burn in of components

jitter · 25th April 2009, 08:12 AM

Thesis: changes in sound are not caused by burning in of new components, it's caused by the listener's brain slowly adjusting to them.

Do you agree?

Reason for me posting this thesis are my experiences switching between headphones. I'm an avid headphones user. I've gone through several, and every time I get a new one I really hate the sound. But I always give a new one some time, and without exception I've come to like them within a week or two. IMHO this is 99% attributable to my brain slowly adjusting. In other words I think it's the brain that needs "burn-in" rather than components...

hardwareguy · 25th April 2009, 08:44 AM

I think your hypothesis is quite reasonable. I have noticed the same things with headphones.

Geek · 25th April 2009, 10:09 AM

I dunno...

I bought these Tang Band drivers that I thought sucked when I put them in....

... now 600 break-in hours later and I still think they suck

Cheers!

AndrewT · 25th April 2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Geek
I thought sucked when I put them in....

... now 600 ..... hours later and I still think they suck

that tells you that you don't like them.
It neither proves nor disproves the hypothesis.

sandyK · 25th April 2009, 11:28 AM

Quite a few members of the Headphone forums cover their new headphones with pillows, and feed them fairly high level, but not distorted, audio from a FM tuner or similar for 48 hours or more continuously. A friend of mine did that recently with my AT W1000, which hadn't seen many hours on them, and now I am having trouble getting them back after the marked improvement. (this was from a Stax lover !)
Many years ago, quite a few Loudspeaker manufacturers advised you to slowly bed in their products,before using them at high level.
As regards semiconductors, it has been my experience, and that of quite a few other Rock Grotto members, that the metal can LM4562HA markedly improves as it approaches 48 hours of use. Many people leave their new headphone amplifiers switched on 24/7 for several days to allow the electrolytic capacitors in particular, to form, as well as some of the active devices to "burn in"
SandyK

AndrewT · 25th April 2009, 12:47 PM

electrical to mechanical transducers have many properties that change with time and use and non-use.

Expect all speaker drivers to change their T/S parameters with use.
This is not burn in. This is natural ageing.

sandyK · 25th April 2009, 12:59 PM

Andrew
I prefer to think of it as freeing up. BTW, I can't personally confirm the audible "improvements" in the AT W1000, as I haven't got them back yet. It could certainly be a case of wishful thinking on the part of my friend.
Alex

SY · 25th April 2009, 01:40 PM

When transducers are involved, it's not really "burn-in;" the changes that happen are often measurable, large, and well over the threshold of "well-established audibility criteria." Not always, but often.

jitter · 26th April 2009, 07:43 AM

My last headphones change was from a Sennheiser HD600 to a... uhm... Sennheiser HD600. Not really a change, you'd say. You'd be right and you'd be wrong too!

I recently ran into a new HD600 by chance and managed to knock a bit off the price by mentioning they were an old type. The HD600 I used until then had suffered serious damage from falling once too often, so this was a welcome find.
I had expected a slight difference in sound between the old and the new HD600, but it turned out to be huge. It was as big a difference going from an HD560 Ovation to my first HD600. But after a week or two it started to sound fine, as expected...

Is this break-in, adjustment of my brain or a bit of both?

Netlist · 26th April 2009, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jitter I had expected a slight difference in sound between the old and the new HD600, but it turned out to be huge.

Worn ear pads?

/Hugo

25th April 2009, 08:12 AM	#1
jitter diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands	burn in of components Thesis: changes in sound are not caused by burning in of new components, it's caused by the listener's brain slowly adjusting to them. Do you agree? Reason for me posting this thesis are my experiences switching between headphones. I'm an avid headphones user. I've gone through several, and every time I get a new one I really hate the sound. But I always give a new one some time, and without exception I've come to like them within a week or two. IMHO this is 99% attributable to my brain slowly adjusting. In other words I think it's the brain that needs "burn-in" rather than components...

25th April 2009, 01:40 PM	#8
SY diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Chicagoland Blog Entries: 1	When transducers are involved, it's not really "burn-in;" the changes that happen are often measurable, large, and well over the threshold of "well-established audibility criteria." Not always, but often. __________________ If there's a sucker born every minute, where do the rest of them come from?

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25th April 2009, 08:44 AM	#2
hardwareguy diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2009	I think your hypothesis is quite reasonable. I have noticed the same things with headphones.

25th April 2009, 10:09 AM	#3
Geek diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2004	I dunno... I bought these Tang Band drivers that I thought sucked when I put them in.... ... now 600 break-in hours later and I still think they suck Cheers!

25th April 2009, 11:28 AM	#5
sandyK diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sydney	Quite a few members of the Headphone forums cover their new headphones with pillows, and feed them fairly high level, but not distorted, audio from a FM tuner or similar for 48 hours or more continuously. A friend of mine did that recently with my AT W1000, which hadn't seen many hours on them, and now I am having trouble getting them back after the marked improvement. (this was from a Stax lover !) Many years ago, quite a few Loudspeaker manufacturers advised you to slowly bed in their products,before using them at high level. As regards semiconductors, it has been my experience, and that of quite a few other Rock Grotto members, that the metal can LM4562HA markedly improves as it approaches 48 hours of use. Many people leave their new headphone amplifiers switched on 24/7 for several days to allow the electrolytic capacitors in particular, to form, as well as some of the active devices to "burn in" SandyK

25th April 2009, 12:47 PM	#6
AndrewT diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Scottish Borders	electrical to mechanical transducers have many properties that change with time and use and non-use. Expect all speaker drivers to change their T/S parameters with use. This is not burn in. This is natural ageing.

25th April 2009, 12:59 PM	#7
sandyK diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sydney	Andrew I prefer to think of it as freeing up. BTW, I can't personally confirm the audible "improvements" in the AT W1000, as I haven't got them back yet. It could certainly be a case of wishful thinking on the part of my friend. Alex

26th April 2009, 07:43 AM	#9
jitter diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands	My last headphones change was from a Sennheiser HD600 to a... uhm... Sennheiser HD600. Not really a change, you'd say. You'd be right and you'd be wrong too! I recently ran into a new HD600 by chance and managed to knock a bit off the price by mentioning they were an old type. The HD600 I used until then had suffered serious damage from falling once too often, so this was a welcome find. I had expected a slight difference in sound between the old and the new HD600, but it turned out to be huge. It was as big a difference going from an HD560 Ovation to my first HD600. But after a week or two it started to sound fine, as expected... Is this break-in, adjustment of my brain or a bit of both?