I experienced some initially, but it settled down.
Mon, some have already responded to you on that subject. The Vodka need a long burn in, maybe 150/ 200 hours. The first days they sound bright and agressive. Why not burn them elsewhere, like between tv or pc, and listen only after the 150 hours required?
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Apologies frenchrooster (and some others), but I am afraid that I find the concept of ‘burn in’ (let alone a 150 hour ‘burn in’) for ethernet cables to be completely incomprehensible.
Have you (or has anybody) tested 150 hours burn in on your own system compared with 150 hours burn in ‘elsewhere’ (where you are not consistently listening to the cable over that period). Could the perceived improvement over time not be related to an increased familiarity with the product rather than any demonstrable change?
Over the years I have occasionally been lambasted as a hi-fi fanatic by some individuals for insisting that amplifiers, DACs and analogue interconnects/cables can sound ‘different’. However, the boot is definitely on the other foot for me with respect to some claims about ethernet cables.
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Exactly my thoughts.
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The jury is out on that issue round here.
Many respected members hear differences after a week or two, others don’t.
I did with the BJC, but didn’t expect to, and therefore wasn’t specifically listening out 
For it.
The two processes run concurrently, tuning your brain and ears into any sq differences
And also the cable changing temperature, settling after being stretched and stressed in transit, and having leccy run thru it for the first time, and being altered electrically and magnetically And I terms of static etc.
How does that happen, exactly? What is the physics behind this?
All my network cabling was tested pre-shipping so it wasn’t being used for the very first time. My main network infrastructure was tested when post installation for good measure. I have not experienced burn-in effects with my network cables or switches.
I wonder why others have? I can’t explain.
Now if I posted that I’d be under attack so I’m most glad you posted it and not me and that my views on the burn-in myth will remain a secret.
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Well, I’m certainly in the burn-in camp, though generally find he biggest differences in the first few days and not many after a week.
Having been a big fan of the DesignaCable Belden CatSnake Cat5e cables, I think I am going to find I prefer the BJC Belden Cat6a in my system. It’s certainly quieter and more detailed, but I’m still a bit undecided on texture. It’s definitely got rid of what at one stage appeared to be a hard-and-fast rule that screened cables didn’t work so well for me in my system.
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ME 2 ---- I stay out of these discussions, but as an electrical engineer it does make for amusing reading.
Problem is the burn-in & directional arguments have been around for as long as hifi enthusiasts & their subjective explanations, lots of weirdness around in 1970/80’s.
Attempts at proving the theory by purported experts have not got close to anything credible, but that still leave’s a lot peeps who do believe in it.
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Exactly is 151,5 hours…
If you prefer, the vodka opens and reaches it’s full musical potential after around 5 or 6 days. For me at least. Other have observed similar thing.
The first days its agressive and bright.
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If different cables actually do sound different (I’m not so sure but open minded) then I suspect the burn-in effect is down to your brain adapting and acclimatising to the different sound
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The concept of ‘burn in’ in general is a difficult one to comprehend or measure. The end result is purely subjective and subject to the vagaries of ‘expectation bias’, variable ambient environment and medium to long term sound memory limitations.
I have never quite believed in the concept of burn in (except possibly for ‘mechanical’ devices such as speaker drivers) for hi-fi equipment. However, I have personally noticed differences (or perceived differences) in sound and sound quality over a period of time which could I guess potentially be recognised as a ‘burn in’ effect.
An example of this is when I purchased a Mytek Brooklyn+ DAC as a possible replacement for a Chord Hugo in my second system. Initially, I felt that despite a few obvious specific advantages of the Mytek, the Chord Hugo DAC was just a better all round DAC with a more relaxing and ‘musical’ presentation. The Mytek felt a little ‘edgy’ or ‘bright’ by comparison.
However, I persisted with the Brooklyn+ DAC for a month or two (primarily to allow me to test Tidal MQA Masters) and over that period of time I began to appreciate the qualities of the Brooklyn+ DAC. Lo and behold, when I reinstated the Hugo in my system, my evaluation of the two had completely changed and I felt that something was missing compared with the presentation of the Brooklyn+.
Now some might put this change down to the effects of ‘burn-in’ of the Brooklyn+ DAC, and I can’t categorically rule this out. However, my own view is inclined to the likelihood that over a period of time my ‘ears’ have simply become accustomed to the sound of the Brooklyn+. I guess it’s possible that if I were to reinstate my Hugo for a month or two then my opinion might change again, but I really don’t have the appetite to try.
Sorry to divert the subject from BJ Cables, but the concept of burn in and its effect on sound quality has been introduced by some as a given.
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- Well, do you believe that electrons have something to do with electrical currents?
- if so, how fast do electrons move normally?
- and how fast do they move in their role in the passage of a current of electrical energy?
- how do electrons operate in the coding of digital and analog audio signals?
- Are electrons solid particles, or are they only waves in the electron-positron field, or are they (as de Broglie and Bohm both believed) both; or are they something else?
- what is the relationship between electrical and magnetic fields in the above processes?
- what is the relationship between the thermal state of the electrons and nucleons that comprise the metal atoms in the conducting wires of an ethernet cable and the above processes?
What changes to the cable does any of that make in use, with low voltages and very low currents?
…and why would it change over time?
Yes I understand those…
So now what about ‘burn in’ with small signal cables, and most particularly for this discussion, with cables carrying low power digital signals. What is it in terms of those factors/principles you previously enumerated.
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Wow - great.
What’s the answer to Q5?
Yes - none of that expands my knowledge at all. How are any of these things related to burn-in? I understand reasonably well the physics of the movement of electricity through wires - that was not my question. I would like to know what the physics are of this phenomenon you write about called burn-in, with regard to copper (or silver, if you like) wires?
It is both - or possibly more - depending on what you are looking at - or how you are looking at it. Does this explain burn-in?