sampson_smith
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2009
- Posts
- 2,786
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- 23
I am relatively new to the Head-fi arena and continue to turn up fresh facts and factoids every day here to "enhance" my listening enjoyment, despite being a receptive "lurker" over the last year or so. I do have an undying obsession with music of all kinds, however, and Head-fi provides an invaluable counterpoint. Apart from appreciating the consistent good quality of the writing of this forum, and most member's unquenchable lust for aural innovation and insight, one thing has always enthralled me: driver burn-in.
Subjectively speaking, most of us know that burn-in most often improves the performance of a headphone, smoothing out rough perimeters and ripening raw noise emitters into transportive, beautiful devices. At best, what really goes on and how much of “it” is required to allow the driver to achieve its most natural, supple state is a slippery subject. On top of the debatable fruition that arises from these “can calisthenics”—pink noise, sine sweeps, Slayer’s “Show No Mercy” on repeat for a week, or whathaveyou—there is something to me that is more ethereal about the phenomena and it is far less easy to pin down.
Face it: most of us have joined Head-fi not to find one excellent stereophone in particular, attain contentment, then part ways. It’s a process, and it’s as dynamic as our drivers. We are thirsty for sound in a way that causes others to involuntarily scratch their heads, if not roll around the floor in a fit, alternately laughing and crying. When something new arrives that perpetuates its own hype, bolstered by an ever-expanding allegiance based on quickly establishing value, our ears literally perk up. Time for the next journey to the source. Maybe I’ll get closer this time if my wallet so allows!
We like to grow as listeners and improve our “abilities” over time. And apparently our headphones do to! Every little tidbit gleaned from these forums, and the ever-changing arsenal of ‘phones tallied in our signatures, tells a story of some sort of refinement. For some rapid, for some slow. And our headphones literally echo this as we fall in favor with a potent can or two, choosing to follow them along their journey to the ideal state.
If drivers typically started wearing out from the first moment they started making music, headphoning would be a pessimistic predicament first, and a junk yard for opportunists second. Instead of waiting for our headphones to lose their voices and then die, we await their maturation into something blissful that we cannot fully imagine. I recall one Head-fi member likening burn-in to breaking in a pair of shoes. But shoes wear out far too fast! It is more like being able to let a fine wine mature, while at the exact same time having the opportunity to take frequent sips along its course without it spoiling. What a way to reward oneself for indulging in several hundred hours of good music. Sounds great to me!
I would like to hear how burn-in has impacted your listening experience.
All the best,
Vince
Subjectively speaking, most of us know that burn-in most often improves the performance of a headphone, smoothing out rough perimeters and ripening raw noise emitters into transportive, beautiful devices. At best, what really goes on and how much of “it” is required to allow the driver to achieve its most natural, supple state is a slippery subject. On top of the debatable fruition that arises from these “can calisthenics”—pink noise, sine sweeps, Slayer’s “Show No Mercy” on repeat for a week, or whathaveyou—there is something to me that is more ethereal about the phenomena and it is far less easy to pin down.
Face it: most of us have joined Head-fi not to find one excellent stereophone in particular, attain contentment, then part ways. It’s a process, and it’s as dynamic as our drivers. We are thirsty for sound in a way that causes others to involuntarily scratch their heads, if not roll around the floor in a fit, alternately laughing and crying. When something new arrives that perpetuates its own hype, bolstered by an ever-expanding allegiance based on quickly establishing value, our ears literally perk up. Time for the next journey to the source. Maybe I’ll get closer this time if my wallet so allows!
We like to grow as listeners and improve our “abilities” over time. And apparently our headphones do to! Every little tidbit gleaned from these forums, and the ever-changing arsenal of ‘phones tallied in our signatures, tells a story of some sort of refinement. For some rapid, for some slow. And our headphones literally echo this as we fall in favor with a potent can or two, choosing to follow them along their journey to the ideal state.
If drivers typically started wearing out from the first moment they started making music, headphoning would be a pessimistic predicament first, and a junk yard for opportunists second. Instead of waiting for our headphones to lose their voices and then die, we await their maturation into something blissful that we cannot fully imagine. I recall one Head-fi member likening burn-in to breaking in a pair of shoes. But shoes wear out far too fast! It is more like being able to let a fine wine mature, while at the exact same time having the opportunity to take frequent sips along its course without it spoiling. What a way to reward oneself for indulging in several hundred hours of good music. Sounds great to me!
I would like to hear how burn-in has impacted your listening experience.
All the best,
Vince
