Objective and Subjective Audio

[omm0910]

Hoped to ask people's views and about experimental results anywhere, on these old audiophile theories:

- amps need a "break in" period
- speakers need to "break in"
- you need big thick cables

Certainly it would be possible to run those SINAD graphs every 100 hours on an amp and look for changes. Similarly speakers could be tested for response changes over time with the spinorama. Also SINAD could be used to see any changes resulting from different interconnect and speaker cables.

 

[q3cpma]

- No.
- If break-in there is, it's counted in seconds or minutes; just the time needed for the surround to reach a stable compliance.
- Maybe depending on the distance (I think?). What's for sure is that you don't need to put a lot of money in it.

 

[solderdude]

Hoped to ask people's views and about experimental results anywhere, on these old audiophile theories:

- amps need a "break in" period
- speakers need to "break in"
- you need big thick cables

Certainly it would be possible to run those SINAD graphs every 100 hours on an amp and look for changes. Similarly speakers could be tested for response changes over time with the spinorama. Also SINAD could be used to see any changes resulting from different interconnect and speaker cables.

- amps need a "break in" period = No, but they may take some time to reach optimal working temperature after switch on.

- speakers need to "break in" = Some may change somewhat but speakers are usually designed with units that have reached their intended specs.

- you need big thick cables = yes with longer cable runs, no with short runs but it will never hurt to use thick cables but might with thin lamp cords.

- Certainly it would be possible to run those SINAD graphs every 100 hours on an amp and look for changes - Yes, you can do that but nothing will change. With some amps when the proper working temperature has been reached you may see small (inaudible) differences from cold. Not because of 'run-in'.

- There will be NO differences between interlinks and speakers cables over time. That said when speaker cables corrode over the years this may present some issues.

 

[Jimbob54]

Hoped to ask people's views and about experimental results anywhere, on these old audiophile theories:

- amps need a "break in" period
- speakers need to "break in"
- you need big thick cables

Certainly it would be possible to run those SINAD graphs every 100 hours on an amp and look for changes. Similarly speakers could be tested for response changes over time with the spinorama. Also SINAD could be used to see any changes resulting from different interconnect and speaker cables.

Plenty of discussions and even measurements on some or all of those topics on here if you search- feel free to post links back on here to the ones that interest you

 

[Joachim Herbert]

How polite these answers are.

No, depends, not really.

 

[Killingbeans]

Similarly speakers could be tested for response changes over time with the spinorama.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/do-audio-speakers-break-in.11898/

Also SINAD could be used to see any changes resulting from different interconnect and speaker cables.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/ethan-winer-builds-a-wire-null-tester.5197/

 

[Jimbob54]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/do-audio-speakers-break-in.11898/



https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/ethan-winer-builds-a-wire-null-tester.5197/

but teach a man to fish........

 

[omm0910]

Observations:

- Got a lot of replies quickly wow
- Impressively polite despite that
- Yes I was lazy and didn't do my own fishing

So now I feel safe bringing up a follow on question, "the warm tube sound". Has this been analyzed and dissected as simply certain measurable changes to the signal. Is anyone selling a "tube filter" that processes a perfectly flat amp and transmogrifies it into "the warm tube sound".

I've always been skeptical that speakers need break in, because its like, that implies that they change physically, and I had trouble thinking that the designers select some material that somehow, changes for 500 hours, but then stops changing then once its dialed in. I suppose its possible there is something outside the measurement devices. Or that there is some brain neuron adaptation that takes place, though this would imply that its different to "break in while you listen" and "break in by leaving the system running over the weekend while you go out of town." Anyway I see some other threads here that may treat this issue so I will also look there.

 

[Killingbeans]

but teach a man to fish........

What can I say, I'm an enabler

 

[Joachim Herbert]

Observations:

- Got a lot of replies quickly wow
- Impressively polite despite that
- Yes I was lazy and didn't do my own fishing

So now I feel safe bringing up a follow on question, "the warm tube sound". Has this been analyzed and dissected as simply certain measurable changes to the signal. Is anyone selling a "tube filter" that processes a perfectly flat amp and transmogrifies it into "the warm tube sound".

Yes and yes. Look at pro audio saturation stuff, exciters or simulation. They sell you every distortion you might wish for and then some.

Be prepared to pay.

 

[Jimbob54]

Observations:

- Got a lot of replies quickly wow
- Impressively polite despite that
- Yes I was lazy and didn't do my own fishing

So now I feel safe bringing up a follow on question, "the warm tube sound". Has this been analyzed and dissected as simply certain measurable changes to the signal. Is anyone selling a "tube filter" that processes a perfectly flat amp and transmogrifies it into "the warm tube sound".

Not sure if there is a one button solution- but I suspect a combination of EQ for the freq response and "distort" from @pkane https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...lity-of-distortions.10163/page-13#post-501240

might get you there.

 

[Joachim Herbert]

My favorite to do this is a simulation of

http://www.electriclane.de/html/restoring.html

From plugin alliance.

 

[mnemonix]

"the warm tube sound"

... is simply distortion.

 

[Killingbeans]

Or that there is some brain neuron adaptation that takes place, though this would imply that its different to "break in while you listen" and "break in by leaving the system running over the weekend while you go out of town."

I think you are sort of on the right track here. The difference between the two types of "break-in" being that one is about accepting the changes (imaginary or real, doesn't matter) as the new 'correct', while the other purely relies on the powers of expectation bias.