First off. Completely ignore all of the boneheads saying that “break in time” is only you getting used to the way something sounds.

This is completely and totally wrong.

All of the components that audio equipment is manufactured from have their “break in time” listed in the engineering specs for that component. Prior to the formation time of things like resistors and capacitors the value can drift wildly. And since the values of these components are what determines what the equipment sounds like, all audio equipment sounds different after use than when new. This is also why all components have a % deviation and formation time listed in the engineering specs. Because it effects more than sound. It can cause circuit failure.

Better or worse depends on what the values are supposed to be and how close they end up after formation. But the value of every component changes over the first 50 hours of use.

And if this were not the case, component manufacturers would not do the testing required to post the formation specs for their product. It is lengthy and expensive testing. That they only do because the electrical engineers who design things with those parts demand it. So they can predict the performance of whatever circuit they are designing.

So ignore the “nothing matters, nobody can hear the difference” crowd. They have no idea what they are talking about. The values of components absolutely change over the first 50-100 hours and that absolutely changes the way audio equipment, particularly amplifier stages, sound.

The only way to “burn in” a piece of equipment is to run it. It must have both signal in and load out to move current. Current is what forms the components.

The fastest way being to run sine and/or square waves through it.

But I’d suggest just plugging it in and listening to it as part of your system.

Well, if you haven’t installed proper room treatments it does.

Not understanding the question.

Given that humans haven’t yet figured out how to create circuits or mechanical devices that can perfectly amplify signals without distortion…there is no “endgame” state to be had.

Therefore “Audiophile” is a description of a process. Not a description of a state.

It is the “process” of evaluating how well any given combination of components reproduces audio in comparison to what you want it to sound like.

And what you want something to sound like changes over time.

Ergo, since there is no perfect technological solution, every component sounds different, every room sounds different with different components and your perception of what it is supposed to sound like is constantly changing…there is no “endgame” state. There is no combination of components that will be or remain “the best possible” over time.

So the “endgame” IS the process of continually evaluating and improving.

Thus, there is no need to search for the “endgame”. You are already there. You are participating in the process of evaluation and improvement. As long as you are enjoying that process and not otherwise messing up your life spending money you don’t have, you are quite literally…already there.

So sit back and enjoy the process. It’s all you’ll ever get out of it.

Stands will do the most to eliminate an issue of vibration from speakers affecting your turntable.

But the real question is…are you currently having issues with speaker vibration affecting your turntable.

I’d suggest putting the speakers on some boxes or something to see if you can tell the difference.

If you can, then decide if it’s worth it for you.

It’s not the speakers you need to take the load off of. It’s the amplifier(s).

It’s amplifiers that have the real issues with low frequencies.

Adding a subwoofer channel will increase whatever frequencies the sub is playing.

But unless you are crossing over prior to the signal reaching the amps, you aren’t going to get much benefit in clarity. Which comes primarily from eliminating slewing sag in amps required to simultaneously produce low and high frequencies .

Buying tubes is sort of a hobby in itself. After designing tube amps for decades and acquiring just about every commonly manufactured audio tube from every company that made them…you pretty much just have to buy them and test them.

I’ve had tubes from the same manufacturer, made in the same batch sound completely different. And tubes made by different manufacturers out of completely different materials and 40 years apart sound identical.

It’s just kind of the nature of analog technology.

So just find some tubes at the price point you want to spend, buy them and try them. Over and over until you find what you enjoy.

I’ve always wondered about this assertion.

If you have hearing loss in a certain identifiable range, wouldn’t you want to increase the level at those frequencies?

If your hearing is down 5db at 4000hz, you want a system that increases the level at 4000hz by 5db. Not a system that decreases the level at 4000hz.

Just like if you build speakers and the frequency response has a dip in it. You modify the crossover to eliminate the dip. But this is assuming the ears listening to the speaker have a flat frequency response.

If your ears have a dip in frequency response you therefore modify the crossover to bring your ear’s frequency response back to flat.