Difficult question to answer - as I am an impatient audiophile I burn-in cables with the Purist Audio System Enhancer Ultimate CD for about three-four days if they are new.
The answer will rather depend on the metallurgy / type of dielectric and how they gel with your system and tastes. It is however a pivotal moment when you stop listening out for the cable / component and start relaxing with the music. 100-200 hours should put one into that zone. This is easier to achieve with power cord / digital cables / interconnects where you can leave gear on repeat without bothering other people than it is with speaker cables.
How can we be certain that what's going on is cable break-in and not ear break-in (i.e., our ears' acclimation to, and increasing comfort with, a slightly different sound)?
(...) This is easier to achieve with power cord / digital cables / interconnects where you can leave gear on repeat without bothering other people than it is with speaker cables.
The answer will rather depend on the metallurgy / type of dielectric and how they gel with your system and tastes. It is however a pivotal moment when you stop listening out for the cable / component and start relaxing with the music. 100-200 hours should put one into that zone. This is easier to achieve with power cord / digital cables / interconnects where you can leave gear on repeat without bothering other people than it is with speaker cables.
I am from that school of metallurgy science, and system synergy.
Expert car drivers know that a brand new car needs some driving time before optimal performance. ...Even from the contact of the rubber with the road.
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How can we be certain that what's going on is cable break-in and not ear break-in (i.e., our ears' acclimation to, and increasing comfort with, a slightly different sound)?
How can we be certain that what's going on is cable break-in and not ear break-in (i.e., our ears' acclimation to, and increasing comfort with, a slightly different sound)?
You are referring to a classical argument against burn-in - of speakers, amplifiers, cables and all else in the high-end.
Considering cables, as I have a too large collection, I always keep the cable to be replaced for a long time when evaluating a new cable, carrying comparisons with it. In this way we can have a permanent reference. A few times I could try a well burn-in cable and a new cable side by side - but surely in uncontrolled conditions.
There are two possible positions in these nebulous affairs - those who are interested and carry their own experiences, trying to learn, and those who mostly rise doubts, expecting others to carry experiments and prove things. IMHO this is an hobby to be practiced, not to be mainly imagined or written. IMHO there is no way of persuading others we are right and they are wrong in such subjective matters.
Steve was spot on on the bass - most times it seems we get more envelopment due to better bass delineation and general improvement after burn-in.
Two racing cars on the racing track; they are both the same...one is brand new with zero mileage on its engine and tires, the other with 500 miles behind it.
Which one will cross the finish line first?
It depends on the cable... more surface area between the conductor and dielectric the more obvious burn-in will be, teflon can take hundreds of hours. I've found most people consider burn-in done after 100-200 hours but I've had some customers notice burn-in up to 500 hours which is what it really takes to completely burn-in teflon dielectric.
Burn-in is pretty extreme with my litz wire as it has a lot of surface area. I posted measurements last year of a litz-wire speaker cable new and after burn-in using my AudioDharma cable cooker. Test used my Pioneer S-1EX speakers and OmniMic with the mic positioned a few inches from the concentric mid/tweeter used on this speaker.
Two racing cars on the racing track; they are both the same...one is brand new with zero mileage on its engine and tires, the other with 500 miles behind it.
Which one will cross the finish line first?
Probably depends on the cable manufacturer and construction. When you experience the same cable set break in many times as a parallel circuit is put in place,then you know any doubt is misplaced. Time and time again the same steps repeat. 100,200,300,and 400 hours can be expected. Just went through a 400 hour agony myself.
Two racing cars on the racing track; they are both the same...one is brand new with zero mileage on its engine and tires, the other with 500 miles behind it.
Which one will cross the finish line first?
it depends .........what kind of race are you talking about ? I know the answer you're looking for but trust me in the world of drag racing your 'hopeful' answer would not apply !
Regardless, poor analogy with respect to cable 'break in' Bob !
Two racing cars on the racing track; they are both the same...one is brand new with zero mileage on its engine and tires, the other with 500 miles behind it.
Which one will cross the finish line first?
it depends .........what kind of race are you talking about ? I know the answer you're looking for but trust me in the world of drag racing your 'hopeful' answer would not apply !
Regardless, poor analogy with respect to cable 'break in' Bob !
There are zillion of links on cables burn-in/break-in. Opinions vary because no two cables are the same.
We have our own experience, our own belief. Me, depending of which cable/wire construction we are referring to, it depends. Some members here have replied with the right answers; it can vary from zero to 1,000 ... more or less. ...Or from 50 to 500.
As for the analogy with a model, it is an analogy with merit. I am positive.
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* On the thread's title it should be a "H" instead of starting by a "N". ...A simple observation, for Googlers.
The answer will rather depend on the metallurgy / type of dielectric and how they gel with your system and tastes. It is however a pivotal moment when you stop listening out for the cable / component and start relaxing with the music. 100-200 hours should put one into that zone. This is easier to achieve with power cord / digital cables / interconnects where you can leave gear on repeat without bothering other people than it is with speaker cables.
There are zillion of links on cables burn-in/break-in. Opinions vary because no two cables are the same.
We have our own experience, our own belief. Me, depending of which cable/wire construction we are referring to, it depends. Some members here have replied with the right answers; it can vary from zero to 1,000 ... more or less. ...Or from 50 to 500.
As for the analogy with a model, it is an analogy with merit. I am positive.
_____
* On the thread's title it should be a "H" instead of starting by a "N". ...A simple observation, for Googlers.
so tell me Bob, on a 1000 hr 'burn in' how is one able to distinguish (audibly) between hour 1 and 1000 ? and please don't tell me you memory retention is that good , because it isn't.
so tell me Bob, on a 1000 hr 'burn in' how is one able to distinguish (audibly) between hour 1 and 1000 ? and please don't tell me you memory retention is that good , because it isn't.
so tell me Bob, on a 1000 hr 'burn in' how is one able to distinguish (audibly) between hour 1 and 1000 ? and please don't tell me you memory retention is that good , because it isn't.
In reality the only true benchmark in audio is the degree of clarity. If a cable upgrade doesn't increase the level of clarity in musical reproduction, then you haven't gained anything. Cables tend to be incremental and the breaking of thresholds can be expensive.