Quote:
Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Anyone else have information for/against capacitor burn in?
I feel I should make a note that I started this thread actually hoping for some objective information. I realise there have been a few burn-in related topics started recently by people who just want to cause a ruckus, but this isn't one of them.
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I got into repairing old radios around 1998 (long before the hi-fi bug bit) and have replaced hundreds of capacitors over the years, as well as everything else.
I make a habit out of testing parts that I yank. Every cap, every filter and every resistor gets put on the DMM to see just how bad it was.
Over the years, I've had
zero indication that
any component improves with age, use and heat. The best stuff (like wirewound resistors, ceramic caps and mica caps) merely stay the same. Everything else deteriorates and goes out of spec. Even modern parts go bad eventually.
What I think some people are hearing are components that have drifted in value and give a slightly different sound overtime. You can call this "burn in" if you want, but my take is that it is just another component that has fallen out of spec and away from where the person who engineered the circuit meant the value to be.
Moreover, I think this fact has been capitalized on by some for the purposes of selling Snake Oil. A component that is no longer at its specified value is defective. Calling that a benefit is pure dishonesty.
A few times, I've powered up a set after each component has been replaced. Safely, of course, and only after I've replaced the filters and any obviously open caps. They usually sound OK at first, but you'll hear the sound straighten up and focus as each new part goes in. You can literally hear the improvements as the so-called "burned in" components are replaced.