New system runnig in time ?

[ButILikeMono]

Hi,

Just wondered what the running in time was for a new system to sound its best............. not that it doesn't sound great already

 

[Roger Thornhill]

Don't believe in it. If it sounds good, it is good!!

Sit back and enjoy the music, not the system

That Emporer has a huge wardrobe............

 

[Andy8421]

ButIlikemono,

Lots of nonsense written about this. I have even seen a suggestion that speaker cables need to be 'run in'. Load of rubbish.

There is however a solid argument for 'running in' loudspeakers. In some cases the material chosen for cone suspension becomes more compliant with exercise, and the frequency response of the speaker can change over time. Assuming the manufacturer has allowed for this, then a speaker that has been used for a while will sound better.

This speaker run-in seems to have got confused in the hifi press (not a suprise, they confuse everything else) with the 'burn-in' of professional electronic equipment, where equipment is run at elevated temperatures to weed out units that would suffer from infant mortality. Nothing to do with them working or sounding any better, just a reliability and warranty control issue - better to have the box pack up in your test room than on the customers desktop.

The most likely component to be impacted by running in is between your ears. All of the individuals who post the inevitable 'well, it sounded better after a week of running in' have just got used to the sound of the system.

One caveat, Naim, a company who I generally have a high regard for, do mention running-in their electronics, but there again they also sell speaker cable that they maintain is directional. I have never seen a halfway decent argument that holds any water as to why this would be the case. If I was them, I would hesitate to suggest that somehow their equipment 'drifts into spec' after the customer has bought it. Doesn't sound terribly well designed or built to me.

Andy.

 

[Roger Thornhill]

....................One caveat, Naim,.......................do mention running-in their electronics.......................

I think Naim also recommend thier electronics is left on, always!! So, the Caps will all dry out sooner than normal and if there is a problem ocurr and.............your not there-Fire Hazzard? As Andy has said, nonsense when it comes to elelctronics.

No component manufacturer i have ever come across has in thier spec's anything about thier components performing better after a few weeks.

I do agree with Andy that the 'mechanical' speaker will perhaps improve with time. Lots of evidence for mechanical products requiring 'running-in'.

R.T.

 

[scrufftyguy]

I found that my Monitor Audios took at least a week to run in, most noticeably the treble seemed to soften which for the first few days was way to harsh for my liking!

 

[Seeker_UK]

New speakers are beneficiaries of running in with moving components loosening up.

TBH, the biggest improvement you notice is letting the amp / sources warm up. My Meridian is a bit more relaxed after an hour of play. The only reason I never went down the Naim route is that I was advised to leave stuff on all the time otherwise they can be a bit, er, strident and I can't take the risk.

 

[coruja]

My Meridian is a bit more relaxed after an hour of play.

..or is it you that is a bit more relaxed after an hour? And did that glass of wine help?

 

[Seeker_UK]

..or is it you that is a bit more relaxed after an hour? And did that glass of wine help?

Lager, if you please.

 

[BlueWizard]

As to the 'warm up' of electronic equipment, I give that only limited weight. Solid State electronics are ready to go pretty quickly, and need little warm up in my opinion. They many mellow with an hour of use, but that has more to do with heat in the output stages than anything else. Heat that is no there when the amp is idling for an hour.

As to break in of electronics, again, any change is going to be subtle.

As to speakers, this can vary from speaker to speaker, but seems a very real and proven thing. Speakers do need to be flexed a while before they finally fall into their best.

With my speakers, this was limited to bass. When I first heard the bass on my Diamond 9.6, I thought I had made a horrible mistake. It took 3 weeks of normal listening for 12 hours a day, before the bass came out in full strength. That's about 250 hours of play with, in my case, the bass on full.

Recently I read a review on some, I think, Dynaudio bookshelf speakers. The reviewer said they sounded terrible right out of the box, but with considerably hours on them, they went from terrible to absolutely stunning.

So, yes, expect your speaker to get better as they get a few hours on them. Beyond that, don't worry about it.

Steve/bluewizard

 

[ButILikeMono]

Thanks guys

I wont be reversing the speaker connections on one speaker and then facing them together for hours on end just yet then.

Anymore HiFi myths i should be aware of ?

 

[BlueWizard]

Thanks guys

...

Anymore HiFi myths i should be aware of ?

Well more of a rule than a myth -

Never buys speakers out of the back of a white van.

When the guy says, 'these speaker are worth 4,000', he means 4,000 Hong Kong Dollars, which translates to about £350. But most likely that is exaggerated, and the speaker are at best worth about £100, if you are lucky.

Steve/bluewizard

 

[phil t]

Anymore HiFi myths i should be aware of ?

1. All cd players sound the same.
2. All amplifiers sound the same.
3. Technology has moved on that much that £100 kit of today surpasses £1k+ kit of yesteryear.

 

[S Bibby]

1. All cd players sound the same.
2. All amplifiers sound the same.
3. Technology has moved on that much that £100 kit of today surpasses £1k+ kit of yesteryear.

Some of the counter-arguments are interesting for different reasons. For example, a few websites have claimed that the original Sony Playstation model is an brilliant budget CDP with a refined and clear sound etc. On the other hand, from what I can remember my friends used to have problems playing the audio soundtracks to most games. I think the mechanism was very unreliable and the solution was to turn the whole thing upside-down.

Also, I wonder if some of the dafter stories have some truth to them - when we first got CDs as teenagers we discovered the best way to stop them from skipping or 'skidding' as some called it was to lay a penny on top of the spinner. Perhaps the black marker trick had something to do with this, or the dodgy Players of the time. It's odd but sometimes the best results are the least expected. I always wondered why the Radio sounded clearer in the evening and apparently a few people think the power supply is more stable. There are lots of things to think about but I suppose none of them should matter to the listener.

 

[Seeker_UK]

As to the 'warm up' of electronic equipment, I give that only limited weight. Solid State electronics are ready to go pretty quickly, and need little warm up in my opinion. They many mellow with an hour of use, but that has more to do with heat in the output stages than anything else. Heat that is no there when the amp is idling for an hour.

So they do actually 'warm up' then and change sound as it happens?

 

[BlueWizard]

So they do actually 'warm up' then and change sound as it happens?

I don't believe Solid State Electronics warm up from being idled. I think they do warm up and perhaps mellow with continuous use, but that is not permanent. It is there while they are warm, and they next time you fire up the stereo, you are starting again.

Steve/bluewizard

 

[old rocker]

My own recent experiences even has me confused now. I always believed in running in speakers, ie dont take them out of the box and rock n roll. Give them a few hours of gentle break in. Now whether they would sound better after break in, was something I never considered.

Three years ago, my RS6's arrived. MA and many on the site here all advised they needed from 50-200 hours to bed in and sound right. And at the time, I fully agreed, the brightness seemed to lessen, (I know, nothing to do with cones breaking in, becoming more compliant and flexible), and the bass seemed to tighten up after a months listening.

Then the discounts on the RS Series arrived and could not turn down RS8's for
£450.00. Out of the box (brand new) and they sounded perfect. Now, was it because I had become used to the MA sound? Or, just a fluke that this pair did not need the running in?

I seriously wonder now?

Regards

 

[BlueWizard]

Well...NO...I wouldn't suggest throwing a drunken raging rock'n'roll blow the roof off party the night your speakers arrive, but I do think normal daily use is sufficient to break them in.

If you want to speed it up, you could leave the radio playing all day while you are at work. That should rack up hours pretty quickly. A lot of the 250 hours I put on mine were simple TV watching.

I think regarding your Monitor Audio RS speakers, at first it was partly getting used to the contrast with your previous speakers. With the new larger RS models, you were more used to the Monitor Audio sound, so the contrast was less drastic. And if you broke either of your speaker in over time, then the change was very gradual.

As previously illustrated the break-in requirements are different for every speaker. This some, the entire speaker needs to change. In others, it is merely one characteristic that needs to change; more bass, less treble, etc....

Steve/bluewizard