[ken36]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG POPPA /img/forum/go_quote.gif I first noticed that my UM-1's were a little dull for the first 15-20 minutes of listening. Then it was the Livewires, no bass really until the warmed up. Now I just got my MS-1's back from being repaired and I noticed they were a little Limp sounding, not like I remembered them. 30 minutes later they are cool as they ever was.

I would suggest that it might be your ears that need a little warm up and not the headphones.

Just a suggestion.

 

[BIG POPPA]

I still warm up my gear. More so then ever.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken36 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would suggest that it might be your ears that need a little warm up and not the headphones. Just a suggestion.

x2. I wore the Westone 3 for a few days, and when I switched back to my main college setup, I actually thought it was broken. The glorious bass, where was it?!

But in reality, it was still perfectly fine; I just had to re-adjust my noggin to accept the transition (took me a whole day's rest to do that).

 

[BIG POPPA]

Tubes and silver plated cables need warming up IMO. And Senns!

 

[.coco]

I like to wrap mine in a damp towel and leave it in the microwave for a few minutes..

lol..actually, I am guessing that rather than the headphones it is the amps warming up.

 

[Bullseye]

I sure do. 10 push-ups and 20 treadmills till they are sweating

 

[intoart]

Tube amps need warming up. Headphones don't.

 

[RickEC]

i usually stretch the interconnect a little.

(actually, only tube warming give my set any difference)

 

[mxporkchop]

Just want to share my experience:
 
I noticed that when I use my Klipsch Reference One (and to a lesser extent, my Apple Earpods), the mids and the highs don't come out fully until about 10 to 20 minutes of use. My audio source is an iPhone 4S. Not being an audiophile, I couldn't tell if it's all in my head or if headsets needed to "warm up" so that they reach an optimal condition for use.
 
I also have a pair of Grado SR80i. As far as I can tell, they sound "optimal" from the get go.
 
It's good to see that I'm not alone in noticing this behaviour in their audio gear.
 
 
Cheers!

 

[wafflezz]

"Warm up"? You mean as in, let music play through your headphones for a few minutes AFTER they've been burned in?
Uhh dude. The difference would be immeasurable at best.

It might just be your ears or brain adjusting

 

[Wildstar]

I've noticed that indeed some HPs will sound diferent when cold. In my case the RE-ZERO* and MS1i*. It's not the pads or "brain adjustment" as it happens even if I'm not wearing them. And it's not 10-20 minutes, just 2 ou 3 is enough. It's not the amp either, as I've tried it with a warm amp. I also started noting this effect during a cold winter, it's especially noticeable when room temperature is below 18ºC. I suspect the voice coils will indeed behave slightly diferently depending on temperature.
 
However, they are much too small to require 10 or 20 minutes to warm up. The pads will indeed warm up and soak moisture from our skin and may affect the sound, I feel this and the "brain adjustment" is a much more likely explanation for that 10-20 minute thing. Also, I have not noticed a significant "coil warm up effect" on any other headphones.
 
I've not tried sticking them in fridge and then testing this, but some day I will
 
*: in both cases they sound bandpass filtered, sort of an "AM radio sound" when they are cold.

 

[nicholars]

Quote:

I first noticed that my UM-1's were a little dull for the first 15-20 minutes of listening. Then it was the Livewires, no bass really until the warmed up. Now I just got my MS-1's back from being repaired and I noticed they were a little Limp sounding, not like I remembered them. 30 minutes later they are cool as they ever was.

I think it is most probably just in your head.

 

[ChriG]

I havent read the whole thread, but I thought that "everyone" knew that amps need to warm up before they sound their best, some amps take longer than others to begin to sound as they should. The difference can be huge.
 
I´ve experienced this with all my amps, hifi-amps and headphone-amps.

 

[nicholars]

Quote:

I havent read the whole thread, but I thought that "everyone" knew that amps need to warm up before they sound their best, some amps take longer than others to begin to sound as they should. The difference can be huge.
 
I´ve experienced this with all my amps, hifi-amps and headphone-amps.

 
Are you sure it is not just your perception of the sound though? I am not sure that there is any actual reason that solid state amps need to warm up. I think tube amps need to get warm but I am not sure about solid state or dacs.

 

[Wildstar]

There's an old and popular myth in the audiophile community with SS amps, especially class A amps, that sound gradually improves after being on for a few days, even weeks. People with Krells seemed fond of this.
 
My father tried this a couple of times, he claimed he heard the difference, I didn't. Since this is a 1000+W amp, we haven't repeated the experience.