Burning/running in, fact or fiction?

[nad]

In my last thread I asked what burn/run in times should be expected of new equipment, I realise now that I should have actually asked if folk believe it to be fact or fiction, so here goes....



Do you see burning/running in of new equipment as fiction?

Or;

Do you see burning/running in of new equipment as fact? If so, what would you say is to be expected and after what amount of time?

Namely in;

1. Solid state amplifiers
2. CD Players
3. Speakers
4. Interconnects
5. Speaker cables



I'm undecided myself so looking for as broad an answer as possible. I'm not looking to start a 'post war' though, so please refrain from attacking others for expressing their opinion, afterall, they're only opinions.


Thanks

[Charles Darwin]

Fiction for everything but speaker drivers but it seems impossible to express that in this overly simplified poll.

[nad]

Originally Posted by Charles Darwin

Fiction for everything but speaker drivers but it seems impossible to express that in this overly simplified poll.

Thank you for your input. I'm sorry you do not favour the simplicity of my poll, I kept it simple with no specifics to hopefully recieve as broad a reply on burning/running in as possible.

[Eva]

Fact for mechanical parts.
Fiction for electronic parts.

Replies should be as simple as possible but not simpler

[SY]

Fact for 99% of mechanical parts.
Fiction for 99% of electronic parts.

[godfrey]

Originally Posted by Eva

Fiction for electronic parts.

I'd expect some change with valves, though (for better or for worse).
Apparently electrolytics need to be "formed" too.

[janneman]

Originally Posted by godfrey

I'd expect some change with valves, though (for better or for worse).
Apparently electrolytics need to be "formed" too.

It can be argued that with tubes it's not burn in as such but normal wear and tear, that deminishes the performance. I believe most people expect burn-in to somehow improve performance.

Electrolytics need to be formed, yes. Could probably be seen as a form of burn-in.

Don't forget that the original meaning of burn-in was the process to weed out early failures in equipment ('infant mortality'). You would fire up your amp for several hours or days and if it survived, it was deemed to be reliable and thus burned-in. With expensive equipment, it is often done in the factory to avoid shipping products that fail within a few days at the customers place. Mil spec equipment is routinely burned-in.

jd

[SY]

It can be argued that with tubes it's not burn in as such but normal wear and tear, that diminishes the performance.

Although this is true, there is also a "burn in" process whereby the getter sweeps up some of the residual gas in the first few hours of operation. The grid current decreases and (sometimes) cathode emission increases. This is one reason why tube power amps have to be rebiased after a few hours, but then the bias is stable for a long time thereafter.

[nad]

Originally Posted by janneman

Don't forget that the original meaning of burn-in was the process to weed out early failures in equipment ('infant mortality'). You would fire up your amp for several hours or days and if it survived, it was deemed to be reliable and thus burned-in. With expensive equipment, it is often done in the factory to avoid shipping products that fail within a few days at the customers place. Mil spec equipment is routinely burned-in.

jd

Great reply, I never knew that.

Thanks

[pinkmouse]

Originally Posted by SY

Fact for 99% of mechanical parts.

Indeed. Having just spent the past five working days refurbing two 18" drivers that don't have the correct spare parts available any more, each bit of work required an hour or so running on sine wave to check each stage had bedded in properly. Just about all of them needed tweaking after testing.,