Steve
let's not go the Quantum level. I am lost there
What is that burn-in we are talking about? A change due to a signal flowing through a conductor? Does that signal change the wire to an extent that its electrical characteristics are measurably different? OTH
you change when exposed to the cable (granting you for a few minutes that there are differences to be heard). You are fully aware of your having made that change and thus are prepared to hear the differences and your mid will find way to focus on those aspects you think beforehand
must have changed. Your knowledge of the change made will make you pay attention to new area of "improvements"... Meanwhile the wire stays the same as before,,, it has not change not the least. "Annealing" is a particular process and it is absolutely not involved n the burning-in or cooking of a cable .. You heat the metal or glass and allow it to cool slowly .. The typical audiophile listening room cannot control the rate at which the "slowly" cooling occurs ... So what have changed? Not the cable.. You have gotten used to its sound, not saying this is a bad thing , assuming (for now) that the cables are vastly different you may never like it and that for various reasons ... But the cable itself will not change because of annealing or anything else the cable cooker do not, can not provoke that. Transducer are IMO a different thing. I remember a MG 3 I had which would flap with strong bass content... a big "TWACK" sound ... After a few hours of playing some pink and white noise on it .. Same system, same volume setting , same music .. Not a flap ..So I am convinced by that lone experience.. Recently hasd the same with an HE6 headphones ( One of the best headphones in the market, almost as good as my Stax in most respects )
This will never be settled TBH. No one has ever shown that a cable become physically different after the audiophile "cooking " process. We are thus left with accounts of removal of harshness and the likes, all those in full knowledge. If someone find their ware more enjoyable after thorough "cooking" by all means enjoy. Proving the physical changes that occurs in such cable is much more difficult, I am waiting for some proofs of that...
As for power cables ....