[Dave Clements]

?

 

[Earwax]

For an amp? I'm not sure how much an amp really "burns in", but does it really matter? Just use it normally and if it's going to change any with burn-in it will happen without any extra effort on your part.

FWIW, I think I've heard amps change sound over the first hour or two, but not very much after that.


meh. I should have read your 'reason for editing' first. D### the fine print

 

[Budley007]

Burn-in is inevitable. Just use it. Otherwise, invest in an exotic paper weight it'll save on the electric bills.

 

[saint.panda]

The amp's sound does change within the first hours. Afaik one of the reasons is because of the dielectric in the capacitors that are often oxidated if they rather new or unused.

 

[Dave Clements]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the responses. The initial query related to burning in a Graham Slee Solo headphone amp and Sennheiser HD650's, but I latterly spotted a series of articles in FAQ's and decided to remove the initial post. A case of less speed, more haste !
Whilst I'm on, I've seen quite a lot of banter regarding replacing the stock leads on the Senn's with something a bit more exotic. If anyone out there has the above combination and can cast a little light on the subject or recommend a particular model, I'd be very grateful.
Regards to all.

 

[JaZZ]

While having a different amp and a different source, for me the Zu Mobius has by far the best synergy with the HD 650 and creates the most natural sound, with great transparency and detail. This seems to be quite consistent independent of electronics, since it's the mostly recommended HD 650 replacement cable around. Unfortunately it's quite expensive.

As to your erased initial question: Yes, amps usually change character during the first few hours.

 

[MoodyDragon]

I have found amps changing their character for hours of active use: Specifically, most good amps become more dynamic, more 'open' in the frequency extremes. This may or may not be a good thing depending on where the amp starts off from. Example, Bryston 4BST amp which already has a 100 hr burn in in the company before shipping, became more detailed, dynamic and open. On the other hand, Linn Classik amp with a Trianle Titus speaker pair, went from bright and irritating to detailed and smooth.

I guess the same would happen to headphone amps though I am new to the headphone hobby. The changes take hundreds of hours to stabilize and depending on the rest of the system, may or may not be apparent (after all, they are usually rather subtle changes)

 

[saint.panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoodyDragon I have found amps changing their character for hours of active use: Specifically, most good amps become more dynamic, more 'open' in the frequency extremes.

I think this also applies to sources which is why a good thing to do to a source (with good regulated power supply) is to always let it on standby and only turning off the LED (which has a limited lifetime of around 30000 hours maybe). I had my source modded this way. Again, I believe this has to with the capacitors.
However, I wouldn't necessarily leave on class-a amps all the time as they tend to get rather hot.

 

[Geek]

As you listen to your equipment, you're burning it in.

It's inevitable and not a choice.

Cheers,
Geek