subwoofer phase and break-in period

[baneling]

ok I just plugged in my BIC F12 sub. 1. I can't tell the difference between a phase of 0 or 180. should I just leave it at 0 which is what it was set to out of the box? 2. should I allow for a break-in period?

 

[lovinthehd]

Leave it at 0. Just use the sub, it'll break in. You might be hard pressed to tell when it happens, though.....

 

[j_garcia]

0 if it is on the same side of the room as your mains. 180 if it is on the opposite end. If you don't hear a difference, then you don't have anything to worry about because you don't have a phase issue.

 

[shadyJ]

The AVR's calibration routine should automatically set the sub's phase, so you don't want to change the phase switch after running your room equalization calibration.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Break-in with any audio component, including subwoofers, is a myth. My advice - as soon as someone seriously discusses break-in, start ignoring them.

 

[shadyJ]

The soft suspension parts of speakers and sub can lose some tension over time, and this can lower the resonant frequency. It would never be audible unless you A/B'd the same model speaker, one broken in and one brand new, and even then the difference would be slight at most. I don't like saying that because people who think break-in can make a serious difference might use it to legitimize their beliefs. What audiophiles normally mean by 'break-in' is a myth.

 

[MrBoat]

I had a relative that worked for a company that manufactured drivers and he said that they "broke them in" during the manufacturing process and with expectations up to and with a certain amount of redundancy beyond warranties. The components had a small margin of allowable +- "error" with stated performance which was all allowed for with the initial design. His view was that it is the actual end-user that gets broken in.