Do speakers need to be run in? Discuss

[Clive197]

My Spendor D7's in Cherry arrived chez Clive yesterday afternoon. It has always been perceived wisdom that speakers need to be run-in, sometimes I'm told upto a hundred hours or so. When I was in the trade, Reps told me this and I passed the information on to my customers. My dealer yesterday afternoon told me that the speakers would sound very strange when I first fired them up ( he forgot that he was teaching me to suck eggs).

Your probably wondering where this is going. Well I got the speakers home, I carefully unboxed them and sited them in the gap left open from the loan pair that I had carefully set-up. I got my spirit level out and carefully levelled the speakers with the adjustable spikes, plugged my Chord Signature speaker cables in, turned on the system and nervously started to listen. Big surprise ( and I should know better) they sounded great, the dynamics were better than I thought they should be, imaging was superb. They have now been running for seven hours, I've listened to music, I've watched TV using the speakers (my Sky box is connected via an optical cable to the system) and I'm now listening to some Miles Davis. The speakers sound superb, not a hell of a lot different from the loan pair I've had for the last 8 days.

I understand that speakers are mechanical and need a little loosening up. I've also felt that speakers improve with age.So why are my new speakers sounding so good? Now here's the point is it our ears that acclimatise to a new bit of kit or components loosening up? Interestingly I found the same with my S8e's. Yes after a few weeks the top end sounded smoother or was that me.

Sorry to waffle on and yes I will run them in by leaving them playing for a couple of weeks, I'll use a cd designed to run in equipment which I've ripped to my NAS. It will be interesting to see what changes, me or the speakers.

[Reffc]

Some will need more than others as things like the suspension will loosen a little. It's not as much as claimed in some quarters though, as removing and measuring a range of drivers between new and 100 hours, I measured the free air resonance. Whilst some hadn't changed at all on others maximum drop has been about 4 Hz.

Crossover capacitors will need a little time to stabilise, but this is usually measured in hours/days at the voltages involved rather than over a long period of time.

In the main, speakers should sound much as they're going to after about a week in the home.

In colder weather, especially of speakers have been stored in cold conditions, this will also affect mechanical compliance, but even then, a week of use (loud volumes not needed, low volumes will run them in perfectly well) will see most new speakers performing as designed.

[Clive197]

An interesting point I would like to add is this. When I bought the loan pair of D7's home last week, which I was told were Spendors own loan pair and were the samples that What Caravan had used for their review as well as having been out to a number of other dealers. So you would think that they have been well run-in. Well they sounded awful with me getting a headache which I would describe as listener fatigue, I very nearly took them straight back to my dealer but I resisted the urge and carried on, fairly quickly getting to really like them. By the weekend they were singing. A friend came round and he seemed to like them but did comment that on some recordings they sounded a bit thin. Maybe that was how his ears needed to get used to them after listening to his Vienna Acoustics.

[YNWaN]

Some will need more than others as things like the suspension will loosen a little. It's not as much as claimed in some quarters though,...

I agree with all of Paul's post but particularly the bit quoted. All the speakers I have tried (including when I managed a Linn/Naim dealership) all sounded very similar before and after 'run in'. It's just as Paul says, some change a bit more than others but I've never heard any profound changes. Whenever something is described as taking months or hundreds of hours to break in I have to say I believe it is primarily the listener who is 'breaking in', they are getting used to the new presentation.

[Stratmangler]

I've watched TV using the speakers (my Sky box is connected via an optical cable to the system) and I'm now listening to some Miles Davis. The speakers sound superb, not a hell of a lot different from the loan pair I've had for the last 8 days.

If your TV has an optical out try connecting that to your system - I'm assuming that your Sky box is connected via HDMI to your TV.
If you have a Bluray player that will also be connected via HDMI.
Connecting things up this way completely removes the possibility of lip synch issues caused by processing delay.

We have 4 devices connected up to the TV at the moment (Tivo, BDP, WD media player & my son's XBox), and the TV is used as a hub for them all, and all can be played over the system if wanted.

Onto your original question, yes, the drivers will need time to bed in so the sound will change over time.

[struth]

cant say ive noticed much bedding in tbh...not so youd notice anyways... temp is more of a factor

[walpurgis]

With speakers having paper pulp cones, you may find that an older pair of a particular model seem to sound nicer than a new pair. It may be just variations in products, but I suspect it is due to the break up patterns becoming firmly established in the cone material.

Pickup cartridges definitely have a break in period and seem to 'come on song' as it were after maybe forty or fifty hours of play. I have experienced this a number of times.

[Ali Tait]

Some manufacturers run their speakers for hours before sending them out of the factory.

[Macca]

Thinking back to all the times I have bought new speakers I can't ever remember noticing that the sound improved as they broke in. It probably did but not enough to be noticable.

There is always going to be some change with a mechanical device like a cone and it will also vary depending on the material used in the cone and suspension, I would guess.

[Reffc]

Some manufacturers run their speakers for hours before sending them out of the factory.

I don't know of any that do. There's no real need. It is also taking up resource/time = cost which just isn't practical or economically justifiable, mass market.

[The Black Adder]

mine are 50 years old... i'm not sure if they are run in yet... lol

Some speakers do need running in the respect of a little tweaks, for example the older Monitor Audio speakers were notorious for their basket mount bolts loosening. A quick nip up after 6 months or so they are fine.

From experience I'd say it would be the crossovers that need the running in rather than the cones.

[YNWaN]

I don't know of any that do. There's no real need. It is also taking up resource/time = cost which just isn't practical or economically justifiable, mass market.

No, I'm not aware of any that do either.


From experience I'd say it would be the crossovers that need the running in rather than the cones.

Well capacitors may need a short time to form but I would expect it to be more likely the roll surrounds and rear spider supports to the cones are the primary elements that alter in the first few hours.

[Haselsh1]

I bought my KEF Q500's new in 2013 and they certainly sounded very different after a few months of running them. My other half Sue also commented on how the sound changed so it is unlikely that it was just my imagination. They sounded a lot more relaxed after about twelve weeks of use.

[walpurgis]

mine are 50 years old... i'm not sure if they are run in yet... lol.

In that case, I guess mine are still 'breaking in'. They're only 38 years old. :)

[zanash]

a pair of martin logan aerius i's took over 6months to produce any meaning full base and a full year before they stopped evolving. ....had to buy a cheap sub to fill in. Burn in is the wrong term in my opinion its a lot to do with mechanic compliance of the cone and suspension imo.

[Oldpinkman]

Speakers almost certainly can run in. Lowther drive units quote 100 hours running time before they are "sweet". The new lowther driver I had as an exchange was noticeably "not sweet" for a good 20 hours or so, when the difference with the old driver became much less obvious.

Many, many cones will be far less obvious.

However, most experiences of "run in" are more hazy than having a new driver to compare with an old driver. And so many claims for extended run in may as easily be influenced by other factors (change of mind state) as they are by the mechanical loosening which undoubtedly happens.

It is not easy to reliably compare 2 sounds from very different times. I am aware that I routinely trot out my warning about the Dynavector cartridge going through a rough spot at about 100 hours - and I am pretty sure it did. But I can't go back and check. Maybe I was going through a rough spot at the time. Either way - it has become my very own urban myth I perpetuate.

[agk]

I've not had any brand spanking new speakers so can't comment on those but do wonder if the boxes were sealed when collected as maybe the speaks had been run in previously.
That said, my Leaks sounded like a bag of spanners falling down the stairs for ten minutes or so when first fired up.

[Clive197]

I've not had any brand spanking new speakers so can't comment on those but do wonder if the boxes were sealed when collected as maybe the speaks had been run in previously.
That said, my Leaks sounded like a bag of spanners falling down the stairs for ten minutes or so when first fired up.

They were brand new sealed cartons having arrived from Spendor about 45 minutes before I collected them.

I would like to make it clear. I'm sitting on the fence hear and the comments so far could jump either way.

[hifinutt]

having had a number of new speakers , b&w and focal . they most definitely improve with playing intensively for a week and then enjoy

[YNWaN]

a pair of martin logan aerius i's took over 6months to produce any meaning full base and a full year before they stopped evolving. .....

I'm afraid I'm deeply sceptical - few owners (perhaps one) would be prepared to wait six months for their speakers to stabilise, never mind a year; Martin Logan would struggle to sell them!

Perhaps if they were only played for a short time each month?

[mikmas]

When I first got my hearing aid it sounded loud and distorted even on the lowest volume. The specialist who tuned it told me this was perfectly normal but would improve with time. Nothing to do with the device at all but my brain accommodating to the new situation and adapting the 'stereo' image and frequency distribution accordingly. Sure enough, once the grey cells had enough time to 'burn in' everything sounded fine.

Not denying that mechanical components need time to reach potential just that the marvellous work of our mind should never be underestimated

[fatmarley]

I bought some new Kef Coda 8s back in 90s and I could have swore blind that they started off a bit thin and shut-in. Only took an hour or so to open up.

[kirstysdad]

Yes.
Leave them on and go out to work. For 3-4 days. Don't listen.
The same applied to headphones, except you can put them in a drawer.
The difficulty is you can't remember accurately how you though they ought to sound after you auditioned them in a shop with different acoustics...
The reality is that they also sound different on different days at different temperature and humidities.
Not even taking account of your mood...

[kirstysdad]

I bought some new Kef Coda 8s back in 90s and I could have swore blind that they started off a bit thin and shut-in. Only took an hour or so to open up.

Did you use a chain saw?

[Clive197]

Just a update re the D7's.

They have now been playing for 47hrs and I can't tell any difference to when they came out the box. My ears had a 8 day head start with the loan pair. Fantastic speakers with stunning imaging and dynamics. Detail is also something to behold.

Clive

[agk]

...and that's the important thing right there. Happy listening man.

[Clive197]

Ok, Ok now run for 65 hrs and there does seem to be a difference. Bass seems to have developed a further Octave. Interestingly the loan pair were not as run in as previously thought as they did not produce this new found low bass.

The CD I used to run-in the speakers when not in the house or in bed was track 2 of the Isotek Full System Enhancer & Rejuvenation Disc. I reckon about 40hrs.