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Speaker break-in

lAmBoY

lAmBoY

pfm Member
I have some brand new speakers and they sound a tad lean for my tastes. Could it be they will improve over time? Or is break-in a bit of a myth?

If not, could I accelerate the process by running them out of phase and facing each other? My logic dictates they will sound much quieter and I can let them run through the day.

What should one expect anyway for 'new' versus 'run in' in terms of SQ?
 
The JBL 4430 clones I built changed massively, probably down to the suspension on the 2235H bass/mid units freeing up. From memory, the first couple of weeks most, but maybe took a couple of months till absolutely settled. Initially, though, I was perpetually re-setting the L-pads. They ended up sounding best set flat, but this wasn't the case when first built.
Odd thing was the 2235's weren't new - though they had been standing for a decade or two.
 
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Ok thanks, that fills me with a certainty that I will upgrade again soon assuming I don't get used to them. Good job I like demoing HiFi kit:)
 
I was a little cynical of this until I bought a pair of Pro Acs many years ago direct from the factory. The handbook made it clear that they would sound bass light until the suspension freed up. It did !
 
I had a similar experience with my Legacy Audio Studio HD's. They were bass light for a while. I actually added a subwoofer at the time. As they settled I ended up dialing down the sub in both frequency and volume. The time frame for them to improve is dependent on how much you listen or play them.
 
Speakers are the one hifi item where break in is easily confirmed by measurements. The resonance shifts during the first few hours use
 
One of my designs, the E-IIIR with a sealed 10" woofer requires about 200 hours of normal playing to come on song. So, yes, the OP loudspeakers will free up and its LF should become more fulsome in time.
 
Yes speaker break in is real, and t/s parameters of the drivers shift from their out of the box values to the manufacturers specs (ideally). But playing low frequency through them at volume should do it in a pretty short period of time
 
I would (and have!) do as OP suggests. Leave them to themselves for a couple of days and see. Very likely there will be an improvement.
 
lAmBoY said:
I have some brand new speakers and they sound a tad lean for my tastes.
Click to expand...

The sound can change. Our brains are also good at compensating for imbalanced EQ. So something that sounds lean to begin with sounds more balanced as we adjust. More difficult if you constantly transition between systems with very different characteristics!

Tim
 
Paul Burke said:
Yes speaker break in is real, and t/s parameters of the drivers shift from their out of the box values to the manufacturers specs (ideally). But playing low frequency through them at volume should do it in a pretty short period of time
Click to expand...
That sounds right. I believe ATC test all of their mid-range and bass drivers in free air with at least a 20 V frequency-sweep signal. There's an easily found on-line video showing the rather large (unloaded) excursions involved. That's probably equivalent to quite a lot of normal music burn in time.

They are quoted as saying:
"We do not consider 'burn in' an issue. When our loudspeakers leave the factory they are in perfect working order and their performance will not change over time unless they are not cared for or get very old."​

Possibly that's because of the test.
 
Back in July I swapped my Neat Mystique'2 for a factory sealed Motive2 SE pair and firing them up for the first time was a complete bummer. Even though the manual said they need at least 200 hours to break in, they took a substantial longer period to came on song and this mainly with vinyl and powered by a Nap 250 at very high levels. Just my 2 cents ...
 
I have not seen any definitive test on break in reversing if a speaker is unused for a while. Depending on the surround material, it might
 
If an amplifier is not powerful enough to drive a woofer at Xmax, what then? Doesn't the surround suspension and spyder be stretched to maximum for some time before it could be fully broken-in? Just a though...
 
The out of phase and facing each other is what I used to do...not too close, air needs to move, but yes. Bass and midrange drivers...anything that moves in particular will need to flex itself before settling down.ZZ Top is good, on a loop at volume 11 for about a week.
Should help the neighbours settle in too :)
 
Some speakers take longer than others and some will change more than others, but yes I’d say this is definitely a real phenomenon. Approximately 100 hours playing normal music at sensible levels should get you most of the way there. That should certainly get you past any weirdness (some speakers can make you question the wisdom of your purchase when judged straight from the box).
 
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