz sine is just the ticket - inaudible and effective. If someone knows different, please speak up with the complete explanation.