Burning in Solid State Amps

I keep reading that new solid state amps require burning in before they start to perform at their optimum.

Is there anything to this or is it just a myth?

(Sorry if this is one of those questions that keeps cropping up)


Cheers, LS

 

Not really noticed it myself on amps, CDPs etc

Speakers - hell yeah!

 

ive always found that amps and cd players seem to sound better after they have been on a few minutes, i guess thats just about them reaching nominal operating temperature, but never really noticed any overall changes in character over a burn in period.

Speakers however... yep... some require mad break in times... the focal 1007be's take absolutely ages, e.g. months to sound their best, Dynaudio are even worse.

 

Warm-up over the first few minutes has a noticeable and measurable effect, as does capacitor re-forming over many hours.

 

My system definately sounds better after a couple of hours of actual use, even though I never switch them off.

 

Most products take a few hours to settle when powered from new for the first time. After that they should be working at optimum after about 15 minutes.

Anything that takes longer to reach potential or requires leaving on permanently is poor design IMHO.

I'm only talking about electronics here - speakers for example are a different matter.

 

you could try the xlo burn in disc ......if your worried about

 

i think for all t's worth throughout my experience that hi-fi or other, do take time to wear in, just like shoes, some take more time than others, they just get better with time
JUST LIKE WINE.
nandoo.

 

Just as an aside - Why does my system sound better late at night and the wee small hours? Sometimes I'm listening late and really enjoying a piece of music, yet when I replay the following afternoon/early evening the magic just doesn't seem to be there!!

 

Less demand on the leccy supply as people switch the TV off and go to bed?

 

usualy its down to quality of mains.. late at night theres less RF interference coming down the mains, less phones being used, less machinery active, and less demand means that mains is generally cleaner at night. A good mains filtration block would help you get that sound quality day or night. Look at something like an isotek orion for a reasonably priced solution.

The other theory (and one thats been discussed in various publications) is that our senses are more attuned at night time, a kind of hark back to when we used to have to hunt at night etc, the senses are slightly heightened. This is however only a theory and theres no real scientific basis for it. It is however possible that at night when background noise is generally lower, and there are less visual disctrations, that your hearing can focus in better on the music.

 

Mine's sounds better later too. I presumed it was down to less demand...but I don't know really.

 

How much is the Orion, Shrink?

 

about £250 i think for the basic two way (one high powered socket and one low power socket)

they will do a 4 6 or 8 way version though.. i have the 4 way version which was about £400 and its excellent.. has two high power sockets for amps (or anything really) and two lower powered sockets.

Its easilly as good as the previous generation and more expensive substation and due to the new GII circuitry sounds almost as good as their sigmas model. Its an impressive bit of kit in a handy configuration (looks like a chunky multi way plug socket)

 

Thanks, I'll look into those because the difference is quite profound.

 

Do these orions really work as my system definitely sounds better later at night - no doubt whatsoever?

 

I would agree in that my system definitely sounds better late at night. I have a dedicated mains spur to my hifi, completely bypassing the consumer unit in order to eliminate a problem I had with the refrigerator switching on and off. I wonder in my mains would benefit from one of these conditioners as well?
Of course, Shrink's explanation as to our senses being heightened at night from some inherited need to hunt has, as he admits, no scientific, empirical basis, and, therefore, in the time-honoured ZeroGain tradition, must be gainsaid until experiments to quantify what if anything is actually happening after a certain time of day have taken place. It may only be a perception, after all............:argue:

 

I feel a million threader coming on.


OK - ben Duncan versus isotek - any views?

 

You will also find late at night that ambient noise levels have dropped considerably outside the house. You might be surprised just how much noise vehicles can make even at distances of over half a mile, as can birds, children playing and your neighbours with their TV's etc. Inside the house too there is all sorts of noise from boilers and especially from refridgerators that take quite a while to get back to operational temperature after the door being repeatedly opened and closed during the day.

I don't have any mains filtering/conditioning at all because firstly, most that I have tried this side of four figures do a splendid job of restricting my system's dynamics and secondly, the only time I do any real serious sit down listening is late in the evening when the various noise levels I have listed above have subsided.

 

So the fact that the M4 is half a kilometer to the north of me, the A4 is half a kilometer to the south of me, and I am under the flightpath of the Northern Runway of Heathrow (only 2 miles away) probably has some influence on ambient noise levels.

OK, saved me some money trying mains conditioning.

(Just popping out to hunt my supper.)