[Chef]

I wish there were something more than anecdotal evidence on this topic. Unfortunately there needs to be an actual good reason to spend money researching thing phenomenon. No companies are going to start offering stuff 'pre-burned in' if it were proven true, so there really isn't any value.

I think especially in audiophilia, there is an extremely strong desire to feel like one has spent their money well. If at first one is disappointed in their purchase, but their purchase cost them a few hundred dollars, it is only logical that they will try their best to start liking it.

What you need to test this is a lot of people to listen to a lot of different headphones blind, and if they consistently rate the burned in headphones higher than their non-burned in counterparts (several copies of the same headphone to account for simple discrepancies in creation), you would prove burn in is an improved physical condition of headphones. Anyone got a lot of money and free time?

 

[Jack Mono]

I am happy to see that the aproach to the burn-in phenomena is changing. I've read a thread from 5 years ago, where one was alone with his opinion that burn-in is an unproven theory at most. He was almost banned and talked down to without arguments because he wanted proof. Burning in your brain sounds plausible to me. You learn. Your easrs doesn't hear anything, your brain does.

I admit that physical properties are changing in everything during usage, however I doubt it is something to discover with your ears. (I hope my Senns won't change, I like them just as they are) But just as with your eyes if you stay out in the pitch dark for an hour you start to see after being blind, with your ears you start to hear differences.

I remember people drew colored stripes on LPs in different angles and sweared by hearing the difference, the order of the colors was at most importance. Not just that, but on CDs too. Wire burn-in. Right.

By the way why is that "burning in" always bring a positive change?

It's the same thing like when one fills up his car with premium gas thinks that it goes faster and consumes less fuel yet the opposite is the measurable physical fact. But he paid more at the gas station, so it must be better and so he experiences his expectations.

Not to mention praying to God by 95% of the human race.... at the same time. God must be a busy listener!

Burn in my brain! Burn in my S!

 

[crapback]

The overall frequency response of a headphones drivers is unlikely to change while it's "burning in" but as the surround material becomes more pliable you should notice an audible difference in transient response in the lower register. Small drivers that depend on high cone excursion to reproduce bass frequencies can improve in frequency response if the surround is initially stiff enough to limit that excursion.

Cable burn-in sounds like a bunch of marketing BS to me. I'm just as likely to hang a crystal from my neck to align my colon with some special astral enema-ic cosmic forces. Yes I made that word up, fell free to use it in everyday conversation. If electrons have trouble passing by crystals you'd think they'd learn some manners and just say, "Excuse me?".

I'm keeping an open mind about electronics burn-in though. I don't have enough experience with hifi audio gear to make any judgements on that one.

 

[randomasdf]

Mechanical burn in makes sense, but not as much that head-fiers tend to claim it does.

solid state, not so much.

 

[Antony6555]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif And the anti-burn-in people will respond that you only imagine it improved after pink noise because you had preconceived ideas of what pink noise might do. They you respond you don't think it's likely and that it'd be easy to test. Then they'll respond that nobody has proven it by dbt and you are unscientific. Then you respond they should try it themselves. Then they respond that they don't have to there's no measurements behind it. Then you respond first hand experience is best. Then they respond that humans are subject to placebo. Gg.

Why is it unreasonable to ask that it be submitted to dbt? All this really asks is that a given person is able to determine a difference. Dbt is a qualitative test, regardless if one believes in audio measurements, dbt should be acceptable.