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Topic: Breaking in new speakers (Read 12605 times) previous topic - next topic
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Breaking in new speakers

Hi.

I just bought myself a 5-speaker system (no sub). B&W D603 S3 in front (for stereo music), and also center and back speakers from B&W, I don't recall the model numbers for them right now.

Any good suggestions for breaking them in? I don't know if that's the right expression, what I mean is using them for several hours so they get to the point where they sound like intended.

I've heard rumours about CDs built for this purpose, CDs that use the full spectrum.

I guess there are some audiophiles here with info on this

Btw, my amp is a Denon AVR-2105.
/Agitator

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #1 –
You can't break in speakers.  They either work, or they don't.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #2 –
I guess you don't understand what I mean. New speakers needs to be used for a while to sound like intended. Untrained ears won't hear the difference I guess, but audiophiles should know about this.

The guy at the shop where I bought them said that they need 50 to 100 hours before they reach the ultimate condition. What I'm looking for is CDs (or downloadable WAVs, FLACs) to break them in in the best possible way.
/Agitator

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #3 –
Yes, there are such products.  A sample of them are listed here:

http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/search.asp?cat=410

Another option is to turn off muting on your FM tuner and tune it to some interstation white noise.  Let this play for a while at a moderate volume.

In the end, I really wouldn't worry that much about it.  It's not clear that any of this makes a difference.  Probably best to just use your system as you normally would and let it break in over time.  Those speakers should sound pretty fine out of the box.

Good luck with it.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #4 –
ABX!!!

... comes to my mind.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #5 –
B&W has been around for years.  They are experts in the field of loudspeakers.  If they have no instructions about "breaking in" loudspeakers you can safely assume you are a victim of a hoax.  That is to say, there is no need to break them in.  But, you seem predisposed to believe there is a need however so why not write them and ask their advice?  Seems so obvious.   
Nov schmoz kapop.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #6 –
I understood what you meant.  I saying it sounds like a bunch of rubish to me.  If there is a discernable difference (which I doubt), you will not be able to hear it.  This is the kind of thing that would need to measured with electronic equipment to be noticeable.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #7 –
Agitator: you must be confusing this site with Head-Fi...
Over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #8 –
Speakers do not need break-in. You need break-in to that loudspeakers (ie get used to it). Break-in just another snake-oil bollocks.

Triza

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #9 –
Quote
Agitator: you must be confusing this site with Head-Fi...
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=310920"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]




Sometimes it's kinda funny reading "audiophile" reviews stating that the speaker/amp/cd-player/whatever sounds like absolute shite the first 100 hours, but when breaked in rivals products 5x the price...

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #10 –
Here a quote from 3DSS referring to break in periods:

Quote
Please pardon the intrusion, but measuring driver break-in is quite easy...when you have the equipment. It's a routine fact that running a driver "in" at high level (and low frequency to "exercise" the suspension) for 24 hours is part of conditioning a driver before testing it for its ultimate parameters, the parameters that then predict and form the final desired bass enclosure alignment.

I just did this on a batch of six identical green drivers and after 24 hours, they had settled by some 15%.

Jon Lane - Partner, The Audio Insider (6/6/03)
In Case Of Bose, Break Glass
Flac yuo in teh ASIO!

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #11 –
Lets just think about this for a minute... If the actual drivers need break-in, then all the measurements and design plans that the manufacturers used are useless, therefore the design would be off.
"You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight."  Neil Peart  'Resist'

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #12 –
Quote
Lets just think about this for a minute... If the actual drivers need break-in, then all the measurements and design plans that the manufacturers used are useless, therefore the design would be off.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=310961"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


I can perfectly understand why breaking in WOULD make a difference. If you have a new driver which just rolled out of the factory i can imagine the rubber edge is a little stiff.  If i compare it to a rubber band.... new ones are always just a little stronger then used ones. Im not saying this is true for all speakers, but on some it can make a difference IMO. I know 100% sure my headphone sounded very different when it just came out of the store. I compared it to an other headphone for reference, and slowly the heavy bass became lesser over a timespan of 2 weeks. Then it didnt change anymore. 

And the specifications arent useless..... they are the specifications of the speakers after some usage. IMO this is not  necesary snake oil all the time.  But i have to agree that most things you hear from audiophile's are indeed un-true. Just not this particular one.

But actively breaking in a speaker is useless. Just listen to it as you would normaly do. If the speakers needs breaking in, it will hapen automatically.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #13 –
Yeah, but how can the manufacturer design an enclosure and have to deal with a "break-in"?

Also,  is shouldn't matter if a surround breaks in or not.  In a correct design, the surround should not affect cone movement.
"You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight."  Neil Peart  'Resist'

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #14 –
Quote
Yeah, but how can the manufacturer design an enclosure and have to deal with a "break-in"?

Also,  is shouldn't matter if a surround breaks in or not.  In a correct design, the surround should not affect cone movement.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=310970"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Breaking in doesnt mean the speaker specifications change all the time, only when they are brand new. So if the speaker specification change the first 100 hours, dont use brand new speakers in the designing process. 

And im not suggestiong all speakers change over time. But i.e.  a woofer might be more affected by this, because it moves more than an average speaker. When i think about it, it isnt that strange if the sound of a speaker changes over (a small period of) time. But there is no way i would ever do something special to "break in" a speaker (or anything else fot that matter).

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #15 –
so it would be actually better to buy used speakers?
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Breaking in new speakers

Reply #16 –
Quote
so it would be actually better to buy used speakers?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=310979"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


In certain cases, definitely yes

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #17 –
Hi. I conditioned my speakers with this prog

http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~phylabs/...eGenerator.html

They are B & W cdm - 1nt and the recommended break in was 20 hours. Can't honestly say I could hear a difference.

edit  Just for clarity, the burn-in recommendation is made by B&W in the provided instructions. The purpose is to loosen the rubber surrounds and to stabilize the capacitors in the crossover.Apparantly the capacitor values change slightly with repeated warming and cooling.

Many of the high end speakers I have sold over the years came with such recommendations. It would be a hard thing to abx unless you did one speaker and not the other.

We dutifully ran in all such speakers but I never encountered any big change.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #18 –
Quote
Hi.

I just bought myself a 5-speaker system (no sub). B&W D603 S3 in front (for stereo music), and also center and back speakers from B&W, I don't recall the model numbers for them right now.

Any good suggestions for breaking them in? I don't know if that's the right expression, what I mean is using them for several hours so they get to the point where they sound like intended.

I've heard rumours about CDs built for this purpose, CDs that use the full spectrum.

I guess there are some audiophiles here with info on this

Btw, my amp is a Denon AVR-2105.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=310907"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #19 –
I just did a search of the B&W website and found they have no information on breaking in speakers.  Can you beat that?  How could folks so knowledgeable overlook such an important topic?  I suggest you folks who know more than B&W write them and get them smartened up.  Let us know the response from B&W, too.   
Nov schmoz kapop.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #20 –
i think my Rockford Fosgate's manual said something about breaking the subs in for a week or so. but i am aware of the controversy of breaking in speakers/headphones for x amount of time. i can see the need to break in subs but not sure about higher frequencies.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #21 –
I'm neither expert nor audiophile, but the information that came with my AperionAudio speakers said to just run the amplifier into them for about a day (I forget the exact time period) -- didn't need any sound, volume could be at zero.

I played the radio at very low volume for about 36 hours and that did the trick.
Quote
You can't break in speakers.  They either work, or they don't.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=310908"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I've never heard a pair of new speakers sound good on first connection, even with cheap speakers, even with car stereo speakers.

Had some terrible buyer's remorse experiences prior to learning about this. My ears ain't golden -- it's really obvious,

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #22 –
Quote
Quote
You can't break in speakers.  They either work, or they don't.
I've never heard a pair of new speakers sound good on first connection, even with cheap speakers, even with car stereo speakers.
Had some terrible buyer's remorse experiences prior to learning about this. My ears ain't golden -- it's really obvious,
hmm, I never heared a big difference (i.e. none) with new and older speakers. I don't have golden ears, but there clearly isn't a difference.
see where I'm coming from?

welcome to HA btw 
Nothing but a Heartache - Since I found my Baby ;)

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #23 –
I currently have a pair of old KEF 104/2's and a pair of SoundLab Pristines.  They both sounded excellent from day one.  Audio "memory", that is how we remember what we heard to compare it or reference it later is suspect at worst and ephemeral at best.

After you "break in" your speakers how the hell will you know they sound different?  What can you compare them to?  That illusory memory of what they "sounded" like?  If this audio memeory was anything real we would not ABX sounds, would we??

I have also read that it is neccessary to "break in" cables.  Mmmm.  I guess the electrons flow more smoothly in "broken in" cables than new ones.  Yeah, right.  Color me skeptical.  I am willing to admit I am wrong if there is valid proof otherwise. 
Nov schmoz kapop.

Breaking in new speakers

Reply #24 –
Quote
ABX!!!

... comes to my mind.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=310914"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


And it would be very easy to do - a pair of new and a pair of "burnt-in" speakers....