Sub Break In

[CARTRulz]

Hi guys,

I now have my 2 Low Rider 18" Peaveys in 8.5 cubic foot enclosures tuned to 30 Hz. The enclosures are made of 3/4 birch ply that is doubled in the front and rear, with 2 six inch ports that are twelve inches in length each. I'll be powering them with an EP2500 that will be coming tomorrow and I'll use the built in high pass filter at 30Hz, even though I'd much rather do it at something like 25Hz. Now Id just like to know about speaker break in. I plan on playing these things loud, but is that ok to do right out of the box? Should I play like certain frequencies for a certain amount of time or something? Should I worry about loosening up the suspension? Or should I just let em rip and they'll break themselves in over time.

Thanks a bunch.

[johninCR]

Just crank those puppies up. It's not like a car engine that you may want to baby for the first 1k miles and change the oil quickly. Woofers loosen up quite quickly anyway.

[Cal Weldon]

Yup, the more you crank them , the faster they break in.

[BassAwdyO]

I've heard some BS before about breaking in speakers, but I agree with the previous two posters. turn them up as quickly as you like...

[CARTRulz]

Hey guys,

So I fired up the subs today and theyre pretty much everything I could want. With preliminary tests they are putting out 118db at the listening position about 15 feet away according to the radioshack spl meter. They are so kickass, and I wanna thank all you guys so much for your help. I'll be sure to post some pics once I get them both cosmetically finished within the next few days.

[davidlzimmer]

Ah heck. Send pics now. I'll be building a pair soon. Would like to see the process unfold.

[cytokine]

It has been my observation that all cosmetic work must be completed before firing up a project. If it's good you won't want to take it apart long enough to finish it up right away and over time you'll get used to what it looks like and that's how it will be for ever and ever. Amen.

Case in point. I built a big old ported box for a Titanic MkIII about a year or so ago and I finished only the front and back thinking I would do something else with the top and sides. It's sitting in the corner of the living room and it's a bear to move so there it stays with a nicely finished front and bare MDF on the top and sides. The lack of finish doesn't affect the sound but every so often I think about finishing it off. I then realize that I would have to live without it for the duration and I can't live with that.

Let's see some pics.

[davidlzimmer]

Enjoying this thread. Would like to ask, do the same rules apply for breaking in tweets and mids?

[cytokine]

Enter that quagmire at your own risk.

I have a friend who writes for a prominent on-line audiophile review website who insists that he can hear the difference between different interconnects when he swaps them out in his system. He believes that if you use cable lifters to keep the wires off the floor that his sound system is improved. He believes that and more that I shudder to reveal. He also believes that you must play white noise through new loudspeakers for up to 200 hours before they are "broken in".

I do not subscribe to his philosophy.

[davidlzimmer]

Well, I was probably going to break them in gently anyway. If it takes longer fine. But, I can't see how a gradual break in can hurt.