First new set of main speakers in 23 years. Opinions on break in for speakers? Is it real, and if so how long do you recommend? Do you have any specific methods?
First new set of main speakers in 23 years. Opinions on break in for speakers? Is it real, and if so how long do you recommend? Do you have any specific methods?
I guess my question would be, what’s breaking in? I’ve heard that capacitors need break-in time, so the crossover might need some time. The drivers themselves are moving parts and it seems very likely that they might undergo a certain degree of mechanical change during the first hours of use, not unlike a new pair of shoes break-in. This probably is the primary effect actually, and seems very likely to be real.
I can only guess at how long it takes. Going back to the shoe break-in analogy, probably a month of regular listening will get you through the majority of breaking in. I personally don’t have good enough ears to hear it.
passive crossovers do not have break in
The first loud listening session, some low 90dBC in the seat, with the fresh out of the box Heresy IIIs presented us with some warm smells from the speaker fronts. Much like glue curing, warm paper, MDF, and grill cloth. Things smelled fresh and warm. After being ‘beat upon’ the speakers now sounded like the demo models at the showroom and lost their bass-shy nature and the glare in the mids and highs.
That listening session was well within the speakers limits/capabilities so no damage should’ve occurred.
Years later I learned voice coils may hit 200C in normal operation. How much of that heat makes it to the spiders and cones I have no idea but I better understand why we smelled warm smells after the high SPL session of an hour or so. The guts of the speakers become right warm when run hard.
So I’ve taken to thinking of speakers more like a new leather belt, stiff until some movement happens and then it settles down to a certain level of flexibility for the majority of its lifespan. Only at the end does it get extra floppy and feels ‘worn out.’ One would assume materials engineers for speakers have a firm and vast knowledge of this phenomena and this was taken into account during the design process, with the goal of quickly arriving at the ‘sweet spot’ for long term satisfaction of the end user.
Yeah I’d say it’s definitely real, most take around the 70 hour mark to fully break in, but some need a bit more.
I’ve heard speakers fresh out of the box and then a few weeks later. I’ve also heard speakers that are broken in compared to the exact same speakers fresh out the box, and you can generally hear an instant difference, mainly to the lower end.
I worked in home cinema and hifi for over a decade, so have heard lots and lots of speakers in that time, that’s why I’ve managed to do direct comparisons.
There’s no need to pay someone to do it though, just wire them in and play stuff through them, give it a month or so and enjoy.
its the spider of the woofer only. some dont need any, others especially coated spiders which are sometimes on pro drivers are very stiff when new, you can feel the difference with fingers on the suspension from a new and used unit. if its audible depends.