How to Break In New Speakers

[cgolf]

Found this comment in an AudioCircle forum post. It's referring to break in of new speakers. Thought it was amusing & interesting. Of course we all know that that there really is no speaker break in. The break in is for our ears & mind, not the speakers.!!!! ;D

"Somewhere, maybe this forum, I was reading about how to break in speakers without breaking your ears. You put the speakers close together facing each other, then reverse wire one of them so that while one is pushing air the other is sucking. This way you can play them very loud without much "noise" escaping into the room."

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........................

[DYohn]

The best way to "break in" speakers is to listen to them at your normal listening volume using your normal preferred material. Nothing other than that is really ever required.

[mjrtoo]

Speakers break in, but it only takes about a millisecond for them to do so, ok, maybe longer. But it's really your brain that gets used to how the new speakers sound. There have been many tests to prove this.

[pips]

Someone hasn't ever bought Magnepans. Break in takes well over 100 hours to even begin to get their low end to show. But, they're planar speakers, and not box speakers. They wont flex fully out of the box.

[DYohn]

I know very little about planar drivers, but I highly doubt the 100 hours number is necessary, I'll do some research however before I take that position. I can tell you with 100% certainty that dynamic drivers do not benefit from so-called break in, no matter what some manufacturers might tell you.

[albertus]

Thiel speakers take 100 hours of break in ,the owners guide tells you so.

[cgolf]

My point of this post was neither:
a. Whether speakers needed any break in time
b. How much break in time they needed

My point was how funny the explanation of what to do with the speakers to get them broke in was!! Doing this might only take 5 minutes according to the article or it might take 100 hours.

Either way, the explanation is just too funny!!! ;D

[DYohn]

wiring out of phase and feeding a mono signal in an attempt to cancel the sound being produced has been around the audiophile world for many years.

[Deleted]

David is right, this solution has been around forever. And most dynamic speakers will be fully broken-in within 10-15 hours. Depending upon the construction and materials, it takes some time for the voice coils to seat properly and for the surrounds to "limber up".

I agree with his assessment that you should simply play the speakers. But I would do so at slightly elevated levels to get the procedure over and done with sooner...

What really makes me laugh is guys claiming that they have to put in excess of 400 hours on their DAC before it is broken-in. GMAFB....

-RW-

[jlafrenz]

I wonder what is special about 100 hours? I see this all the time from manufacturers for break in recommendations. Not just speakers, electronics too. I wonder if there is something about that amount of time and the way we perceive sound as opposed to the the components actually "breaking in".

[monkumonku]

It's simple... the amount of time needed to break in new speakers is slightly longer than the amount of time given for return privileges.

[jlafrenz]

Mar 26, 2013 14:14:47 GMT -5 monkumonku said:

It's simple... the amount of time needed to break in new speakers is slightly longer than the amount of time given for return privileges.

;D

[Deleted]

Heh, heh - sooooo true! Except, maybe, for Gallo - they offer a 60-day in-home trial period. And, they pay for shipping both ways with NO re-stocking fee. That is a pretty good deal, IMHO!

-RW-

[cgolf]

Mar 26, 2013 14:14:47 GMT -5 monkumonku said:

It's simple... the amount of time needed to break in new speakers is slightly longer than the amount of time given for return privileges.

100 hours = 4.17 days. Even the white trucks on the street corners give you that much time...... ;D

[reaper60]

I agree with monkumonku, however there is a reason for break in procedures. As listed by RLW the purpose to it is that the brand new suspension of the speaker has not flexed, or atleast not much. The accordion holding the cone in the gap (beyond the magnetics) actually does limber some over time. Those pleats need to street. Likewise the surrounds on most speakers these days are rubber and will loosen with playing allowing more give and easier excurion. This actually has measured changes over the speakers t/s parameters and is quite real. 100 hours? 500 hours? 2 hours? Every speaker is different. How loud they play, what they play, etc. will all change the outcome. I use the reversed polarity trick myself. Another great way is if you have a signal generator and can play a very low tone but at low volume. These tones cause much great excursion and can significantly improve the break in time. Just careful not to over do the excursion and break the new speaker!

[audiohead]

This Thread, is a good read.

[monkumonku]

I was only half kidding with my answer... I do believe that some companies deliberately tell you a lengthy "break in" period just so they have something to fall back on should you decide you don't like their product. They will tell you it is because you didn't observe the break in period.

But... some do believe in break in. I know Jim Salk who is one of the most highly regarded speaker makers does NOT believe in speaker break in. But to each their own. I think some manufacturers tell you there is a break in period but they know that is more for your ears than the actual elements of the speaker.

It makes sense to me that certain parts might need to have some break in time because they are initially stiff, or have to get seated properly, etc., but 100 hours? It would seem to me that physics would dictate a product had physically deteriorated to a greater degree than the parts had improved over 100 hours. So you should wind up with a net decline in performance, not improvement. One might argue but any physical decline over 100 hours would be negligible. I would agree but then also say any improvement from "break in" would similarly be negligible. The amount of improvement, if any, would be so slight that I do not see how it would be possible for someone's memory to be able to compare what the speaker sounded like after 100 hours to when they first got it.

The way to prove or disprove it would be to take a pair of carefully matched speakers, then break one in for 100 hours and compare that to the unplayed one. Also, carefully measure as many things as you could on each speaker at the beginning (also observing how closely the measurements of each speaker match each other) then compare those same measurements after the 100 hours.

[creimes]

I play them loud enough until the rubber surround of the driver actually tears.....can't get any more broken in then that IMO.......

[1960broookwood]

I've had a couple of pair of Maggies fresh out of the box--They definitely get better with a little break in time.

[DYohn]

As someone who's worked for a few manufacturers of dynamic loudspeaker drivers, I can tell you there is really no valid reason for loudspeaker "break in." Drivers are "broken in" before the leave the factory. But people will do what they want, and it certainly won't harm anything.

For those who believe this procedure is necessary, answer me this: which of the T/S parameters will change with break in, what is the constant magnitude of this change, and how will that effect system design?