Question on speaker "break-in"

[shockwave85]

A theory running around about speakers (and some other types of products like TVs) is that they don't perform optimally out of the box. There's a period of time during initial use when the components adjust themselves slightly and become...ugh...better synced with each other? Their physical properties are stressed and therefore improve? It's difficult to describe.

Hypothetical anecdote: You can listen to a speaker set for a year and think they're perfect. Then you buy a new set and it sounds very different and strange, so you wonder why you bothered. The more you listen though, the better it sounds and the happier you are with the purchase. Six months later, one speaker stops working, so you send them both back for repair and in the meantime, you plug in the old set you loved. Guess what? Doesn't sound as great as you remember. Not as much bass, or maybe too much...all because your brain essentially "tuned" itself to the newer speakers.

So while listening to my new Audioengine A2 set, I couldn't help but wonder how it's possible to measure? How much of the initial sound improvement (if any) is actually quantifiable and how much is just my perception changing as my ears adjust to the specific speakers?

 

[LeninGHOLA]

Electronics don't really break in, but the surround and spider of a speaker can become more flexible with use. The difference is minimal, but most of it will indeed be psychological.

 

[kinjo]

I have actually looked into this alot and there have indeed been studies on speakers (not on headphones which are still a subject of debate) that show that there is a real mechanical break in effect which you can hear.

However the difference is not night and day as some audio enthusiasts would have you believe. it's there and it's real but anyone who says that it's a huge difference is over stating it.

Also you will frequently see people claiming "burn in times of 100+ hours" thats also B.S. any real burn in occurs within the first 30 hours of use and there has never been any quantifiable bur in effect observed past 80 hours.

 

[TESLA]

Speakers are very physical, and materials do and can change over time, but as far as the actual drivers go, it would depend on their construction.

A titanium tweeter, for instance, probably won't change much over its lifetime, but a soft dome might experience some minor changes with use, especially early on.

Technically, some capacitors can also have a "burn-in" period, but this should be done at the factory. (Capacitors made using aluminium foil with aluminium oxide as the dielectric, for instance, must first form an aluminium oxide layer on the foil via an applied current.) Once they are installed in your device, they should be ready to go. (Although I suppose it is technically possible that the anodizing step had some problem with it causing the dielectric to not be fully formed.)

So how much of an effect does material burn-in have on sound? Probably not much. It does take your ears some time to get accustomed to new sounds, however, so more likely than not it is you who is "burning-in" and not your speakers.

 

[djoye]

I've had various subwoofers that would loosen up and get louder after a week or so of use.

 

[HammerSandwich]

(not on headphones which are still a subject of debate)

Tyll's shown some fairly convincing testing at Innerfidelity.

 

[NoxTek]

I think there is a definite break-in period on speakers and headphones.

Speakers are very 'mechanical' objects, relying on the vibration of paper, foam, and sometimes rubber to make sound waves and... well... you know. My point is that the paper, foam, and rubber DO change with use, and 99% of that change is going to take place within the first few dozen hours of usage at moderate volume.