Do cables "burn in"? - Page 2

That sort of takes away from the whole, quantifiable, verifiable, objective results aspect of any real test... neh? 

 

But since listening is a mostly subjective experience, maybe that's a non-issue. If it sounds better to you... who am I to say it's BS.

 

But short answer seems to be, No. Cables do not "burn in" or change the sound signature over time (barring damage or excessive oxidation).

OP, ignore those people with their useless actual-scientific-facts. Cables burn in, I can hear it happen 

Quote:

You are being sarcastic, right?
 

Rhetorical question, right?

 

se

Those who say 'yes' cannot provide any real proof that the cable itself is having an audible affect on sound quality.

Those who say 'no' cannot convincingly explain why there are credible reports by credible people who say 'yes'.

A "credible report" sans supporting evidence, is not credible, imo. Just because someone normally gives great advice about things, if they suddenly state that they can fly, we don't take them at their word... we ask for evidence. 

 

Seriously. I'll spin on a dime here the moment any verifiable, objective evidence is shown.

 

Until that time, there is some anecdotal reporting that for some people, maybe there is some burn in that they think they experienced/heard. But nothing I would call actual evidence. It's not that I don't think they hear it - I believe they do... do *think* they hear it. The brain is an amazing thing, and it can let us do, hear and see lots of things that are not necessarily real (placebo effect, for instance - you believe you will get better, and sometimes actually do... likewise, if you believe you will hear a difference, your brain might let you go ahead and keep on believing).  

 

Caveat emptor, YMMV, and it's your dime to do with as you will. 

Edited by liamstrain - 9/29/11 at 11:18am

If you mean; "is there some physical change which occurs within the cable due to burn in?" The answer is no. Then the question becomes "do people hear a difference even though nothing has changed?" The answer is that some people believe they do but most do not. So then the question becomes "if nothing has changed how can some people be hearing a difference?" The answer is that they only seem able to hear a difference provided they are not under any kind of acceptable test conditions. Most anyone with any appreciation of science would suggest that those who hear a difference from cable burn-in are suffering from some form of bias or delusion. Those who do hear a difference seem unshakably convinced but cannot provide any evidence or rationale as to why they hear a difference.

G

The way I see it, if a cable does burn it, it is so subtle that thinking about it is goofy, unless you spent alot of money on it. Go ahead and burn in your cables because it is part of the audiophile fun. If it makes you feel good, then go for it brotha. I have not noticed cables burning in in my experience but then again, I do not try to listen to cables. I just plug in and enjoy. Get a good set of cables and don't worry too much about it. 

Burn them in if you like, personally I dont care about doing such things.