Jump to content

Does equipment, speakers and electronics, sound better after some hours on them.


henry4841

Recommended Posts

Just as the debate over LP vs CD is never settled this subject will never be proved definitely one way or the other because it is subjective to a large extent. All I really know is that guys that are way smarter than me, audio engineers that make their living developing audio products, says it does with certain components. I can understand how a big woofers suspension would need to loosen up some for best performance but for many years I had my doubts about electronics needing some hours on them to sound best. I am now under the impression that electronics will improve after settling in after some hours, days from first turn on. No proof and other than the couple of class D amplifiers that had weak bass on turn on and after a few minutes some of the best bass I have ever heard. I actually heard this improvement. Other than those two instances my hearing is not good enough to notice any difference from first use to many hours. But then as said my hearing is not the best and also one must be trained to learn what to listen for. Trained hearing is often not discussed when talking about this subject. And yes as one must be trained to know what to listen for to be a good artist on an instrument one must also be trained to know what to listen for when evaluating electronic reproducing products. 

 

I found some audio engineers I really like who say their products will sound best after being left on for 24 hours and I certainly am not one to say they are wrong. I do not know why they would say this if not true. I do know for sure that it takes some time for electronic circuits to settle down, bias and dc offset can vary a lot with temp and will be more stable after some time being on. Can I hear the difference, no. I can hear a difference in a class A amp before it reaches it's best operating temp but that is expected in class A. 

 

Knowing who to trust means a lot when discussing this subject. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, pnort said:

I'll wait for someone to record a track from a new component and compare it to a recording after the imagined break-in period. This could be a speaker, a SS transistor unit, a new tube, or a capacitor - whatever.

 

I haven't noticed anything myself. I almost immediately decided to buy Klipshorns after hearing them for the first time--my ears didn't need to adjust over a period of time. It was "problem solved".

I would like to see a spectrographic analysis myself

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

I would like to see a spectrographic analysis myself

And who exactly has such a piece of equipment? Are you talking about a Spectrometer? Just curious since you keep on bringing it up. Most of the audio engineers that I am aware of just use distortion analyzer's, scopes and signal generators for audio work. Some may even have spectrum analyzers but that it taking it to the extreme that most do not feel the need for on work in the audio spectrum. I do not even know where to find such a piece of equipment you keep bringing up and I am sure the price would be extreme to buy or even for a lab to do such a test. Especially since it would require hours of work for a conclusion. 

 

Why not just say you are not a believer and leave it at that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

23 minutes ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

I believe in Factual, Empirical Data. 

BTW, ...ebay $305$ listing. 

Hearing may be subjective

But

Facts are not 

 

 

 

 

 

So you measure, acquire, and analyze your data. Then you sit down and listen and prefer the thing that actually measures worse than the other thing. What have you learned?

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many people claim to hear  subtle differences from every possible variable imaginable .I’m not ashamed to admit that I can’t  reliably distinguish one amp from another , or cable ,etc . Others  evidently can hear the subtle differences that I can’t , but because I can’t , I want to see data to prove my ears wrong 🤓

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Instruments are only a tool. They are only as good as the person using them. There are many times that what should sound excellent according to the instruments will not be that great sounding. You hearing is the final judge. For instance most if not all SET amplifier will test poorly on the bench but they have some of the best sound you are ever going to hear. Only with years of experience with sound equipment and test instruments will a person truly understand how to interpret what you see on any piece of test equipment. 

 

People that I admire tremendously such as Nelson Pass', considered the best of the best when it comes to audio design and Wayne Colburn among others say that electronics do sound better after having some hours of break in. Reviewers like 6moons do not do any serious review of one of Pass Labs pieces till they have many hours on them. They claim it takes hours on the machine before they sound their best.

 

Nelson is in a class all by himself who most consider the best of the best and he does not even have an electronic degree. He majored in physics with electronics being just a hobby in college. I am smart enough not to question what they say to be true. But on social media sites we have smarter people than them who can say differently. Members are free to choose what to believe. 

 

I can turn it around and say to the naysayers to buy that serious $350 piece on Ebay and prove Nelson and Wayne wrong. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Shakeydeal said:

If you can't hear the difference, it really doesn't matter what measurements reveal. If A sounds the same as B, then buy the one that's the cheapest. In a way I envy you. I can hear a difference and it usually (but not always) costs me more $$.

Yea maybe Im the lucky one , I finally got lucky .🤓

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s not necessarily that I can’t hear some variation occasionally on a piece of equipment . It’s that the magnitude of the difference seems so small as to be negligible. Far far less significant than speaker choice and acoustics, for example . 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Tom05 said:

It’s not necessarily that I can’t hear some variation occasionally on a piece of equipment . It’s that the magnitude of the difference seems so small as to be negligible. Far far less significant than speaker choice and acoustics, for example . 

I have built and heard many amplifiers and trust me the difference between them has narrowed considerable from years ago. Last count I have 24 working amplifiers not counting all the linestages and other audio gear I have built. Differences are subtle between the top products except when it comes to single ended and push pull circuits. Big difference between the sound of SE vs PP that most will quickly realize. My preference is SE but I love the sound of a good PP one as well. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, henry4841 said:

I have built and heard many amplifiers and trust me the difference between them has narrowed considerable from years ago. Last count I have 24 working amplifiers not counting all the linestages and other audio gear I have built. Differences are subtle between the top products except when it comes to single ended and push pull circuits. Big difference between the sound of SE vs PP that most will quickly realize. My preference is SE but I love the sound of a good PP one as well. 

Thanks I’ll  give them a listen sometime , but lately I spend  a lot less time critiquing my  setup ,I’ve  learned to relax a little  , enjoy the music, and my  old Yamaha is sounding  better than ever , life is good .🤓

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Tom05 said:

Thanks I’ll  give them a listen sometime , but lately I spend  a lot less time critiquing my  setup ,I’ve  learned to relax a little  , enjoy the music, and my  old Yamaha is sounding  better than ever , life is good .🤓

 

You are the only one your system needs to please.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:

 

You are the only one your system needs to please.

 

I agree , I just want my stuff to sound badass, If something is a bit out of spec technically ,but  doesn’t sound objectionable to me , then I’m pretty much ok with that . Years ago as a youngster, my goal  was more towards technical perfection , now as you say I just need to please myself,( and scare my friends).🤓

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to upset the expert listeners here with a wish for scientific data on a topic of heated opinions. I have seen some tests of cables and the data showed almost no differences (0.1 db). Seems to me that some measurements might enlighten us and I'm puzzled as to why this seems to offend some of you. I'll go back to my 300b Set amp and Khorns now and try to calm down.

 

Peace be the Journey

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, pnort said:

Sorry to upset the expert listeners here with a wish for scientific data on a topic of heated opinions. I have seen some tests of cables and the data showed almost no differences (0.1 db). Seems to me that some measurements might enlighten us and I'm puzzled as to why this seems to offend some of you. I'll go back to my 300b Set amp and Khorns now and try to calm down.

 

Peace be the Journey

 

I'm not offended in the least. The last thing that offends me is anything that an anonymous person on the internet might have to say. I'm not talking about you specifically, but anyone.

 

I will just postulate this.  It is possible that not everything that can be heard can be measured. How do you measure the physical enjoyment one amplifier gives the listener over another amplifier? Pretty sure THD isn't going to tell you that story.

 

Anyway. We all listen differently and have different priorities. So, to each his own.

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

 I have seen some tests of cables and the data showed almost no differences (0.1 db).

 

One cable doesn't have to be louder than another cable for there to be a difference in sound quality. I would expect both to perform at the same SPL. If not, one of them is surely broken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Tom05 said:

but lately I spend  a lot less time critiquing my  setup ,I’ve  learned to relax a little  , enjoy the music, and my  old Yamaha is sounding  better than ever , life is good .🤓

You and I are alike in this, me to. The old saying of audiophiles listen to equipment and musicians listen to music rings true. I am happy now just listening to 320 mp3's as my record and CD collection.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...