[Anaxilus]

Quote:

^The effect of physical burn in is debatable. Suffice to say they won't change much. What matters more is "brain burn in." Instead of hooking them up and letting them play, try actually listening to them for a few days. Let yourself get accustomed to the sound signature. Then you can decide whether the m6 are for you.
 
Many a headfier gave up on a perfectly good set of phones for lack of patience.

I disagree w/ regard to brain burn in on the M6's.  I personally do not listen to or keep any earphone that doesn't sound good to my ears upon insertion.  Caveat being I always burn in my phones before listening and go through the whole tip selection process prior to judgement.  After that, if it doesn't sound good immediately, they are gone.  I spent too many years succumbing to psychoacoustics w/ Shures and getting 'used' to them, I refuse to ever play that game again.  If you have to get used to a sound signature to like it, its not a good phone for you IMO.

 

[JxK]

I have to respectably disagree with that. Here's just a recent example. For a while I was listening to grados. When I got my hippo VBs, they sounded absolutely dead and boring in comparison. None of that grado edge. I was very much underwhelmed with them. But I gave them a bit of time, and in about two days I became used to their sound sig, and ended up liking them very much. In fact, right now the grados are sitting here and gathering dust.
 
I think that all phones should be given a chance. If you don't like them after a few days to a week, then you certainly shouldn't force yourself to get used to them. But giving a new IEM/headphone a couple days to grow on you doesn't seem unreasonable to me. YYMV.

 

[HappyFi]

The psychological explanation certainly does make sense. There was an experiment where people wore eyeglasses that turned everything upside down. After a week or so, their brain turned the image right side up and they could function normally. When they removed the glasses, everything was upside down.
 
Only odd thing is that it didn't occur gradually. They sounded harsh, etc, I took them out, did the "burn-in", and put them back in 20 hours later to significant (perceived) change. Which means my brain did the adjusting while I wasn't listening to them.
 
I'll just stick to the self-delusion, if only because burning them in makes me feel fancy. Isn't that what enthusiast mentality is all about?

 

[mark2410]

sf3 and M6, the M6 wins.  that said if your amping the sf3 they really improve and they do give a nice smooth sound.  if its slighly bland and tame your after the sf3 is a not bad option.  the M6 is more engaging and attention grabbing.
 
if i had to pick one to hear for 8 hours a day though i could easily see myself taking the more gentle sf3 otherwise you probably want the M6 out of those two.

 

[4sound]

The "burn in" debate will always go on.   I wasn't a believer in "burn in".  I have been a believer once I tried it.  
With that said, on some headphones there isn't much difference after burn in. 
 
With the M6 there was change after burn in. Bass got tighter, harsh highs calmed down.  I have a "burn in" playlist on the iPod that has music, pink/white/brown noise and silence tracks.  Plug it in at night for a few days and after a week its done.

 

[kingpage]

Quote:

I'll just stick to the self-delusion, if only because burning them in makes me feel fancy. Isn't that what enthusiast mentality is all about?

A real enthusiast wouldn't call it self-delusion at all. Pysical burn-in is real, my friend, well, until someone can prove it otherwise. You must have missed the prelimenary evidence for it on the other thread about the Monster Turbine Pro's. 
 
I do agree some phones change more than others, and your mileage may vary. I believe that with rigorous testing, burn-in effect can be shown through observing changes in frequency repsonse. I'm surprised people are still arguing over this, as most evidence is for it rather than against it. The evidence against it most likely points to the same earphones meaning some designs don't allow much change.
 
For those who still think any burn-in is pyschological, I would ask them to explain why the sound changes even when our brain isn't used to it, i.e. we initially don't burn them in with regular use. Skeptics are people who don't have enough experience to tell the difference anyway, since I have yet to find a skeptical experienced earphone reviewer.

 

[HappyFi]

 
 
Quote:

A real enthusiast wouldn't call it self-delusion at all. Pysical burn-in is real, my friend, well, until someone can prove it otherwise. You must have missed the prelimenary evidence for it on the other thread about the Monster Turbine Pro's.

 
I actually believe it's real, per my limited experience. I was just being goofy with that comment, and felt too noobish to debate the issue. When I got my M6, I hadn't listened to headphones of any kind for almost a year, so there was no effect of me being used to something else. And they didn't change as I listened to them, they changed overnight, in between listenings. I did indeed see the Turbine Pro thread. So yeah, I'm convinced. I don't really qualify as an enthusiast at this point. Dare I dream.
 

 

[JxK]

Quote:

 
For those who still think any burn-in is pyschological, I would ask them to explain why the sound changes even when our brain isn't used to it, i.e. we initially don't burn them in with regular use. Skeptics are people who don't have enough experience to tell the difference anyway, since I have yet to find a skeptical experienced earphone reviewer.

It changes because we want it to change, because we expect it to change. Lots of people expect to hear sub-par performance out of the box, so that's what they get. Conversely, after burn-in, they expect it to improve, and so it does. Just like those wine tasting experiments where people are given 2 cups of the same wine, but are told one cup is more expensive. Everyone invariably prefers the "expensive" version of the same wine.
 
Think about it. Everyone here has a certain sound preference. If you change something about a headphone, eg. more bass, some people will approve and others will dislike it. Such is headfi. And yet no one ever says that phones become worse with burn in. It's always an improvement. Always. Sounds a little suspicious, wouldn't you say?

 

[spider]

For 17.99 these are by far the best IEMs I have purchased for gym use.  These out perform others that I have tried such as ADDIEM, Vmoda Vibes, Super fi 4s, S4s, and a few others.  Very nice overall sound with extremely minimal microphonics, well worth every penny plus a great fit for me using comply tips.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

.
 
Think about it. Everyone here has a certain sound preference. If you change something about a headphone, eg. more bass, some people will approve and others will dislike it. Such is headfi. And yet no one ever says that phones become worse with burn in. It's always an improvement. Always. Sounds a little suspicious, wouldn't you say?

That's false.  I have read and experienced instances where burn-in did alter an aspect of sound unfavorably.  The most recent i recall were those in the Monster Copper threads complaining the Bass settled down too much.  Some thought the MD's loosened up too much.  If you want to continue w/ the psychological placebo go ahead, I'd be happy to link a post from a physicist about burn-in for you.  That also doesn't explain myself and Dweaver doing direct ABing of the same models pre and post burn.  Sorry, but there is enough logic, science, personal and third party experience for me to say burn-in does exist.  I really don't get the holy crusade against burn-in.  Its as if all the cable upgrade naysayers have a divine mission to convert the burn-in believers or something.

 

[JxK]

Nah, there's really no crusade against burn in (or maybe I'm just out of the loop).

 
I don't have anything against it. Personally, I think it's more of a ritual. Something to prepare you for listening to your phones. And that's fine. Whatever my own thoughts on the matter, burning something in doesn't cost you anything, and if it makes you enjoy said phones more, more power to it. It's the scammers selling their crazy silver-cryo-oxygen free cable nonsense and sucking up the money of the unsuspecting that bothers me.

 

[rawrster]

There are many people who believe in them and many who don't (both newcomers and those who are quite experienced). I don't think the arguments about burn in will ever cease to end.
 
I myself could care less if it exists or not. When I buy new dynamic driver phones I give burn in the benefit of the doubt and burn it in a couple of nights before listening to it much. If it helps the sound then great and if not then oh well.

 

[dweaver]

If burn in doesn't exist, why was I getting different decibel measurements from my MTPC as I burned it in? The DB's fluctuated quite a bit as the IEM burned in... But aside from mentioning this I will let the Flat Earth Society members continue their beliefs...

 

[4sound]

If you don't think there is an affect from burn in, don't do it. 
 
When I get a new pair of IEMs, I don't assume burn in is necessary.  On some I haven't done burn in at all and on others I have.  There is a change on some IEMs after burn in. FACT, not perception.
 
dweaver has done measurements to prove in his thread on how his have changed thru the process.  
 
I think M6 need burn in.

 

[iemmustiane]

burn-in has a greater psychological effect than a physical effect.