Do Audio Speakers Break-in?

[ezra_s]

I agree with you about that. OTOH, I was simply responding to your question.

I know I know, don't take me seriously please!

 

[Deleted member 2944]

He's intolerably long-winded, but the "Recovering Audiophile" seems to have a good take on this topic.

Dave.

 

[Bear123]

Is it everything in my head?

Since these changes seem to only be apparent with subjective impressions over time, which we know is a highly flawed test methodology, and that all objective measurements available point to break in being an audiophile myth, I'd say yes. Some things are imagined. Measurements separate the real from the imagined. If "break in" changed the sound(in any meaningful and appreciable way), the measured response would change.

 

[Bear123]

I know what I heared

Since you are human, we know this isn't always true. Again, why measurements are a valuable tool to separate what we imagine from the truth.

 

[RayDunzl]

Whenever my speakers break-in too far I just reverse the polarity and break them out for a while.

Now, I can do that in software, so it is much more convenient than unbolting the cables.

 

[headshake]

Is it everything in my head?

Everything is in your head all the time.

I am gonna repeat: Sensory adaptation:

"Sensory adaptation refers to a reduction in sensitivity to a stimulus after constant exposure to it. While sensory adaptation reduces our awareness of a constant stimulus, it helps free up our attention and resources to attend to other stimuli in the environment around us."

Do you drink beer or coffee? Remember the first time you had it? It was probably gross and your taste became more discerning with time.

People who consume cannabis often have to change the varieties to keep their bodies from building a tolerance.

The body is a flawed thing trying to understand a world beyond its comprehension. Don't fret.

 

[ezra_s]

Everything is in your head all the time.

I am gonna repeat: Sensory adaptation:

"Sensory adaptation refers to a reduction in sensitivity to a stimulus after constant exposure to it. While sensory adaptation reduces our awareness of a constant stimulus, it helps free up our attention and resources to attend to other stimuli in the environment around us."

Do you drink beer or coffee? Remember the first time you had it? It was probably gross and your taste became more discerning with time.

People who consume cannabis often have to change the varieties to keep their bodies from building a tolerance.

The body is a flawed thing trying to understand a world beyond its comprehension. Don't fret.

Thanks, it is probably something like that, although I "hear things that I didn't earlier", so rather than reduction in sensitivity I probably grew spider powers

 

[Kal Rubinson]

He's intolerably long-winded, but the "Recovering Audiophile" seems to have a good take on this topic.

Perhaps he is but one doesn't need to read beyond the title page.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Thanks, it is probably something like that, although I "hear things that I didn't earlier", so rather than reduction in sensitivity I probably grew spider powers

It is primarily adaptation but it is also that you do not ever really "hear" directly what is coming in through your ears (Same for eyes or nose or........). With very few exceptions, all of our perceptions are filtered through pathways which extract certain feature parameters and that process also shapes/selects on the basis of memory and central state. The latter two vary over time.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

Perhaps he is but one doesn't need to read beyond the title page.

Well, maybe. But it's an example of a guy who's been immersed in audiophileness for many years finally starting to think with some objectivity.....or at least verbalize it.
There might be some hope for the audiophile affliction yet.....although I'm not holding my breath. Maybe some malaria drug would cure it.....I dunno.

Dave.

 

[Jon AA]

I think it's funny, the whole reason for that video is that he mentioned break-in being BS in a different video and a bunch of GR-Research fanboys attacked him. Let's hope he never mentions he can't tell if a speaker has "high quality" capacitors or resistors in the crossover by listening to it.

 

[ReaderZ]

First, I'd like to let everyone on this site how lucky they are to have me bring real objective facts to these discussions.

Second, please note Amirm is misreading what Klipsh and other speaker companies are saying because those instructions are written for the average consumer, who can't be expected to understand what they are doing. In Klipsh's defense they are making the assumption that when you buy your first set of speakers, you're also probably buying your first set of speaker cables. It is the CABLES that need to be broken in.

Here is an objective, fact based link everyone should memorize from Moon Audio:
https://www.moon-audio.com/audio-cable-break-in-time

Speaker cables need 40 hours of break in, and Moon Audio says NOTHING about speakers, because they do NOT need break in. Klipsh simply can't risk that a buyer understands the difference between breaking in their speakers or breaking in their cables, so they cover both by simply saying to break in the speakers.

So in Amirm's test results, since he was using BROKEN IN cables, objectivists like myself never expected there to be a difference.

This is basic science I'm trying to convey here, so please don't take my "I'm better than you" attitude negatively. I'm just trying to teach you the nuances in writing effective user manuals.

This reminds me some 15 years ago, I could swear Zu Mobius hd 650 cable is clearly better than Moon Audio's silver dragon hd650 cable because it gives the HD650 more bass where the silver dragon sounds very much like stock cable... Would love to A/B them now but don't have them anymore...

 

[ReaderZ]

I imagine break-in is real, for the split second upon first operation.

In all seriousness though. It's very interesting to see no driver was ever created where after break-in it sounds worse. It's always a benefit it seems to people...

Maybe we are all amateurs. I know in Tennis lots of recreational player like their string bed after it settles down, which can vary from sitting for 24 hours, play for 1-2 hours etc. But pros like their string job fresh and only use them for 30 mins or so before switching to another one.

 

[mansr]

Maybe we are all amateurs. I know in Tennis lots of recreational player like their string bed after it settles down, which can vary from sitting for 24 hours, play for 1-2 hours etc. But pros like their string job fresh and only use them for 30 mins or so before switching to another one.

That probably has more to do with re-stringing before each game being too much effort for most amateurs. I don't doubt that there is a change, and it makes sense that players would prefer consistency whether it's the fresh or settled state.

 

[ezra_s]

After paying attention to all this a little more, our hearing changes over time, or at least, when I start playing music, I generally play it a certain volume, then after a while that sounds to me much louder than original heared, so like they say a few posts earlier, our hearing adapts.

I'm still playing and toying with my new speakers, trying different positions , different eq settings where I think it is too low or missing something... I wish it was all plug and play and hear the heavens.

 

[gramp]

Is it the speakers breaking in? Or maybe your ears getting broken in (i.e. accustomed to) the sound profile of the speaker?

 

[ReaderZ]

Is it the speakers breaking in? Or maybe your ears getting broken in (i.e. accustomed to) the sound profile of the speaker?

I think it's us not the speakers. But some respectable insider have said that first few min to an hour there is going to be some physical change in this thread... So maybe there is that

 

[gfx_1]

123Toid has a video explaining about a subwoofer break-in with measurements around 4:30

 

[Sal1950]

I've had the JBL HDI-1600's in my system for about 4 days now and they been running about 18 hours a day. I haven't detected any change in their sound?
But then I've been told numerous times that there's something wrong with either my ears or gear thats affecting my ability to hear differences.

 

[A800]

123Toid has a video explaining about a subwoofer break-in with measurements around 4:30

I also measured the same speakers brand new and broken in.
There can be quite a difference.