[RisingTide]

i've read articles bout the benefits of burn-in especially on dynamic hphones, but im kinda confused on what kind of burn-in is suitable for headphones in general as theres pink, brown, white burn-ins, theres frequency sweep and the list goes on. Also how long does the burn-in process takes?
 

 

[Marcus_C]

There are many and varied views on burn-in. There are those who believe it makes a big difference in the sound, hence (call me a sceptic) a lot of articles by people claiming to have golden ears and praising burn-in by specific methods. I heard what I thought was a difference on my bookshelf speakers but I am quite prepared to believe it was my brain adjusting to the sound. I haven't heard a noticeable difference I am prepared to put down to change in speaker dynamics in any headphones i've owned. If you want to burn in your headphones go ahead, it's your choice. I have yet to find more than two consecutive posts agreeing on a particular method though. Why don't you listen to them as they're burning in? Also you'll find the topic of burn-in gets old and tiring on these forums quickly, in fact i'm surprised it's not a prohibited topic, it tends to promote arguments. I imagine this post will be followed by three ridiculing it's content just baiting for an argument, I hope i'm wrong.
 
Out of interest what are your headphones?

 

[ProjectDenz]

When you own quite a few iems like I do you will realize that burning in is a crock.

This is why I believe so. Excuse the poor narrative.


I begin listening to my RE0 for 20 minutes. Ahhh love this sound. Very transparent sound, lots of clarity, bass is nice.

Pop in my IE8s. What the hell?! Muddy, flabby bass. Where has my mids gone!?!? Dude, where's my mid?

20 Mins later...

Wooaaaahhhh super freaky bass...heyyyy, there's my midrange.

Put my RE0's back on.

What the hell?! Sound is so damn thin and grainy...where's my bass?!!?!?

20 Mins later. Ohhhh......here we go. Welcome back sexy RE0 transparency.

Pop in my TripleFi 10s.

Arrrghhhhh....Treble is piercing my ears. So painful and very metallic sounding.

20 Minutes later.

Woah no longer sounds metallic. Treble sparkle is awesome. Really punchy bass. Lots of clarity.

Pop back IE8s in.

Oh no not again.....muddly, flabby bass. Midrange MIA.

This is why I believe 'burning in' is a complete crock. From my experiences like this it is all in your head.

 

[nycbone]

Just put the things on/in your ears and enjoy. If you like them after a spending some quality time with them, good for you! If you don't, pick something else.
 
Don't spend another second of your life thinking about 'burn-in.' Just look at all the time I wasted typing this.

 

[jerg]

How about when certain headphone producers specify that for optimal sound quality, e.g. "100 hours or more of burn-in is recommended"?
 
 
 
 
 
Personally, my experience is that earphones (IEMs / earbuds) have much less dramatic or no change due to burn-in, but headphones with their larger drivers always seem to have improved sound after a night or two plugged to a source of music.

 

[nycbone]

I suspect those manufacturers' recommendations encourage unsuspecting consumers to give their new headphones 'some time' if they aren't happy with their purchase initially. Let's assume that the average person uses their new headphones for 3 hours/day. If the recommend 'burn-in' period is 100 hours, that's a full month later.
 
So, after a month:
Is the user now accustomed to the sound (what I suspect that 'burned-in' actually means)?
 
Is the user more/less likely to return the headphones? I.e., is it worth the hassle after all this time?
 
Has the user missed the return period for that vendor? That would be a shame... (though not in the eyes of the manufacturer).
 
 
Even if 'burn-in' does take place:
Would one really be able to remember what the headphones sounded like one or two days (hours? weeks? months?) ago and distinguish that from current (i.e., post 'burn-in' sound quality)? I doubt it.
 
Do the manufacturers recommend a specific 'burn-in' procedure (i.e., pink noise and all of the other nonsense spewed by many)? I don't think so. If not, why not?
 
Why would 'burn-in' necessarily improve sound quality? Couldn't it potentially make SQ worse for some ears/brains? One would think so. We hear differently. Again, I doubt that one can make a valid mental comparison of precise SQ characteristics of the same pair of headphones over extended periods (i.e., more than a few hours). A (peer-reviewed academic, not a manufacturer's) study of SQ memory would be fascinating.
 
It makes me chuckle when Head-Fi'ers post a play-by-play of the perceived changes in headphones SQ during the 'burn-in' process.

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

When you own quite a few iems like I do you will realize that burning in is a crock.

This is why I believe so. Excuse the poor narrative.


I begin listening to my RE0 for 20 minutes. Ahhh love this sound. Very transparent sound, lots of clarity, bass is nice.

Pop in my IE8s. What the hell?! Muddy, flabby bass. Where has my mids gone!?!? Dude, where's my mid?

20 Mins later...

Wooaaaahhhh super freaky bass...heyyyy, there's my midrange.

Put my RE0's back on.

What the hell?! Sound is so damn thin and grainy...where's my bass?!!?!?

20 Mins later. Ohhhh......here we go. Welcome back sexy RE0 transparency.

Pop in my TripleFi 10s.

Arrrghhhhh....Treble is piercing my ears. So painful and very metallic sounding.

20 Minutes later.

Woah no longer sounds metallic. Treble sparkle is awesome. Really punchy bass. Lots of clarity.

Pop back IE8s in.

Oh no not again.....muddly, flabby bass. Midrange MIA.

This is why I believe 'burning in' is a complete crock. From my experiences like this it is all in your head.

 
 When you have both an old and new of the same model and they sound different until the new ones been run in for a while, you'll know it exists. Whether it matters to you is another matter. As for how, just use them. Nothing likes to be beaten into submission. If you're in a hurry, play music at moderate volumes.

 

[RisingTide]

 
Quote:

There are many and varied views on burn-in. There are those who believe it makes a big difference in the sound, hence (call me a sceptic) a lot of articles by people claiming to have golden ears and praising burn-in by specific methods. I heard what I thought was a difference on my bookshelf speakers but I am quite prepared to believe it was my brain adjusting to the sound. I haven't heard a noticeable difference I am prepared to put down to change in speaker dynamics in any headphones i've owned. If you want to burn in your headphones go ahead, it's your choice. I have yet to find more than two consecutive posts agreeing on a particular method though. Why don't you listen to them as they're burning in? Also you'll find the topic of burn-in gets old and tiring on these forums quickly, in fact i'm surprised it's not a prohibited topic, it tends to promote arguments. I imagine this post will be followed by three ridiculing it's content just baiting for an argument, I hope i'm wrong.
 
Out of interest what are your headphones?

 

they're Koss Portapros, just got them brand new. I'm surprised that there arent any scientific test on the burn-in myths as this could be like one of the greatest audiophile myths of all time (if theres any). The theory of burning in is to loosen the diaphragm allowing a more natural sound-ish? hence unleashing the true potential of the phones.
i'd agree to Project Denz post as its mostly bout our ears being adjusted to the earphones, but im rather curious whether does burning in DOES makes a difference or not.
I've tried burn-in on one of my cheap china IEMs for 48hours (pink, white and freq sweep) somehow i noticed that there is a significant diff in SQ, tho im not sure whether its becuz its a cheap china phone or if its all just in my head :S