[wuwhere]

Or your brain?

 

[wink]

you're right.

 

[X1787X]

I have owned quite a few headphones and never once noticed any type of burn-in no matter how long they were used. Pink noise didn't change things either. Ear pad break-in can alter the sound noticeably, though. As for claims of mechanical burn-in, it seems more likely that this is simply brain burn-in; that is, becoming accustomed to the sound and perceiving it differently over time.

Agreed. It could well be placebo and ears adapting to headphones

 

[drownie]

Maybe a bit off topic but do you guys also burn-in your dac/amp(s)?

 

[Moak]

I think it is something about Voodoo
No, I hear no difference.

 

[Moak]

Maybe a bit off topic but do you guys also burn-in your dac/amp(s)?

I want to believe in it, but I think it doesn't work.

 

[chrismini]

I don't mean to be a jerk, but you guys think breaking or burning in a piece of gear including cables is a bunch of bull staggers me! It's been a well known fact that gear right out the box needs at least 100 to 150 hours to begin to sound its best. Audiophiles have been breaking in new components for the last 30 years! And they, including myself, haven't been doing it for some idiotic audiophile superstition. If you think it's a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, your free to plug in or install your new gear brand new gear and remain in denial. I've been an audiophile since the late 80's and I have always broken in new gear and it's never failed to improve the sound.

 

[chrismini]

Maybe a bit off topic but do you guys also burn-in your dac/amp(s)?

Yes! Any audiophile or whatever you prefer to be called, worth their salt burns or breaks in everything new in their system. Especially gear that has movement like speakers, headphones, and phono cartridges. Disc transports, DACs, pre-amps, power amps, phono stages, and cables. All cables but especially those running analog signals: interconnects, speaker cables, headphone cables, phono cables and digital cables such as USB and coaxial. Toslink you don't need to worry about, but the circuits they connect to do. There's a high-end company called Ayre Acoustics that puts out a CD call "Irrational, but Efficacious System Enhancement Disc" for $20. It's the only item they put out that most people can afford. My audio dealer gave me a copy, but it will be the best $20 you'll ever spend. Go to their website and many online audio stores sell it as well. It has white, pink, and 3 tracks of brown noise plus 2 tracks of "glide tones" that de-magnetizes your entire system. Just rip it onto your hard drive. Brown noise is ideal for breaking in gear including analog cables. With digital cables any signal will do and the effect will be less noticeable. Power cables and AC treatment gear need burning in as well. I just had a friend send me a Schiit Modi 3 DAC($99). I've got 72 hours of brown noise on it and it already sounds fantastic compared to when I first took it out of the box. I usually do 150 hours. I bought a pair of B&W Nautilus 802s and I cranked 10 hours of brown noise and when I got home from work the improvement was astonishing. Heck man, if I could I'd send you a copy via Google Drive. So yeah, break or burn in everything!

 

[JDFlood]

I always want to hear my new piece of equipment when I get it. I know it needs to be burned in. Sometimes it sounds pretty good immediately... but I start to hear artifacts that I don’t like.... too trebly... turning out to be high frequency distortion, flabby bass, or I am downright depressed at the mediocre sound... but always it changes over time, gets better. Sometimes in the intermediate timeframe the sound can waver between good and mediocr, sometimes rapidly. Then it stabilizes, roughness goes away. These days more and more components require 300 hours... used to be100 hours. I think it is the greater use of Teflon and other advanced materials. Virtually all components require break-in. Headphones seem to be a bit shorter. But these days i tend to set stuff up and run them for a week or two non-stoped. Also if I am buying multiple components I try to get the at the same time so they can go through breakin in parallel. Even then sometimes I question my decision in the first week and have to keep reminding myself... it’s not broken in.

 

[wuwhere]

I never burned in any used gear I bought. They all sound wonderful.

 

[JDFlood]

oops wrong thread.

 

[Moak]

I never burned in any used gear I bought. They all sound wonderful.

I burned some devices in (headphones, amp, cables) but I did not hear any changes. So, for me, it's make no sense. - Sit back, relax, enjoy the show -

 

[X1787X]

I don't mean to be a jerk, but you guys think breaking or burning in a piece of gear including cables is a bunch of bull staggers me! It's been a well known fact that gear right out the box needs at least 100 to 150 hours to begin to sound its best. Audiophiles have been breaking in new components for the last 30 years! And they, including myself, haven't been doing it for some idiotic audiophile superstition. If you think it's a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, your free to plug in or install your new gear brand new gear and remain in denial. I've been an audiophile since the late 80's and I have always broken in new gear and it's never failed to improve the sound.

I think the reason some people doubt it is because they are not entirely sure how it works scientifically

 

[X1787X]

I burned some devices in (headphones, amp, cables) but I did not hear any changes. So, for me, it's make no sense. - Sit back, relax, enjoy the show -

Not related, but how do I start a new thread here?

 

[VNandor]

You can create the thread on the particular sub forum you are currently visiting. This thread for example was posted on the members lounge (general discussion) sub forum.