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Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The Hornet is a M, and it has 250+ hours on it. I stopped paying attention around 200, and it might be closer to 300...or more ... but as I've been amp switching regularly between it, a Larocco and and SR-71, I really don't know.
Nice reviews, Nate.
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It's been my experience -- and some local NYC members have had similar experiences, but I'll just speak for myself -- that my Hornet sounded gritty with somewhat sawtoothed edges around notes, loss of top end extension (mine had very nice top extension and sparkle out of the box and lost it during "burn in"), a long period of anemic bass and then some suddenly huge but bloated bass, less than solid imaging and placement of instruments, and a few other disquieting insufficiencies during "burn in" of its 16,000uf cap until 350-400 hours. Mine "opened up" dramatic around 350 hours and continued getting clean, clearer, more extended top and bottom, and more defined from bottom to top through about 400 hours where the sound stabilized.
I was really anxious about a variety of problems until past 350 hours when they dramatically began to clear up. I've said this elsewhere, but when played with a great transport and DAC with great recordings, my Hornet sounds staggering better than via a PDP or modest DAC, and can present a clean, clear window into the music with a huge dimensional sound space and rock-solid imaging. I don't hear anything that dramatic with my iPod or Mac G5 tower and Spitfire DAC, but it sounds much better than the notes in the review would indicate.
There's no guarantee that you'll hear what I did, but my personal experience was that my Hornet had a variety of issues similar to those noted in the review, and the amp's sound quality changed and improved significantly after the extended play period I've noted.
A few other amps seem to need similarly long break in period, more notably those with large Black Gate caps which are well known to require lengthy play time to optimize and stabilize, and Black Gates also have troublesome and often erratic "burn in curves". My Hornet's "burn in" wasn't so much erratic as it was troublesome, and the general congestion and "feathered edges" had me quiet anxious for a while.
If you ever have the opportunity and inclination to hear a "well-cured" Hornet, I'd love to know if it sounds to you any cleaner, sweeter, more open and focused, etc. -- or not.
