burning in cables

Do cables need to be burned in as other pieces of hifi eg amps etc, or do they sound "just as?"..what sort of time does this take?, and how do you know when you are there? Does it apply to all cables or some, or is it jiggery pokery? OR...is it a case of becoming accustomed to a sound over time, ie you get to feel that your cables are "being burned in?" when in fact youve simply changed your listening preferences.

 

Ouch! That's some can of worms you're opening there Banpe.
There's many here who believe cables make no difference at all, burn in or no burn in.
Myself, i can tell the difference between cables but didn't notice any changes as time went by.

Try doing a search on 'cables' on this forum search utility. You'll find a thread by the same name that'll answer a few questions(and give you a few laughs along the way).

 

thats a tough call - while cables do sound different to each other - I'm not 100% that they do burn in...maybe you do just get used to the sound...

I've got some solid silver IC's on sale or return - while they sound very detailed and have a lot of depth - I'm hoping their brightness disappears with time...!

 

Or that your ears get worn down with time

 

Nope.

 

there is something happening ......but I'd suggest there's equal measures of getting used to the cable as there is of any physical change.

 

it is.

one that interests me too.

BUT,

FWIW , IMO different i/c materials can make a considerable difference to sonic quality/presentation.

 

With all due respect to folk who believe it it (and I respect their right to do so and enjoy what they hear), there is nothing happening. A metal wire is an extended crystal lattice through which free electrons can move when a potential difference is applied (such is the nature of metals). There is no reason why the movement of electrons should alter the structure in any way. The industry certainly knows of none; if electrical conductors really did change their characteristics with time and the passing of electrical current, the literature would be full of papers seeking to explain the effect and devise mechanisms for it. To the best of my knowledge, there are none. More precisely, absolutely none. The phenomenon is completely unknown outside the audiophool world. It therefore seems clear that any burning in takes place in people's heads, not in physical reality.

 

Nope - mechanical stuff like loudpseakers definitely runs-in over time (some more than others) but I've never had a cable change its sonic characteristics. I'd agree that one cable can sound different to another, but I sincerely feel that one's ears adjust over time, ending up getting used to a particular sonic signature.

The ear can adjust to certain colourations to the point that even something fairly coloured can soon start to sound natural.

 

That would certainly be my opinion....though I am no scientist!

A local friend, fairly knowledgeable on the subject, suggested recently that the ear can, shall we say, acclimatise and adapt to changes it hears...or how the brain interprets the sounds.

Also, stuff does improve for a warm up period!

ie my "new" valve amp sounds very dodgy at first start up...half an hour later it sounds VERY different. Similar with the cdp.

I suspect it COULD BE be one of these aspects which is mistaken for a burning period, possibly the former.

 

I had some cables cryo'd and I thought they were improved, however bit tricky to A/B to prove to the ears. I am 100% convinced that warmed up kit sounds better, certainly burning in tvc's makes a difference - so why not cables?

 

warmed up kit does sound better, stuff varies with temp thats a given.

i'd be real interestedto hear what burns in with a TVC if there are no active components in it, maybe it's the volume control, there sure as hell is nothing going on with the transformers.

 

as tones says...how would this work?

 

Whats a TVC....?

 

Transformer Volume Control. Eg Django, Music First etc.

 

transformer based volume controls.....sound like a passive on steroids ...but don't have the umph of a valve or solid state pre [imo] thats not being critical as I've heard some very good ones.

if I hadn't dawdled..................

 

Certainly the characteristics of circuits change as they warm up - capacitors in particular. Voltages tend to stabilise over time, particularly output stage bias and plate bias in tube amps. However I believe that we are talking an hour or so in most cases - not days or weeks.

The TVC has a permeable core so perhaps the magnetic properties of this change over time?
Dunno.

 

.....er thanks!

whats one of them?

 

Aren't transformers just very long pieces of wire?

If someone believes wires burn in then surely so can transformers.

Me? I'm on the fence, but I suspect that quality control of the fitting of the connectors by the maker probably has more impact.
(cue Zanash)

Jim

 

Try this link:-

http://www.stevens-billington.co.uk/page102.htm