Audiolab 6000CDT, bright sounding, burn in time?

[kotc]

I have recently decided to buy a new Audiolab 6000CDT based on all the rave review online & YouTube.

Connected it up & disappointed with its bright, slightly artificial, very digital sound signature so I left on playing repeat for over a week to burn in.

Still, not much more improvement so my question is how long (hours, days, months & etc) would a new cd transport need to burn in?

Is a week enough, worth waiting longer to burn in? TBH, I want to return it back to the online retailer (still have aprox 3 weeks left) as I just don’t like the overall sound signature of the Audiolab 6000CDT!

 

[EdW]

Semiconductor consumer electronics don’t burn in. The day 1 sound is the sound you’ll have in 5 years time. Your hearing may however ‘burn in’ or adapt over the course of a week or two.

 

[SIY]

based on all the rave review online & YouTube.

Well, it shows you that "reviews" and "YouTube" are no more reliable than someone who claims " bright, slightly artificial, very digital sound signature" from a CD transport.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

No solid-state electronics require burn-in time beyond a few minutes, and even that is primarily for some electrolytic capacitors.
I also find it hard to believe that a CD transport would have any inherent sound signature.

Ultimately, if you're not satisfied with it, you should consider returning it.

 

[kotc]

According to the information online from various audio experts, 200 to 300 hours of burn in time is required for audio equipment, cable & etc & some even go beyond that!

The Audiolab 6000CDT has been left playing on repeat for over a week (burn in period) & absolutely made no further difference in sound quality.

Just wanted to know, worth waiting any longer for burn in period, obviously not.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

According to the information online from various audio experts, 200 to 300 hours of burn in time is required for audio equipment, cable & etc & some even go beyond that!

Sorry, but that’s just nonsense. You can safely ignore those “experts”

 

[DSJR]

Got to say that I very much doubt a modern CD transport would have such nasties that a dac isn't immune to.

What IS the dac by the way? Also the amp and speakers being used? maybe some of us can help further if we knew.

P.S. Please don't underestimate the other senses such as touch and especially sight, in our perceptions of an audio product. Our hearing is actually way down on the list really

 

[Mal]

Why not get another Transport at the same price range, e.g., Cambridge Audio CXC, and do some AB testing, then send one (or both!) back.

How does it compare to a streaming service that offers CD quality (e.g. Amazon Music Unlimited)?

There seems to be an opinion circulating that any old $30 Blu Ray/DVd player, with optical out, might do the job just as well... why not get one and compare?!

Also what else is in the chain? The DAC/amp/speakers, or particular combinations of each, might be the problem.

Have you tried the transport with KEF LSX? I'm thinking of replacing my old (aux only...) NAD CD player with a Transport to feed the LSX's optical input. At the moment, I fancy Cambridge Audio CXC more because it looks like my NAD and looks to have a similar draw mechanism. Or should I go crazy audiophile and plump for a Cyrus CDt?

 

[VintageFlanker]

According to the information online from various audio experts, 200 to 300 hours of burn in time is required for audio equipment, cable & etc & some even go beyond that!

Then, those ain't "experts" in any shape or form.

There's no such thing as burn-in for electronics or cables (what kind of joke is that?).

 

[EdW]

According to the information online from various audio experts, 200 to 300 hours of burn in time is required for audio equipment, cable & etc & some even go beyond that!

The Audiolab 6000CDT has been left playing on repeat for over a week (burn in period) & absolutely made no further difference in sound quality.

Just wanted to know, worth waiting any longer for burn in period, obviously not.

Clearly the Audiolab 6000CDT is just a transport producing just digital data for an external DAC. On my earlier reply i hadn’t registered that it had no DAC - my mistake! So the Audiolab 6000CDT cannot sound bright - this suggests that a check on the DAC, amp, speakers and room setup is where any effort should be expended.
Cables etc obviously make no difference whatsoever providing they are correctly specified
EDIT typo

 

[Old_School_Brad]

According to the information online from various audio experts, 200 to 300 hours of burn in time is required for audio equipment, cable & etc & some even go beyond that!

The Audiolab 6000CDT has been left playing on repeat for over a week (burn in period) & absolutely made no further difference in sound quality.

Without going into further detail, it seems you've already addressed your own question, both regarding the so-called experts and the effects of burn-in.

 

[Ste_S]

Then, those ain't "experts" in any shape or form.

There's no such thing as burn-in for electronics or cables (what kind of joke is that?).

I’d imagine ‘burn-in’ was something invented by audio retailers and manufacturers, to cut down first week returns. As others have said, any ‘burn-in’ is the listener getting used to the sound, rather than the sound of the product changing.

 

[GaryY]

If there is change of sound only after 200~300 hours, "change over time" would be the proper word instead of burn-in which is, in other word, reliability failure for electrinc/semicontmductor components.

 

[sergeauckland]

I’d imagine ‘burn-in’ was something invented by audio retailers and manufacturers, to cut down first week returns. As others have said, any ‘burn-in’ is the listener getting used to the sound, rather than the sound of the product changing.

And that presupposes that there is a 'sound' to get used to! A CD transport doesn't and can't have a sound, nor can any half-competent piece of electronics.
A myth constantly propagated by the 'experts' to boost their credibility and egos.

S.

 

[Mean & Green]

Firstly you have come to the right place for sensible advice.

To clarify the ‘audio experts’ you have previously read articles from or watched on YouTube etc are only experts in propaganda and questionable marketing. A CD transport cannot impart a sound on a digital signal unless it is completely changing the data.

Burn in has some merit with regards to ‘soak tests’ for testing reliability, stability and functionality of electronic components but burn in is not at all applicable to a CD transport or cables etc…

It would be beneficial to include details on your system. What speakers, amplification and DAC are you using? What other sources do you have that do not suffer with the artefacts you describe? Are you comparing your CDs to the same masters from another source?

 

[Mart68]

Of course the CDT6000 cannot sound 'bright' so this perception is clearly being caused by something else in the system, or the room.

It won't 'burn in' or change in any way with use. Nor will sending it back and trying a different CD transport. I had a 6000 here back to back with a TEAC 701T - identical, even in sighted comparison.

Probably most likely is the room has too many hard, reflective surfaces. You can't get away with that with a digital source unless you EQ down the mids and top end, and even that's just a sticking plaster solution.

 

[kotc]

I’m comparing the Audiolab 6000CDT to my retro 1990’s high end cd players used as a transport, my Sony esd & Marantz cd players

I prefer my retro cd players over the 6000CDT, expecting the 6000CDT to easily sound better being a modern, well reviewed, raved about product but the opposite.

Both my retro high end cd players, Sony & Marantz had a more natural, organic, analogue sound whereas the 6000CDT had an exaggerated bright, very digital sound!

Yes, cd transport shouldn’t really have any influence to the sound, should all be the same but to my ears, I can definitely hear the difference between my retro cd players used a transport vs the 6000CDT!

My initial thought was maybe the new 6000CDT requires a burn in period before it reach it’s full performance potential , the bright presentation would improve, disappear but after the 6000CDT on repeat play for a week, it made no difference.

So burn in period on new audio equipment, cable & etc is all a myth, waste of time, not accordingly to some die hard audiophiles & experts out there?
You even have retailers, manufacturers offering burn in service for audio cables!

 

[Mean & Green]

I’m comparing the Audiolab 6000CDT to my retro 1990’s high end cd players used as a transport, my Sony esd & Marantz cd players

I prefer my retro cd players over the 6000CDT, expecting the 6000CDT to easily sound better being a modern, well reviewed, raved about product but the opposite.

Both my retro high end cd players, Sony & Marantz had a more natural, organic, analogue sound whereas the 6000CDT had an exaggerated bright, very digital sound!

Yes, cd transport shouldn’t really have any influence to the sound, should all be the same but to my ears, I can definitely hear the difference between my retro cd players used a transport vs the 6000CDT!

My initial thought was maybe the new 6000CDT requires a burn in period before it reach it’s full performance potential , the bright presentation would improve, disappear but after the 6000CDT on repeat play for a week, it made no difference.

So burn in period on new audio equipment, cable & etc is all a myth, waste of time, not accordingly to some die hard audiophiles & experts out there?
You even have retailers, manufacturers offering burn in service for audio cables!

What DAC are you playing all of these players through? Are you playing the Sony and Marantz through the same DAC as the Audiolab? Are you playing them all at the same volume level?

Yes burn in is a myth, die hard audiophiles have a hard time letting go of their beliefs and admitting they have been wrong and brainwashed. Retailers and manufacturers marketing play on this and in a lot of cases the retailers are just as suckered in as the audiophiles.

 

[SIY]

You even have retailers, manufacturers offering burn in service for audio cables!

Yes, for this market segment, money far outweighs integrity.

 

[kotc]

I’m using a SMSL DL400 PRO DAC on all of them, Sony, Marantz, Audiolab, all set at the same volume level.

The Sony & Marantz built quality both exceptional, built like tanks, Sony have 2 separate transformers inside, one for digital & the other analogue the quality is top notch.