I guess the only way to find out is to order 2 pairs of the same cables with one pair having been burned-in. Perhaps there would be an audible difference, but I'm not quite sure if I have an ear that is well-trained enough to perceive it. On the technical side, one could likely show differences between the two, but are they truly audible? If they aren't, does it then even matter?
I don't really want to be a sceptic with regard to this as I beleive that cables can/do make an audible difference.
What has been your experience?
I use a cable break in device, the
Cable Cooker. I've owned other cable break in devices in the past including the Nordost CBID-1.
just like the audible difference between cables, there are audible differences as cables break in. and just as two cables can sound so similar as to sound the same, some cables don't change much during break in. but most cable do change during break in. the most significant issue as to break in time is the thickness of the conductor; I have observed that my heaviest gauge cables can require weeks on the Cable Cooker while a lightweight phono cable might only need a day or so to be optimal.
I could give a rip what anyone else thinks about this and have no need to convince anyone about it at all.
the process for using the cable cooker is to 'cook' until there is no more improvement you can hear. i will put it on the cooker and give it a few days to a week depending on the gauge and then listen. then do it again and listen again. i will keep repeating this process until it gets worse. then give it time to settle and try it again. if it still gets worse I'm done and the cable will settle down at it it's optimal. with my triple run Evolution Acoustics speaker and power cables they took three weeks on the cooker but they are the highest gauge cables i know of. three days to a week is common.
using music only break in comes in stages; typically (1) 1-2 hours, then (2) 2-24 hours, (3) 1 day to 2 weeks, (4) 2 weeks to 3 months, (5) about 6 months. that is a very approximate pattern i have observed. with the first 2 stages being 75-80% of the break-in.
if you are a doubter about cable differences or even break in and want an easy way to hear it.....get involved in different phono cables. the tiny signal is super sensitive to any changes and so has a significant effect on performance. my cable cooker has special hookups that allow for phono cable break in since the phono signal is so small.