[BoardC3]

wow, ive been using my Grado SR-80s for a year (as of the 25th) and ive grown to love the sound, especially with my RA-1, but i recently had to send it in to get the cord repaired. I got it back yesterday with a new cord on it and ive been wondering why the hell it sounded so shrill and thin, then I remembered break-in, WOW its already making a great difference. if you dont beleive in break in get the cables replaced on your main phones then see whats up.

 

[usc goose]

so this burn in difference is coming from just the new cord burning in and not the diaphragms? that's pretty cool.

 

[BoardC3]

ya, well when you get them new it could be both, but maybe it is just the cord? anyone have any other experiments that would prove anything.

 

[Earwax]

It's easy for me to see how a speaker or HP driver would break-in (a moving part flexing and loosening up) but cable break-in making an audible difference just doesn't make any sense to me.

Are you sure they didn't replace the drivers too?

 

[BoardC3]

im posotive, but have you ever used magwires. Those have serious break in. they sound bad when you first get them but after about 100 hours they sound just incredible, especially for the money.

 

[Welly Wu]

Burn in for certain components -- sources, headphone amplifiers, power conditioners, headphones -- does occur but the differences between out of the box and 250+ hours are not nearly as great as touted by a lot of audiophiles (IMHO). There is the warm-up phase which is obligatory to a certain extent when a component has not been plugged in over a year. However, burn in is nearly indetectable on the small variety of interconnect / power cords I have had the pleasure of owning. When I purchased my Etymotic ER-4P/S phones, it did sound a bit harsh and unrefined to my ears straight out of the box. Weeks later, the sound has settled but the sonic changes were more like a smoothening out of the harshness; at no time did these phones just "open up." As for my Cardas Neutral Reference ICs, I heard the same phenomenon but then the cables just disappeared and let the music flow freely and naturally.

For what it's worth, I respectfully admit that we audiophiles can get easily duped or we dupe others easily with our own contagious enthusiasm for our own hobby.

 

[Edwood]

Unless you have two identical aftermarket wires that are brand new(burn one in, and not the other) it would be impossible to do an A/B comparison to really hear the true difference. It can be a combination of actual improvement and/or the user getting accustomed to the new sound of the new wire.

-Ed

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by BoardC3 wow, ive been using my Grado SR-80s for a year (as of the 25th) and ive grown to love the sound, especially with my RA-1, but i recently had to send it in to get the cord repaired. I got it back yesterday with a new cord on it and ive been wondering why the hell it sounded so shrill and thin, then I remembered break-in, WOW its already making a great difference. if you dont beleive in break in get the cables replaced on your main phones then see whats up.

I don't believe this is happening again. This obviously lends support to the notion that burn-in is transitory at best. The phones were allowed to rest and came in from the cold, and sounded bad.

 

[Ctn]

Learning is extreeeeeeeeemly real too.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Scarpitti I don't believe this is happening again.

Being a site populated by headphone geeks, it's only logical to assume that it would happen again, Mike.

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by joelongwood Being a site populated by headphone geeks, it's only logical to assume that it would happen again, Mike.

I challenge anyone here who believes in burn-in and who has two identical phones is encouraged to try a test: place on in the freezer for a day and allow to thaw.

Report on results.

 

[johnnylexus]

Scarpitti:

Off topic -
that's a creepy avatar you've got there ... what (who) in the hell is that???

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by johnnylexus Scarpitti: Off topic - that's a creepy avatar you've got there ... what (who) in the hell is that???

Maria

http://www.themakeupgallery.info/fantasy/robot/met.htm

 

[vrom]

Disagree with all you guys except the originater of the thread. All components or cables I had so far needed burn in for approximately 20 hours each and after that still improvements in small increments could be heard. Even used cables need to get used to the synergy of the system as well. I can imagine very well a headphone cable for example would need burn in! It sounds very recognizeable to me....

 

[bubsdaddy]

BoardC3,
Just curious. How can you be certain they didn't change the drivers or just send you a completely new pair?