Do brand new speakers require a break-in period?

i'm with GuildX700. speakers are comprised of physical material. the properties of material change, however minutely, with use and over time. therefore, why wouldn't the properties of a speaker evolve of the course of any length of time, much less a so called break in period...?

 

My speakers had a strange break-in period in the beginning, and when Mike sent me my Morrow SP3 cables they had a break-in period as well. Sonically, it was like a roller-coaster ride...it was not pleasant, and not something I could get 'adjusted' to.

I can't really explain this 'settling' effect I hear, but I've witnessed this various times, beyond speakers, and actually...it's not fun.

 

I don't agree with Alan Shaw about everything, but he is a speaker-designing genius and if he says my M30.1s are good after a couple hours, then I'm good with that, and oh-so-very good with the sound that has been coming out of them from the moment I let the current flow...

 

Psycho acoustics. Your ears need a break in time, not your speakers. Does your light bulb shine brighter, after a break in? It's just electronics.

 

I agree with the Harbeth FAQ. I read so much horsecrap on audio forums. I do my best to stay out of those threads because it's no skin off my nose if some people believe the myths but sometimes it's soooo hard to remain quiet. It's no different than discussing politics and religion; no one's mind is going to be changed. Same with cable/wire, vinyl vs. CD, or the need for break-in discussions.

 

Most assuredly speaker break in is real. Speakers move and flex- I've found that the suspension is typically somewhat is stiff right out of the box and needs time to break in. Not really any different from a car- the moving components are the key plus capacitors need time (not much really) to "form"

 

So you see a parallel between a light bulb and speakers :/

I won't be asking you for help changing a light bulb any time soon

Drivers have a mechanical brake in due to materials as others have said.....also, crossover parts can do also, caps, inductors yada yada
I'm not talking about best buys speakers....

 

Depends what one was burnin'......

 

It looks like your trying to stay out of those threads

 

My light bulbs do, actually.

But they are cryogenically treated.

 

Hey, I said I "do my best"! I didn't claim to be perfect. In this case, all I said was I agree with Harbeth's take on it.

 

I've had many, many new speakers come thru my home for review. I have always followed the same procedure of immediately hooking them up, listening to my preferred demo tracks while taking notes at specific points. Then for the next week having them play 10 hours overnight with a blanket over them at a decent volume. Next, taking off the blanket and listening again and writing up notes. Since my ears were never "conditioned", picking up on differences is possible. Some speakers changed only slightly. Others were quite obvious. BTW, I own a pair of Alan Shaw's Harbeth Compact 7es3.

 

Keep at it.

 

Nah. Unless only some opinions are welcome. Some people might believe some of the absolute nonsense posted on audio forums. Some people need to let them know that it's just that, nonsense. Group think is a dangerous thing, even when it comes to audio myths.

 

Smile

 

Says the person who's posting absolute nonsense on an audio forum.

 

back to the topic. It's the generally held view by speaker designers that new speakers will break in after a very brief period especially if they were not at room temp previously. Will you even notice, don't know. Basically it's a non issue. If they don't sound right after a brief period something is wrong somewhere. All I know is that airplane designers, hospital equip manufacturers, train and ferry builders don't worry about break in on their electrical, fuel, navigational, HVAC, diagnostic systems, and life support systems etc and there are serious lives at stake in these cases. This seems to be a phenomena isolated to home audio paranoia for some reason.

 

All those things you mention are not audio, we don't listen to those other things critically, if at all....that is not their function. So there is no parallel between Audio reproduction and all those things, that is why It's confined to this hobby of ours.

The manufacturer of my speakers runs them in for at least 100hrs, and will point out that they will get even better with a few more hundred hours up, and that is the experience of customers.

So It's no a hard and fast thing, it will depend on the speaker, design and parts used.

 

This is very much the case IMHO. Some full range "single" drivers have very light drive-trains which require a gentle break-in. There is a specific procedure written by the manufacturer to be followed.

jeff

 

Speakers are not electronics. The mechanical parts of membranes change their caracteristics during the break in

I haven't noticed break in benefits with electronics yet. If they exist, they are much smaller than with speakers, headphones or phono cartridges.

 

I've re-foamed several speakers over the years, and it's a drastic change in sound from the tired, starting to rot foam to the new, tight foam.

And once re-foamed, there is MOST CERTAINLY a change in sound as they are played over several weeks and the new surround breaks in.

 

I don't know if it's really a break-in period...or simply your ears getting used to new stuff.

 

Yes, electronics and cones. I noticed a distinct improvement on my focals as I played it more.

 

Again, this is assuming I am only listening to one system. All electronics need break-in. My Esoteric and my APL need many hours to break in. My new tubes needed to break in. My stereo needs about an hour to warm up.

My Esoteric sounded good at first listen but sounded much more open and natural after two months.