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just bought these, tell me how to feel

rwtooley

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Aug 13, 2024
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what do you make of the burn-in period?
 
Having read the info in the supplied photo, without them also providing any solid scientific evidence to justify such a claim (or even a link to such evidence), I'd say it's a load of old bollocks.

It's very unlikely I'll be alone with regard to this opinion!

BTW, no offence meant. I had a similar blurb sheet when I bought my AudioQuest Nightowl Carbon headphones in the early days of my interest in collecting headphones. I simply ignored it, EQ'd them to my liking, and got on with enjoying the music!
 
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what do you make of the burn-in period?
First, I like these cables. Reasonable cost, the connectors fit most gear well (not too tight or loose), and the cables are flexible. I use them with an audio analyzer and I get good connections, the analyzer is orders of magnitude more sensitive than my hearing as far as that goes.

The claim the cables burn in is totally bogus.

I hate to say it, this is the sad result of audio marketing, claiming cables have a sound, and that sound can range from horrible to heavenly. As a result, companies end up either parroting this bullshit, or have to say this to prevent people from returning the cables on whim because they think they cables sound bad. The seeds of this lie have been sown throughout the industry over the past few decades.

I tend to think WBC is saying this to prevent frivolous returns based on customer hallucinations. But at this point it doesn't matter, the marketing that cables have a sound is 100% incorrect, and 100% bad faith.
 
100% bad faith indeed. after seeing this they won't see another dime from me, complete nonsense and it only harms their reputation imo. the directional thing really pisses me off too - "oh if you don't like them turn them around!" am I 7?
 
This is discussed here over and over again: burn- in-BS makes no difference! They will sound the same after 5 minutes or 5 months.
 
This is discussed here over and over again: burn- in-BS makes no difference! They will sound the same after 5 minutes or 5 months.
No, burn-in is not BS, it destroys the sound stage completely, don't do it!


After many exhaustive hours of listening tests, I have determined that when a cable is burned-in, it is actually ruined. No cable should be used for more than a few hours, as the stresses on the insulation and the agitation of the copper molecules cause permanent changes to the structure of the cable - these changes are invariably for the worse, and fresh unused cables can be proven by listening tests to be superior in all respects.

The characteristics of the insulation change very subtly as the cable is stressed by signal voltages, and this has an as yet unexplained effect on the stereo imaging, and in particular causes veiling of the high frequencies and a loss of presence in the upper midrange. In extreme cases, the authority of the bass also suffers, with the lower registers lacking speed and power.

All the above defects are rectified by substitution of a new set of cables - the brilliance is restored and the finer details are brought back into startling realism. Bass speed is improved tenfold by a brand new unused mains cable, and new interconnects have a profound effect on the upper frequencies where detail is paramount.



I could say all these things (I just did :-) and I would be lying through my teeth.

Rod Elliott
 
100% bad faith indeed. after seeing this they won't see another dime from me, complete nonsense and it only harms their reputation imo. the directional thing really pisses me off too - "oh if you don't like them turn them around!" am I 7?
In my case, I turn a blind eye.
Like I said, I like their cables and the prices.
Even Blue Jeans cables falls for the woo woo BS.
I think my threshold is cryo, if they advertise cryo I won't darken their door again. ;)

Note, the same BS is applied to speakers, which actually do break in (very slightly), yet not enough to come close to audibility, and are comparable to small changes in room temperature:
 
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what do you make of the burn-in period?
It's a scam to get you to lose motivation to return the cables or to put you past the return window.

However, it might be justifiable. From the seller's perspective they probably get too many returns from audiophools that think the cables don't sound good.

Speaking from experience, returns are harmful to your Amazon business, to the point that they can shut you down for having too many. And Amazon does not know or care if it's your fault.

From that point of view, it might be understandable to "fight fire with fire" and get subjectivists to "burn in" the cable and stop returning it because they think cheaper cables sound worse. "If you can't beat em, join em".

Just so you know, super long return windows like 90-365 days tend to have the same motivation. I've found that if there is no urgency to return something, you actually get fewer returns.
 
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100% bad faith indeed. after seeing this they won't see another dime from me, complete nonsense and it only harms their reputation imo. the directional thing really pisses me off too - "oh if you don't like them turn them around!" am I 7?
The directional thing about this cable is real, have a look at its connections.
Has to do with its use and construction, not magic.

The rest is bullshit of course.
 
going to stop taking advice from (the vast majority of) redditors.. this purchase was after I read Amir's thread on the cheap RCAs too! Amazon Basics don't sell a shorty and he changed my opinion of the non-supple Monoprice cables so I went with WBC.. should have balked as soon as I saw "Audiophile".

anybody know what's up with the Swiss flag? just for "cred"? don't see anything about where these are actually made.. isn't there any laws/guidelines against that?
 
going to stop taking advice from (the vast majority of) redditors..
Good idea. Especially r/audiophile, which is a real swamp of the usual fairytale nonsense.

A notable exception is r/budgetaudiophile. Very much populated by no-nonsense people focused on getting good sound for little money, which in the case of cables means VERY little money.
 
@w277 I did not. if I show you my horse-teeth will you lead me to the water? (not promising to drink tho)
 
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