Tonearm Wire Burn-In?

I was reading this review of the Origin Live Silver Tonearm here:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/originlive/silver_2.html

Is this snakeoil? Does anyone have any experiences to verify this?

 

Yes.

Not of this particular wire, but I've yet to hear a wire burn in. It simply doesn't happen.(Runs away and hides...)

 

yes ...nearly every wire mains, IC, digital, hook up all tend to mellow to a greater or less extent.

 

Silver wire in my opinion really does benefit from burn in. With a tone arm wire it's going to take weeks if not months at phono cartridge sorts of voltages, that's why they accelerate the burn in process by using a CD output as a sort of 'interconnect' to get the wires to burn in rapidly. It's especially noticeable on speaker cables and interconnects, but of course you do have to have a brand spanking new silver cable in your possession to notice the effect

 

I thought this review was interesting because the reviewer seemed to be looking for ways to justify the additional expense of the OL Silver tonearm over the RB250 OL modded arm, despite the fact that his listening panel all seemed to prefer the modded Rega.

Call me cynical, but you question the motives of the reviewer under these circumstances. If I were in the market for a new arm, then it would seem that you couldn't go past the modded RB250 as the law of diminishing returns seems to have kicked in here. The tonearm burn-in theory seemed to be dragged in to help justify the glowing review of the more expensive product.

 

As to whether its snake oil, my naturally skeptical nature intuitively says yes, but I have great respect for Pete's opinions on cable matters and if he says no, then I'd have to modify that to maybe not

As to the review. If this were in the context of a paper magazine it might almost come into the category of advertorial - whether the actual findings were right or wrong.

PS. I have nothing against OL stuff one way or the other I should add.

 

100% right IME

 

It does of course also depend if the silver tonearm was one supplied especially for the review in which case the 'burn in' should have been carried out beforehand I would have thought, or was it purchased anonymously, in which case it would not have been 'burnt in' just as any ordinary buyer would actually receive it.

 

I think the only sure way to burn in a arm cable FFS would be to strap it across a car battery

 

I suspect a lot of wire "burn-in" is simply components being switched off and on again to change the connection. The conductor surfaces might conceivably settle together or oxidise in some respect but with gold plated connectors it seems unlikely. I doubt there is any measurable effect.

 

In respect to sound quality there are definitely more important influences to consider.

Such as the position of the sun in the sky, how tight one's trousers are, whether it is the last Monday in the month, etceterah, etceterah.

 

My trousers are very tight in the crotch and I find it affects my perception of music - I can only listen to Saturday Night Fever.

 

Nick, I must be getting soft in the head. Your latest post made me smile.

 

Careful, Marcus, you know where that will lead you.

Before you know it, you'll be permanently camped in the Walrus demo room & eulogising about your thunderously expensive turntable.



No offence meant, BBV. I thought your post was amusing, too.

 

I never take offense at anything pretty much. Except crass stupidity.

I only bought my deck at walrus - I would leave their valves and horns well alone. I certain amount of chest beating is in order given the expense and the effort of listening to every deck I could find. Lets face it - I serve the role of pantomime villian on the forum and you all love it.

 

On no we dont!


someone had to say it.

 

Penance - you are playing the rear end of the pantomime horse! Or perhaps that should be SM... WadiaMeister in the front of course.

 

I am most definately not going to be the rear end of a Wm powered horse
Anyway, i see myself as more of a widow t****y.

 

Well I hear he eats mainly carrots so it might be like the monsoon season back there. You dont mind being at SMs backend so much then?

 

I am no ones back end!!

He aint no real cruncher, that's be me, bein a tas further west than 'e!