[EdipisReks]

thomas edison, maybe? do phonographs benefit from break-in?

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by South_Korean who started the whole burn in thing?

Subwoofer designers have been doing it for decades. Its no secret that the Fs lowers, Vas increases and Qts changes as a subs surround and spider flex and break in with use. DB drag competitors plug their DD and RE subs into light sockets to break them in for competition.

I believe burn-in exists, but that its a combination of both elements, physical burn in as well as a psycho-acoustic burn in.

Garrett

 

[rhythmdevils]

bit of both, bit of both

 

[meat01]

Quote:

I'd say 90% of the 'burn in' people talk about here is just their ears adjusting to the sound signature of the headphone.

Exactly! If burn in really made that much of a difference, you would actually hear a few complaints that the drivers loosened up too much and they did not like the sound as much.

 

[DaHoboFest]

um, I dont mean damaging the drivers, I just mean that people dont like the new sound of burnin. Does it always make it sound better?

 

[EdipisReks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoboFest Does it always make it sound better?

in the end, does it really matter? the phones are going to burn in if you use them.

 

[mintyfresh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs313 I'd say 90% of the 'burn in' people talk about here is just their ears adjusting to the sound signature of the headphone. Do you ever see posts where people have hated their headphone post-burn in? I've only seen posts where people were happy with the change, and the headphones have gotten better. I would argue it's because their brain has adjusted to the new sound of the headphones. If headphones really went through a night and day change like I've heard some people say, then there would have to be some people who hated the 'day' version of the headphone...

When the hd650s were new they had the ability to reveal overtones and undertones and so forth with detail and accuracy and without much audible distortion. The midrange was beautiful and the bass was punctual, rapid, thorough and never muddy. What I felt was missing was, actually, the depth of the soundstage.

I was reading about the size of the Sennheiser soundstage and I just didn't hear it on most recordings. The headphones sounded somewhat dimensionally flat and not as lively as my clip-on phones with the exception of a few recordings where you knew they had overemphasized the echo-chamber effect ("Sara" by Fleetwood Mac, for instance). This was especially true when I played MP3s for some reason.

I never intentionally did any sort of burning in process, but after the 2 to 3 week period, the headphones sounded very different -- it was sort of like someone having taken a picture and then extruding it into a three dimensional object and then enlarging it. The other two changes I heard were, hard to describe it, but, smoothness and warmth. The precision and detail in the sound output remained but it didn't have this digitized quality -- it started to sound natural and continuous through the whole audible spectrum.

I'm into my eighth week with these phones and they sound better still -- the soundstage and imaging are tremendous on certain recordings, and the bass seems to be getting better, sounding and feeling almost like heat at times, and beyond exhilarating with well recorded tracks. And even MP3s can sound realistic. I'm still in the burn in period for the SA5K but I'm hoping it will do something just as astonishing. I'm not sure how the ears or the brain would make this kind of adjustment specific to just one set of headphones. My other headphones never made this kind of transition; if anything, they sounded worse with more use.

 

[aeroes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 I believe burn-in exists, but that its a combination of both elements, physical burn in as well as a psycho-acoustic burn in. Garrett

Ditto! Ditto! Ditto!

I do believe in burn-in. IMMHO, Headphone drivers are a bit hard out of the factory and needs to weaken a bit to sound full and unleash its real sonic sound signature.

 

[DaHoboFest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeroes Ditto! Ditto! Ditto! I do believe in burn-in. IMMHO, Headphone drivers are a bit hard out of the factory and needs to weaken a bit to sound full and unleash its real sonic sound signature.

whether it be good or bad?

 

[Jakets]

(nevermind)

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoboFest um, I dont mean damaging the drivers, I just mean that people dont like the new sound of burnin. Does it always make it sound better?

the short answer: it is possible that the 'phones suited your personal taste better when they were brand spanking new, fresh from the box and all that jazz. its possible that al gore will be elected president of the usa in the 2008 election. its also possible that honda will use an engine designed/built in america in a japanese market car. its possible that my 1/2hourglass that has measured out aganst my quarts watch every turn as 29min (no seconds) will someday measure out to 1/2hr.

how likely is it? in a headphone, not highly. sitting right next to 0%. maybee 1%X10^-9 to guess at a number.

most of the time, they are going to change usually towards what they were designed to sound like, which is hopefully better.

most people who hate their headphones after burn-in hated em the first time they played music through them.

anything is possible, look around enough, and you will find someone who this has happened to. it is quite unusual. honda sells engines to "american" companys for american cars, gore isnt running in 2008 (afaik) but we could all write his name on the ballot.. and my 1/2 hourglass has showed excelent consitency, it will take an extimated bilion turns to have that effect, assuming the oriface dosnt wear. the oriface will wear, which will make it run for LESS time, so it will then be going towards 28min, 59 seconds.... not gonna happen.

in short, it could happen and may have, but its very unlikely/rare.
did you get a set of 'phones that you liked "out of the box" and hated after running em for a day ro a week in a drawer?

 

[South_Korean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdipisReks in the end, does it really matter? the phones are going to burn in if you use them.

this is true. just using them is "burning" them in

 

[Leporello]

Quote:

Originally Posted by South_Korean who started the whole burn in thing?

It was us, the hifi enthusiasts - to avoid the "buyer's remorse". See, usually even genuinely good pieces of gear do not sound as fantastically good as they are reputed (hyped) to sound. Instead of blaming our new piece of gear (and ourselves) we tell ourselves that the sound will improve over time. And it will, of course, because usually we will get used to the new sound signature.

Hundreds of hours of burn in, "better source", fancy wires, special "synergy" etc. needed: to me these are tell-tale signs of an overhyped product (genuinely good as it may be!).


Regards,

L.

 

[chesebert]

burn in makes a real audiable difference. very real, if you have not experienced it your ears are not Hifi enough...lol

it can transform from inaudiable to liquid mid, tingling high and thunderous bass (wrt to Sr325i specifically).

 

[GreenEggs313]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leporello It was us, the hifi enthusiasts - to avoid the "buyer's remorse". See, usually even genuinely good pieces of gear do not sound as fantastically good as they are reputed (hyped) to sound. Instead of blaming our new piece of gear (and ourselves) we tell ourselves that the sound will improve over time. And it will, of course, because usually we will get used to the new sound signature. Hundreds of hours of burn in, "better source", fancy wires, special "synergy" etc. needed: to me these are tell-tale signs of an overhyped product (genuinely good as it may be!). Regards, L.

bingo bango






thread over.