Speaker Burn-In

[wankeyed]

Just got some new speakers, and I have heard a lot about a little thing called "burn-in". I'm assuming this means not going to anything near max levels for a while, but how long? IF anyone knows, help would be much appreciated.

 

[CronicallyInsane]

From what I understand, it's a myth. More or less your ears are getting used to the sound of the new speakers. The myth is that the suspension needs to break in, and eventually the speaker will reach a volume level/smoothness that is desirable.

I spent a long time in car audio forums, listening to people who actually build speakers talk about this.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

That being said, I am generally careful around new speakers...grin

 

[jpeyton]

This has been debated ad nauseum in places that are religious about this stuff, like AVSForum, HTForum, etc.

Some people swear they hear a difference after speakers have been "burned-in", and some people swear that this is only due to a person getting acclimated to the sound of the speaker. There was also a document I read by a speaker design engineer who stated that speakers are already "burned-in" at the factory, to a much higher degree than can be done at home.

 

[wankeyed]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
This has been debated ad nauseum in places that are religious about this stuff, like AVSForum, HTForum, etc.

I'm off to start a flamewar!

 

[CraigRT]

I honestly think we're only talking about high-end speakers that need to be worked-in first... most speakers are fine out of the box.

but I read about high end subwoofers, etc, and they always say it sounds better after a few months of regular usage. (being worked in)

 

[Auric]

Burn-in? No. That is electrical testing. Mechanical devices, like speaker drivers, can be susceptible to changes -most particularly during an initial break-in period.

 

[Pariah]

The theory behind speaker burn-in is not to prevent damage to the speakers when they are new, but to "break" the speakers in and allow them to reproduce sound the best they are capable of doing as quickly as possible. Fact or fiction is rather irrelevant, because even if it is fact, just regular everyday listening will achieve the same effect, though it may take a bit longer. For computer speakers using 2" paper cones and other small poor quality components, the theory can't be anything but fiction.