Burning in components

[Bob Romano]

I have read the term "burning in" for a while and never really understood what needs to be done. Normally, I just buy something and use it without doing anything special. I have a cd that is supposed to help burn in components but I am not really sure what to do. The cd has a 15 minute track of what sounds like white noise.

So...

What needs to be done to burn in something?

Is it really necessary?

How do you do it?

What pieces need it?

Does it need to be done on lower end equipment like my NV500 SACD player or Sony receiver or my Infinity speakers?

Will I actually notice the difference?

Thanks for any info!

Bob

 

[petermwilson]

Hi Bob,
I have a suggestion for you. Just use and enjoy.

Yes the burningin or maturing of components is part of the process of bringing them to their full potential. Speakers in particular come to mind but some folks also feel that even cables need to be burn't in and you will find more opinion on all this stuff than is healthy.

Generally I feel that if you use your components fairly often, they will mature on thier own and the process in between will not cause you AUDIO hardship.

That said, if you have a burnin disc for a certain component, by all means, follow the instuctions and use it but don't delay the enjoyment of that component because of it because just by using it, you are burning it in.

If you were planning on having something like a HD rptv ISF calibrated, it would definitely be wise to have about 100hrs of operation on it (leave it on) prior to having it calibrated.

Others may be more religious about this than I, but the "Use and Enjoy" burnin process seems to have worked fine for my stuff.

have fun,
Peter m.

 

[QuadBob]

What needs to be done to burn in something?

Generally just running the item or passing signals through it.

Is it really necessary?

Generally speaking........No. Certain specific items can sound better after a proper warm-up/burn-in period. The Fosgate TATE II 101A for example doesn't have an on/off switch specifically for that reason. They decided the unit would perform better if simply left "on" all the time.

How do you do it?

As in your first question, generally just running the item for a period of time before critical evaluation is enough.

What pieces need it? Does it need to be done on lower end equipment like my NV500 SACD player or Sony receiver or my Infinity speakers?

Well, the basic prinicipal could be "applied" to anything. However, whether there will be any audible improvement is a matter for much debate!

Will I actually notice the difference?

Probably not. But, you won't know until you try. And by then, you'll probably fool your mind into thinking you "can" hear a difference! Then you can go post over on the SH Forum until you absolutely beat it to death! @:

Now then, you may have noticed that I use the term "burn-in" when speaking of quadraphonic equipment that I'm currently restoring. It is pretty much the same theory, but I do it for a specific reason.

Once I've totally recapped, repaired, cleaned and calibrated any component and have it reassembled and ready for use, I'll hook whatever it is up to my system (driving speakers, all inputs/outputs connected, etc) and then proceed to run and use (burn-in) the item for a period of time.....generally 1 week for decoders/tape decks/processors and about 2 weeks for the big receivers.

During this period, I'm carefully analyzing both the function/performance and sound of the item under test. Additionally I'm watching for any "flaws" such as flickering bulbs, audible noise, etc. Then after the burn-in time the item will go back on the bench for repair of any flaws I noted, recalibration if necessary, and if nothing wrong was found.......then a simple verification that amp, etc. calibration is still where I set it and holding steady. If it performed flawlessly and/or the touch-up repairs were minor, the item is then ready to be shipped back to its owner. If the repairs were major, then I'll repeat the burn-in to ensure that it is completely repaired and functional.

If the object of this exercise isn't obvious to you, it is simply that when I ship an item back to the owner........I want to be sure that there won't be any question of its performance, and the last thing I want to have happen is for something else to fail and the item have to be sent back for additional repair. By running the item in my own system (which I'm intimately familiar with both the sound and performance) I can readily identify any changes in either sound quality or function.

It's not perfect........... I still remember Cai's Tate having to come back because I didn't check it with the optional remote! But, I'm pretty good at learning from my mistakes......so I don't repeat it again! And, QuadG even contributes by listening to whatever I'm burning in and has occasionally picked up something that I just "missed"!

But, as Peter said;

Hi Bob,
I have a suggestion for you. Just use and enjoy. Peter m.

That is probably the best advice for most listeners......enjoy the music!

 

[Bob Romano]

Probably not. But, you won't know until you try. And by then, you'll probably fool your mind into thinking you "can" hear a difference! Then you can go post over on the SH Forum until you absolutely beat it to death! @:

Well, that's exactly why I brought it up in the first place. I always hear those guys talking about how their SACD players are really going to sound good after a nice burn-in. I just want it to sound good out of the box. My NV500 Sony did so I was happy. I don't know what those guys are talking about half the time. And another 25% of the time I just don't care! Any way, thanks for all the info.

 

[Scottmoose]

Aha! Another of the great audio myths (like cables -don't get me started ) has emerged, phoenix-like, from the ashes of common sense.
Burn in. Of solid-state electronic components. OK, back on planet Earth, let's talk about resistance, ladies and gents. It's a funny thing: it has this nasty habit of tending to increase with tempreture. Basic physics. So, are we really sure that's such a great idea generally?
Er, no. There are exceptions -the Tates, a few power-amps etc, but burn in? Exactly what are you supposed to be "burning in" exactly? Nothing in your equipment, that's for sure. Your own ears until you get used to the sound? Much more likely. Those CD's that are supposed to burn in components'. Sounds like white noise? That's because it is. That said, they have their uses with brand-spanking new conventional speakers, as you can use it to loosen up the drivers a bit as they are usually very stiff when new. You could even face the speakers toward each other, with one out of phase while doing it. Me, I'd just stick on a Led Zep CD, whack up the volume and sit back and enjoy.
Where did the idea come from anyway? God alone knows (I certainly don't). But I suspect it's simply a misinterpretation from the days when valves ruled, and, as we all know, valves do indeed need a short time to warm up. It's the nature of the beast. Transistors don't have this as an issue at all.
Draw your own conclusions, but there isn't a shred of evidence to support it to the best of my knowledge. Fine for testing equipment -I'm with Quadbob on that. But there, the reason is different.
Just enjoy your hifi is the message. I would (and do!)
Cheers
Scott (The Great Evil Sceptic)

 

[daved64]

Scott, I'm with you. I can understand warming up the tubes in my Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, but solid state components? Bullocks. I just can't bother to argue with people, and I don't have the "audiophilic verbosity" to spew out specs and RMS's and blah blah blah. But some people swear by it.

 

[Sondeguy]

The theory of burning in components comes from 2 sources, audio video repair, and communications. In olden days pre multinational and early IC and prior after one repaired an item one would put it on the burnin bench because values could change and require further adjustment with moder A/V gear running at low Temperatures this is a thing of the past. In communications it was necessary to stailize and adjust oscillators aat a fixed temperature hence leave the gear on all the time this has changed with frequency synthesis technology. This is not to say that some equipment does not benefit from being left on( Caps gotta form birds gotta fly,I'll be a quaddie to the day I die, can't stop loving that Tate of mine{forgive me Jerome Kern})