which is the best way to break in surrounds and center speakers?

[jamie2112]

I use a hammer. They DO sound different after that -- don't let anyone tell you speaker break in doesn't do anything.

You go. Don't let anyone talk you out of breaking your speakers in.
A hammer is for wusses I use a 14lb sledge for my break in period....

 

[soundhound]

You go. Don't let anyone talk you out of breaking your speakers in.
A hammer is for wusses I use a 14lb sledge for my break in period....

I bet they sound even better after that than with the hammer! better break in.

 

[jamie2112]

I bet they sound even better after that than with the hammer! better break in.

No doubt...watch out for splinters though. They get everywhere......

 

[zumbo]

When I was a little kid, I cut a lamp cord, connected the ends to a Realistic 8" woofer, and plugged it into an electrical outlet. It was pretty-well broken-in after that.

 

[Alex2507]

When I was a little kid, I cut a lamp cord, connected the ends to a Realistic 8" woofer, and plugged it into an electrical outlet. It was pretty-well broken-in after that.

Do you have a break in procedure for my rec'r? Maybe something to do with a bathtub full of water and a crow bar?

 

[fmw]

On the contrary, speaker is the one thing that does “brake in”. Brake in changes are rarely audible without direct comparison and more important to a speaker builder or designer then a consumer.
Back to your question. If you want to brake in you speakers, play them for 24 hours, preferably with some low frequency material or just use them.

I'll tell you how we debunked this myth. My friend the audio dealer owned a pair of B&W Matrix 801 speakers. He had a customer order a pair. The customer who ordered the pair was part of our bias controlled testing group so we set up a blind test to compare the dealer's well used pair with the new pair. There was no statistically significant audible difference. We always thought it was a myth. Finally we had an opportunity to prove that it is a myth.

 

[Djizasse]

I'll tell you how we debunked this myth. My friend the audio dealer owned a pair of B&W Matrix 801 speakers. He had a customer order a pair. The customer who ordered the pair was part of our bias controlled testing group so we set up a blind test to compare the dealer's well used pair with the new pair. There was no statistically significant audible difference. We always thought it was a myth. Finally we had an opportunity to prove that it is a myth.

I don't believe in speaker break-in, but I also don't believe that it does not exist.
What I know is that your little experience does not debunk anything. It only proves that your customer, with its innerent listening accuity, could not discern any difference in the sound of both pairs, in that occasion, in that room, with the material played.

 

[bandphan]

The ML manual states the following:

When you first begin to play your speaker, it will
sound a bit bass shy. This is due to the high-quality, long-life
components used in our woofer. Our custom made woofers
require at least 30 hours of break-in at 90 dB (moderate
listening levels) before any critical listening. The break-in
requirements of the crossover components (and, to a lesser
degree, the ATF transducer) are equal.

Did I notice a difference? No, could it be measured? probably.

 

[R-Carpenter]

If you don't think there's a change in a driver behavior after suspension stretches, well then there isn't.

Good thing about digital MLS is that it doesn't have a hangover or luck of sleep, it doesn't care about time of day or how many prunes you had. Next time I have brand new driver I'll post the response out of the box and after 20 hours of continuous play if I care enough about proving a point that doesn't need to be proven.

 

[Alex2507]

I don't believe in speaker break-in, but I also don't believe that it does not exist.

Does that mean you are undecided on whether you believe that there is an audible difference?
That's what it sounds like.

If you don't think there's a change in a driver behavior after suspension stretches, well then there isn't.

I have to disagree. Seems to me that what I 'think' has no bearing on what 'is'.

I like measurements a lot and I would like to be able to understand them better. With this break-in business it seems like the relevant point is whether or not people can hear it. I personally would like to see what you come up with measurement wise. Then I would be even more interested in seeing the results of some sort of test showing whether or not people can here the difference. I understand that this is a whole mess of work and am not expecting any one of us here to produce the results of something like that. Yet I'm sure that results of such a test are out there. Then of course the reliability of the results would be brought into question, as they should be.

My favorite test that I read about was some schmuck who said that a digital watch in close proximity to his cranium affected perceived sound quality. They should have just smacked him in the face with a dead fish while he had the blindfold on. Just kidding! There is no need to kill a fish in order to let someone know how you really feel.

 

[mr_ro_co]

the myth of loudspeaker "break-in"

Speakers and speaker drivers do not “break in.” Acoustic measurements prove this. Experts like **** Pierce have proved this. If a driver measures differently after 20 hours of use, then it has been damaged, thermally or mechanically.

“Break in” is the idea that a device requires a certain amount of sheer wear before its performance settles in to some normal baseline. Speaker drivers don’t require this, because there are essentially no moving parts rubbing against each other. There are parts flexing, but there is no basic wear taking place.

Speakers do, of course, wear out. This takes a long time and depends on the materials used in the drivers. The elasticity of the surround and spider and the stiffness and internal damping of diaphragm do, of course, slowly change over time. Solvents off-gas and materials become embrittled. Humidity and UV take their toll. So yes, speakers will measure differently over time. But is a gradual thing and it takes years. This is not “break in.”

A good analogy would be the suspension of a car. The properties of the car’s suspension are somewhat different when it has been stationary for a few hours than when it is driven. When the car starts to move, the first 30 seconds or so of flexing of the suspension are a little stiffer and more damped, but the system of springs, ball joints, sway bars and dampers all very quickly get past their stiction points, heat up, and begin behaving normally. This happens very quickly.

The same idea applies to speakers that have been sitting idly for a while. It only takes a few seconds of exercising them for the suspensions to loosen up and voice coils to heat up and the drivers begin operating normally.

Loudspeaker “break-in” is definitely one of the more pervasive myths in audiophile land. And please don’t accost me with testimony about your personal measurements that prove me wrong. I have also made such measurements and they do not support the loudspeaker break-in believers. And I am in the same camp as the experts. You know, guys with degrees in physics who have written peer reviewed papers on this stuff.

 

[fmw]

I don't believe in speaker break-in, but I also don't believe that it does not exist.

Sounds like you are a little confused.

What I know is that your little experience does not debunk anything. It only proves that your customer, with its innerent listening accuity, could not discern any difference in the sound of both pairs, in that occasion, in that room, with the material played.

Nice try but we used a total of 8 listeners and made 20 iterations of the test for each listener. That was 160 total iterations. The final score was within a point or 2 of random. I actually know what I'm talking about when I talk about bias controlled listening tests. I've done hundreds of them. If you want to suggest that our results are invalid because 8 audiophiles (including me) have defective hearing or that we didn't give them enough opportunity to score correctly, then I recommend you not try to sell your concept to the scientific community. They'll buy my argument before they buy yours.

 

[fmw]

The ML manual states the following:

When you first begin to play your speaker, it will
sound a bit bass shy. This is due to the high-quality, long-life
components used in our woofer. Our custom made woofers
require at least 30 hours of break-in at 90 dB (moderate
listening levels) before any critical listening. The break-in
requirements of the crossover components (and, to a lesser
degree, the ATF transducer) are equal.

Did I notice a difference? No, could it be measured? probably.

It is actually simpler than that. The manufacturers understand that familarity breeds love with audio components. So, if they can convince you not to judge it until you've become accustomed to the new sound, then they get fewer complaints and returns. I think most manufacturers do this. They's be nuts not to do it. Biased hearing is very real. Manufacturers don't want to get returns because of it if they don't have to.

 

[bandphan]

Its all good im the choir

 

[mtrycrafts]

The ML manual states the following:

When you first begin to play your speaker, it will
sound a bit bass shy. This is due to the high-quality, long-life
components used in our woofer. Our custom made woofers
require at least 30 hours of break-in at 90 dB (moderate
listening levels) before any critical listening. The break-in
requirements of the crossover components (and, to a lesser
degree, the ATF transducer) are equal.

Did I notice a difference? No, could it be measured? probably.

Just because it is in the manual doesn't make it so.
Paradigm manuals espouse bi-wiring, yet when you call their tech department to support that claim with DBT since they have the facility to do so, mum is the word.

 

[mtrycrafts]

If you don't think there's a change in a driver behavior after suspension stretches, well then there isn't.

Good thing about digital MLS is that it doesn't have a hangover or luck of sleep, it doesn't care about time of day or how many prunes you had. Next time I have brand new driver I'll post the response out of the box and after 20 hours of continuous play if I care enough about proving a point that doesn't need to be proven.

Since measuring equipment has capacity to measure small changes, it probably measures differently, but is it audible?
And, as Richard Pierce, a well regarded speaker person, after speakers sit, it returns to its original numbers or very close. So, it is a moving, dynamic target.
The real question is audibility. Who can hear it under bias controlled condition? Anyone on the planet? If not, It has no meaning the the listener, just another audio hype.
ps. Tom Nousaine measured drivers as you indicated, actually he measured it after 150 hrs:

Nousaine, Tom, 'Breaking Wind,' Car Stereo Review, Jan/Feb 1997, pg 90-94.

Nousaine, Tom 'Test Report: Dynaudio MW 190, 12" Subwoofer,' Car Stereo Review, Oct 1997, pg 83-88.

Some parameters went up, others went down, yet, it was not audible.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I like to plug my speakers in and then blast them until they blow. I look at the DB level, take them back, get new ones and then stay below the "blow" point.

Can you still hear anything after this ritual?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Are there blind testing results available somewhere for me to read?

Show me the data too, thanks

 

[bandphan]

Just because it is in the manual doesn't make it so.
Paradigm manuals espouse bi-wiring, yet when you call their tech department to support that claim with DBT since they have the facility to do so, mum is the word.

please note my response

 

[Djizasse]

FMV, I'm not confused, I just don't know the "facts" to support either hypothesis. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm here to learn. I'm not trying to sell anything or to convince anyone.

So far, you have not described what was done in your experiment...

A good analogy would be the suspension of a car

That can work both ways. When you install new suspensions and springs, the car will be higher than normal, after a while, the springs looses some of it initial stiffness and only then will the car be at normal height. See the analogy?

I think it would be more productive if you all posted some actual information, instead of just saying you made some test and proved this matter right or wrong. That would help to convince (and educate) the skeptics, like me