Cable Burn-in Devices - Looking for Recommendations

[Jaguar]

I'm looking for recommendations on devices to speed up the burn-in on cables (Power, Interconnect, Speaker). Even better if it's something that can work on components and speakers; so far the only thing I've ever encountered in that area are the break-in playback files.

The Hagerman FryBaby looks to be one option that is reasonably priced. Wondering if there's anything else out there I should take a look at?

 

[dwhistance]

I own a FryBaby which I've used on all my cables, I can't explain why but it does seem to work, the cables sounding much "richer" after treatment with more extended treble and bass. I've also lent it to friends who have experienced the same. The biggest impact was on tonearm cables, presumably because the FryBaby applies a much higher current than they would usually receive. I assume that regular use would achieve the same end results, just over a much more extended period.

I've also used it on new step up transformers and phono stages and again have been pleased with the results.

I also own the Hagerman equivalent for power cables (Frycorder) but haven't found that so effective, maybe because my power cables were already well burned in.

Both devices were very cheap, at least in hifi terms, so I felt they were worth a try and was pleased with the results from using the FryBaby. The jury is still out on the Frycorder though I am going to try some new power cords after Christmas so will be able to see if it works better on new power cables.

David Whistance

 

[tima]

I also own the Hagerman Frybaby. It was relatively low in cost which seemed appropriate to infrequent use and I read no downside from other users. I bought it to use on signal cables and for those receiving its application a small but clearly audible improvement occured. Similar to what dwhistance notes, I speculate the most significant benefit is to tonearm cables because the millivolts they pass are probably not enough to ever burn them in.

Here is the Frybaby in use on the Kondo wiring in my Kuzma 4Point. I made an adapter cable (red wires) for easy attachment of the cartridge clips.

 

[Rocoa]

I has been using the Audiodharma cable cooker 2.5 Pro version for many years with great results.



I replaced it by the 3.5 Anniversary Edition HI-POWER Premium Plus. This version comes with a device to bunr in the earth conductor of power cords too and I like the results more than the previous version I had.

 

[BlueFox]

I just install the cables and let them burn in from use. Works great.

 

[DaveC]

I has been using the Audiodharma cable cooker 2.5 Pro version for many years with great results.

View attachment 71856

I replaced it by the 3.5 Anniversary Edition HI-POWER Premium Plus. This version comes with a device to bunr in the earth conductor of power cords too and I like the results more than the previous version I had.

View attachment 71858View attachment 71857

I also have the Audiodharma Anniversary high power cooker. I have not compared it to other cookers except the version I had previously, I agree it seems a little better.

 

[ptman]

Ditto on the Audiodharma 3.5 Anniversary. As well, support from Alan Kafton at Audio Excellenze AZ was prompt and on point both before and after purchase.

 

[Hydrology]

I believe Nordost are about release their Vidar 2.

 

[Nemal1]

An alternative may be the purist audio design burn in cd that does the system as a whole?

 

[marty]

Old topic. Still fun to discuss

AC Power cable "break-in"

There have been some interesting discussions on this forum concerning power cable break-in (particularly with respect to, but not limited to, the Zitron alpha digital cables from Shunyata). Some have suggested that several types of devices can facilitate this process. One such device, advocated...

www.whatsbestforum.com

 

[CKKeung]

Nordost has juat launched a new cable burn-in machine called Vidar 2.



Here is the details (please read with google translate) :

?????????: Nordost Vidar 2????? - MY-HiEND

Nordost????????????????????Vidar 2??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

tw.my-hiend.com

Nordost seems to sell the machine to Nordost dealers only.
But most of the dealers offer cable burn-in and/or re-conditioning services for their Nordost customers.

 

[Jaguar]

Thanks, everyone. I'm going with the Audioharma. The Hagerman is a relatively good deal but a more durable device is probably better for my use. I'm skeptical that it makes sense to buy wiring and connector upgrades for this type of application, so I would go for the Classic model but a slight discount for dealers led me to spend a bit more for the next level up.

For anyone who is interested, I came across this free burn-in file download.

https://www.jlabaudio.com/pages/audio-burn-in-download

 

[strapper211]

Hi,
I all my years of audio (45)years.I found the best way to break in a cable is just to
use it and break it in naturally.In the end it sounds way better.
Robert

 

[johndoe21ro]

Nordost CBID and Blue Horizon Pro Burn Cable Cooker Device!

 

[DaveC]

To complicate things there is also a mechanical aspect to cable burn-in. Shipping new cables, or even removing them from a system then replacing them, sets the cable back and requires more burn-in. I believe this is because the position of the conductor vs dielectric shifts to it's most relaxed position over time and with handling, a mechanical de-stressing process if you will... I send people demo cables and my demos stop exhibiting this behavior over time, while new cables are greatly effected. The old demo cables have mechanically settled over time, new cables have not. So, this is a major issue for those building or selling cables, it makes it nearly impossible to give a customer a fully burned-in cable. I have some ideas to overcome this issue, but I can say that electrical burn-in is only one part of the puzzle.

Also, most find that periodic re-burning using a cable cooker results in optimal performance, much like cleaning your tube sockets and electrical contacts. So for those looking for the that last percentage of fidelity, owning a cable cooker and using it once or twice annually when you're cleaning your electrical contacts makes sense.

 

[bazelio]

I'd been wondering about the Hagerman, and found a used FryBaby3 on the cheap, so I decided to give it a whirl. I'm more curious about what the circuit actually does, than how it affects the sound of cables. But as long as I have it, I may as well try to assess both.

First, I was curious what kind of bandwidth the device had. Roughly, I'm seeing full amplitude signaling between 0 Hz and 200 kHz, with a bunch of high frequency content in the noise. Also note the nature of the waveforms. Fairly random, no square wave or saw tooth waves, etc. By contrast, the Audio Dharma FAQ says it uses a square wave sweep. I'm not sure the square wave offers much advantage. I see MHz range harmonics from the FryBaby3 already, and the amplitudes of this content is again so low as to likely be irrelevant.

Second, I was curious to see what kind of output it had. The manual says 1 Vrms. I'm seeing what looks to be closer to 1.4 Vrms in LINE mode. The spec also says the output current limit is 10 mA. These strike me as being very low for a "cable cooker". Contrast them with the Audio Dharma specs of 120 mA and 12 Vrms. Comparatively, then, the FryBaby3 is somewhat of a toy. Or at least, I expect no acceleration of "burn in" using the FryBaby3 vs just using my DAC. In fact, many DACs will have an output that is hotter than the FryBaby3's. Of course, the brickwall filters in most DACs will kill most content much above 20-30 kHz. Maybe that's an advantage for the FryBaby3.

At 50ms/div and 1V/div below, we can see the FryBaby's amplitude sweep pattern. Average voltage, visually, looks well below +/- 1V. Maybe around +/- 0.7V.

Now I'll plug in a new phono cable for a few days, and see if I can detect any audible difference. I'm pretty skeptical that I will.

 

[gestalt]

I'd been wondering about the Hagerman, and found a used FryBaby3 on the cheap, so I decided to give it a whirl. I'm more curious about what the circuit actually does, than how it affects the sound of cables. But as long as I have it, I may as well try to assess both.

First, I was curious what kind of bandwidth the device had. Roughly, I'm seeing full amplitude signaling between 0 Hz and 200 kHz, with a bunch of high frequency content in the noise. Also note the nature of the waveforms. Fairly random, no square wave or saw tooth waves, etc. By contrast, the Audio Dharma FAQ says it uses a square wave sweep. I'm not sure the square wave offers much advantage. I see MHz range harmonics from the FryBaby3 already, and the amplitudes of this content is again so low as to likely be irrelevant.

Second, I was curious to see what kind of output it had. The manual says 1 Vrms. I'm seeing what looks to be closer to 1.4 Vrms in LINE mode. The spec also says the output current limit is 10 mA. These strike me as being very low for a "cable cooker". Contrast them with the Audio Dharma specs of 120 mA and 12 Vrms. Comparatively, then, the FryBaby3 is somewhat of a toy. Or at least, I expect no acceleration of "burn in" using the FryBaby3 vs just using my DAC. In fact, many DACs will have an output that is hotter than the FryBaby3's. Of course, the brickwall filters in most DACs will kill most content much above 20-30 kHz. Maybe that's an advantage for the FryBaby3.

At 50ms/div and 1V/div below, we can see the FryBaby's amplitude sweep pattern. Average voltage, visually, looks well below +/- 1V. Maybe around +/- 0.7V.

Now I'll plug in a new phono cable for a few days, and see if I can detect any audible difference. I'm pretty skeptical that I will.

Great report. Looking forward to your impressions.

 

[hattrick15]

I'd been wondering about the Hagerman, and found a used FryBaby3 on the cheap, so I decided to give it a whirl. I'm more curious about what the circuit actually does, than how it affects the sound of cables. But as long as I have it, I may as well try to assess both.

First, I was curious what kind of bandwidth the device had. Roughly, I'm seeing full amplitude signaling between 0 Hz and 200 kHz, with a bunch of high frequency content in the noise. Also note the nature of the waveforms. Fairly random, no square wave or saw tooth waves, etc. By contrast, the Audio Dharma FAQ says it uses a square wave sweep. I'm not sure the square wave offers much advantage. I see MHz range harmonics from the FryBaby3 already, and the amplitudes of this content is again so low as to likely be irrelevant.

Second, I was curious to see what kind of output it had. The manual says 1 Vrms. I'm seeing what looks to be closer to 1.4 Vrms in LINE mode. The spec also says the output current limit is 10 mA. These strike me as being very low for a "cable cooker". Contrast them with the Audio Dharma specs of 120 mA and 12 Vrms. Comparatively, then, the FryBaby3 is somewhat of a toy. Or at least, I expect no acceleration of "burn in" using the FryBaby3 vs just using my DAC. In fact, many DACs will have an output that is hotter than the FryBaby3's. Of course, the brickwall filters in most DACs will kill most content much above 20-30 kHz. Maybe that's an advantage for the FryBaby3.

At 50ms/div and 1V/div below, we can see the FryBaby's amplitude sweep pattern. Average voltage, visually, looks well below +/- 1V. Maybe around +/- 0.7V.

Now I'll plug in a new phono cable for a few days, and see if I can detect any audible difference. I'm pretty skeptical that I will.

Just came across your post. Very interesting analysis. Were you able to detect any audible difference as a result of using it?

 

[bazelio]

No audible difference with any phono cables as a result of using Frybaby3. Ghost hunters might hear something. But I don't.

 

[Alrainbow]

Cable burn in matters but I'm guessing it's more to do with tiny interconnected strains inside a given wire. My rule don't move them or step on them.