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Post by hoseroller74 on Nov 8, 2010 23:31:00 GMT -5
Hello all
Was wondering if anybody could suggest how many hours it should take to break these in, and if you are really hearing a difference after break in.
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Post by hoseroller74 on Nov 9, 2010 10:11:05 GMT -5
60 views, and not one person can suggest anything.....  |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 9, 2010 10:24:47 GMT -5
Solid state amps do not "break in." Turn them on and enjoy.
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kazoo
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Post by kazoo on Nov 9, 2010 10:28:41 GMT -5
Some people do not believe in burn it especially on SS amps. I do and I did hear a difference the longer the XPA-1s played. They smoothed out a bit. I would say let them play at least 24 hours before you do any critical listening. After 50 hours you should be good to go.
John
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kse
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Post by kse on Nov 9, 2010 10:34:49 GMT -5
Plug 'em in and gas it...
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Post by hoseroller74 on Nov 9, 2010 10:39:17 GMT -5
lol....squeaky wheel gets the grease...thx guys! I just spoke with Emotiva 10mins ago, and Nick from their tech dept informed me that the amps are all burned in prior to leaving the factory..."all our toridal trans are power soaked" just turn them on and enjoy!
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ntrain42
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Post by ntrain42 on Nov 9, 2010 10:49:55 GMT -5
Hello all Was wondering if anybody could suggest how many hours it should take to break these in, and if you are really hearing a difference after break in. There are different views on whether they need to break in or not. Personally I could never tell a difference. One thing I will tell you though, keep em permanently on. |
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Post by hoseroller74 on Nov 9, 2010 11:07:20 GMT -5
Permanently, as in always "on" even when I'm not home......? why might I ask ?
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ntrain42
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Post by ntrain42 on Nov 9, 2010 11:09:02 GMT -5
Permanently, as in always "on" even when I'm not home......? why might I ask ? Thermal stability. Turning em on, then off, then on, then off again over and over puts alot of wear and tear on amps and electronics in general. So my recommendation is to keep em on 24/7. |
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Post by strindl on Nov 9, 2010 12:31:28 GMT -5
I did notice a difference in sound in my XPA-1's after leaving them powered up over night. After that first day though the sound hasn't changed...they sound wonderful.
And there is no reason to leave a power amp on all the time when it's not in use. I use the 12 V triggers from my pre amp to power on my power amps when I'm going to be doing some listening.
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Post by Poodleluvr on Nov 9, 2010 13:03:12 GMT -5
The only amps or associated equimpent I've ever owned and currently own is solid state.
IMO, for two channel listening, I personally prefer the sound quality after about 2 hours in 'On' mode of operation...
If I know someone is coming over and will be listening, I turn on all my equipment two hours beforehand...
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Erwin.BE
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Post by Erwin.BE on Nov 9, 2010 14:01:43 GMT -5
IMO, one will hear a difference. Not from break-in, but because our brain is forever making new connections. When you hear something for the first time, a certain impression is "imprinted". When you hear it again the next day, we are no longer 100% the same person, because our brain has slightly changed (like 0.001%), hence the second impression is not the same as the first impression...
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ntrain42
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Post by ntrain42 on Nov 9, 2010 14:51:38 GMT -5
I did notice a difference in sound in my XPA-1's after leaving them powered up over night. After that first day though the sound hasn't changed...they sound wonderful. And there is no reason to leave a power amp on all the time when it's not in use. I use the 12 V triggers from my pre amp to power on my power amps when I'm going to be doing some listening. Did you know that most electronic equipment fails when being turned on from cold? Do a search.  Leaving solid state equipment on all the time is actually a smart move. Constant on/off cycles over time puts stress on electrical connection points due to thermal expansion/contraction. The only time I turn off equipment is if I am going to be gone from the house for long periods of time, or there is an electrical storm on the way. |
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Post by strindl on Nov 9, 2010 16:23:35 GMT -5
Did you know that most electronic equipment fails when being turned on from cold? Do a search. Leaving solid state equipment on all the time is actually a smart move. Constant on/off cycles over time puts stress on electrical connection points due to thermal expansion/contraction. The only time I turn off equipment is if I am going to be gone from the house for long periods of time, or there is an electrical storm on the way. It makes sense for some things...like my main computer runs 24/7 and I have followed that practice for years. I followed that practice in my office for years as well with 30 computers. I built every one of them for constant operation as well...with large cases and multiple fans to ensure cool running. A properly designed power amp uses massive heat sinks that keep the temperature change speed of the attached components slow. Rapid repeated temperature changes can shorten the life of an electrical component. In the emo power amps, that doesn't happen. |
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ntrain42
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Post by ntrain42 on Nov 9, 2010 16:32:24 GMT -5
Did you know that most electronic equipment fails when being turned on from cold? Do a search. Leaving solid state equipment on all the time is actually a smart move. Constant on/off cycles over time puts stress on electrical connection points due to thermal expansion/contraction. The only time I turn off equipment is if I am going to be gone from the house for long periods of time, or there is an electrical storm on the way. It makes sense for some things...like my main computer runs 24/7 and I have followed that practice for years. I followed that practice in my office for years as well with 30 computers. I built every one of them for constant operation as well...with large cases and multiple fans to ensure cool running. A properly designed power amp uses massive heat sinks that keep the temperature change speed of the attached components slow. Rapid repeated temperature changes can shorten the life of an electrical component. In the emo power amps, that doesn't happen. The heatsinks are designed to cool one specific component down, specifically the ones attached to them with thermal paste. Do you know what that is? Regardless Im not talking about the output devices, Im talking about the hundreds/thousands of other micro components and traces inboard on a SS amp. And regardless if the temp change is slow or not, there is still expansion and contraction going on, the less of that you have over short and long term the better. Its why alot of people keep their SS components on all the time. Do you have to do it? Of course not, but its a good practice. |
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Post by roflcatdown on Nov 9, 2010 16:40:10 GMT -5
Hello all Was wondering if anybody could suggest how many hours it should take to break these in, and if you are really hearing a difference after break in. I really hate having to play the audio-skeptic here, but I've never once read anything in any manual for any amplifier (Home or Car audio) that ever mentioned anything about a burn-in or break-in period required for optimal listening. I expect that the whole experience is a marketing sham that is designed to get people to stop and truly listen to an amp long enough for you to lose some of the bias you naturally have when replacing existing amplification hardware that you're used to. Bryston, Parasound, Hafler, Emotiva, Rotel, Adcom, and McIntosh's websites say nothing about burn-in periods for amplifiers. The only "advantage" I can see to powering your gear on for days on-end for no real apparent reason is to simply bring it up to operating temperature for an extended period of time. The sonic and performance characteristics of all amplifiers (SS or Tube) will change as components reach (or exceed) normal operating temperature. But, burn-in periods are primarily to catch manufacturing defects, not improve performance. Typically electronic components fail very early in the life of a device, or very late. The only real case I've seen of ones failing pre-maturely are about 7 years worth of Capacitors during the "Capacitor Plague" of the lat 90's to mid 2000's. |
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Post by DYohn on Nov 9, 2010 17:16:00 GMT -5
There is no advantage to leaving an amplifier or any other solid state device on all the time. It only uses more electricity.
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Post by muzicianx on Nov 9, 2010 18:39:26 GMT -5
In all the amps I've tried out, they always seem to make an instant change in sound, and it takes awhile for my ears to break in to the new sound. If anything needs to break in, I would think the speakers themselves would have to get used to the new signal being fed to them, whether it's punchier bass or more specific transients. I have never had a problem turning my amps to standby - seems like a waste of electricity to keep them on, and they are designed to be turned on and off... Happy listening to those XPA-1s! The openness of sound from what I've heard from them (Emofest) is tremendous.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2010 19:31:35 GMT -5
Well, it might have escaped you all, but the quintessential answer is so obvious to me. I leave my Emo amp on all day and turn it off at night. When we go to bed at night we say Oyasuminasai (good night in Japanese ..... OK, I know the Emo amps are made in China, but neither my wife nor I know how to say good night in Chinese and we figure although the Japanese and Chinese don't like each other very much, that Oyasuminasai is about as close as we are going to get, so I hope you find that OK) and then cover the XPA-5 with a blankie to keep it warm. We find that this seems to work very well. It keeps our electric bill down (although I have been tempted to leave it off during the day also to save more ..... If I do that I'll post again and I'll let you know) and it sounds very good after a long warm and comfy rest all night. The sound is so defined and clear, it's sort of like a blankie has been lifted. My wife also puts the amp blankie in the microwave for a short time to pre-warm it before we tuck the XPA-5 in for the night. The specific blankie we use is one we bought at Costco. It is a beautiful soft blue on one side that matches the Emo blue and is a microfiber sheep cloth on the other side. It is called the Cuddly Microsherpa Throw. Sorry, but I don't have the Costco item number on this blankie. Hope this helps.  |
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Post by crusty on Nov 9, 2010 19:31:57 GMT -5
Hoseroller74,
First of all, Congrats on your new XPA-1s! I have a pair powering Martin Logans and they are a great match. Powerful, dynamic, musical, supple, finesse and control, and everthing else that's been written about them.
To answer your question, I did not notice a change after "burning in", though I did not specifically listen for it. I think Erwin's feedback, in this case, makes sense in that we adapt to the new sound rather than the new sound actually going through any changes. In any case, I don't think the XPA-1s need any improvement.
What are you expecting the amp to do after break-in that it isn't doing now? Perhaps specifying what you are looking for will help others who have listened for "break-in" help you answer your questions better.
Hope you find what you are looking for. In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy the sonic beauty that is the XPA-1s!
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