Burn in - a myth?

That is also true of course. I recently tried a pre/power combo. It sounded very good indeed and for whatever reason I really wanted to like it. And I did, but my old and trusty 82/250DR sounded better. I don’t jut try it a few hours or a day. I had the combo here over 7 days so should have gotten used to it and liked it more than my own stuff. I was ready to part with some cash. Att first it sounded really good but after a few days had gone by I started missing things and started to notice annoying things I didn’t like. So in this instance it was like you say Stephen, the other way around.

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Millers running in oil followed by a mineral flush and then full synthetic Millers 10W50.

2 bar of boost :grin:
Cosworth YB.

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My engine was capable of handling 2 bar being a fully forged and balanced build.

However, the gearbox was not :laughing: munched woodruffs like Smarties.

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Warm-up is real. I have here 17 year old ‘mint condition’ n-SATs/nSUB and after about say 20/30 minutes the music really comes alive. So much so in fact that i’ve had no choice but to go in really early on with Lionel - it’s not even late at night yet! :sunglasses:

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Out of curiosity, what is this question intending to elucidate? As has been identified on this forum, from memory some (and here I’m talking Naim) dealers apparently have not followed all of Naim’s guidelines for setting up a system. An individual with knowledge and understanding may well set up their system better than some dealers, maybe even better than any dealer.

For my part, I’ve only ever set up systems myself. I read a lot about hifi before building my first system, through that understanding about cable types, cable positioning and associated things to do and avoid (these days called cable dressing), earth loops, microphony, and some aspects of speaker positioning. Over the decades that followed I’ve learnt a lot more, e.g. about speaker and listening positions and room effects, and discovering the usefulness of a tool like REW, taking a lot of the effort and trial-and-error out of assessment, and also about the sales techniques, the peddling of snake oil, and psychological factors affecting the listener’s perception of sound quality, and the value of simple blind testing to help cut through the latter.

[quote=“Innocent_Bystander, post:215, topic:28855”]
For my part, I’ve only ever set up systems myself
[/quote] You have a lot to say on a Naim forum, given being an ardent Naim owner throughout the years?

Do you know what my friend- I really can’t be bothered. Sorry, to be rude.:slightly_smiling_face:

Up to you, but I’m sure others would like to know what your question was intended to elucidate.

Don’t worry about it. I wish not to engage.:sunglasses:

How true, we adjust our hearing to the new presentation, whilst running in is part of the experience of ownership we begin to accept the change in tonality sometimes for the better.
However loud speaker manufacturers will to a certain degree not accept their products giving a stella performance in all domestic environments ( there are too many variables). They always state careful positioning is crucial to bring out the best in our speakers. We adjust till we hope and perhaps cajole ourselves thinking they sound good.
Many times I have read on forums give it a few weeks to burn in :thinking::joy: its our hearing perception that changes to the new sound

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I’m not sure this burn in idea really holds water, don’t you think it’s just about change. Something has changed in your set up and it takes a while for you to get use to it.

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Made a lot quicker and more certain if we use tools such as REW to actually measure and so find the best speaker and listening positions for the room - though of course in many, maybe most, cases unless we also assess and treat the causes of the worst of room effects the sound will not be as good as the equipment potentially can deliver.

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Just reporting back after having silver interconnects in my system for several months.

If I had to guess I would put the total playback time at around 140hrs. I was recently on a work trip for a week. I usually don’t do this but I left my gear on while I was away. I wouldn’t recommend you do it but as there were people in the house I thought it’s safe to do so.

On my return I sat down to listen after an exhausting week.

The silver cables are sounding very different. And yes for the better. There was a very sharp leading edge attack to the sound. This has now become far more natural. There is a continuous flow to the music. The passages in the songs are more easy to follow. The music makes much more sense. In addition to this there is also more body and weight to the sound. I can’t seem to break away from my system at the moment. It’s sounding very very good.

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I think there are several things going on. 1) The warm-up or getting to room tempature/peak performance. 2) Is the actual break-in of the components, surrounds etc which takes hours or a few weeks. and 3) The final de-stressing. Which I have found only in new and recapped Naim Amps and Preamps which open up a bit more and have an added ease 3-6 months later which is subtler.

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There’s also getting to listen to the system afresh after a week away, and an exhausting one at that.

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That’s usually the best!

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I’m finding this the case as well with my freshly recapped HiCapDr. It’s now sounding heavenly.

In my experience, the change in sound with new mains cables is most apparent, particularly with Furutech mains cables. I’ve bought some used and some new. My Acrolink mains cable which I bought 2 years ago took about 2 months before the sound opened up. The latest Furutech mains cables which I bought last month is still in the process of “burn-in”, with ups and downs within the first week and more consistent sound after that with a slow and progressive improvement throughout the weeks. The sound changed from warm and muffled to one that shows improved clarity, separation and detail. I was informed that Furutech mains cables require 5 to 6 months for the complete burn-in to take place.

Equipment and loudspeakers, although it’s there the change in sound is not significant in my experience.

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My take is that “Burn in” is clearly a real phenomena just like clean mains and quality supports etc but we all have different levels of hearing and degrees of appreciation for the changes. For some a grainy hard sound is fine as long as there is PRAT. For me those changes that bring me closer to a perceived live event are worth the financial outlay. But I suspect determining what is better is as subjective as any hobby out there. I hope that most of you enjoy those moments of bliss that our systems can create. It’s a tough world and escaping the grind via music is something that I feel blessed to appreciate every day.

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My system never sounds as good as when I first listen to it after having been away for a while. I doubt it’s changed in that time, it’s just that my “norm” has adjusted to other things I’ve been listening to. Those are usually worse than my system at home.

It doesnt happen if the product is designed and built by professional designers/companies who know the components they use.