Speaker Break In

jorgemg1984 · #1 09-03-2011, 06:55 AM

Hi again!

Recently I have changed speakers in some of my amps and realized how important breaking in is. All speakers sounded harsh and stiff when new and excellent after breaking in. I do a very extensive breaking in with a special CD used by hi-fi guys in loop for something like 100 hours, with all the tone controls cranked and at a reasonable volume.

After realizing how important this I thought this mus be also very important in new amps. When we buy a new amp in a store the speaker had no previous breaking in. Do you think this changes the way we hear the amp? Maybe people sometimes don't buy an amp just because it sounds harsh and all it needs is the speaker to break in? Do you do this on your amps? Do you think guys on magazine reviews should do this to give a correct statement of an amplifier? My father works in hi fi and he always breaks in speakers a lot before he tests them. And maybe sometimes the vibe about vintage amps is just a good speaker with 40 years of breaking in

Give me your thoughts!

Vihar · #2 09-03-2011, 07:50 AM

I'm sure the tone changes somewhat throughout the life of a speaker, though I think at least some of these differences can be compensated by setting the amp's tone controls accordingly. I also think it doesn't take long to lose the "fresh speaker harshness" top end, if you play it loud enough for a few hours.

Or you can go wild, plug a bass in it and dime the knobs. That's not breaking in, just breaking.

jorgemg1984 · #3 09-03-2011, 08:49 AM

Ha ha one day i will try that!

In my experience some speakers need more time to break in than others. EVM-12L, neo speakers and hemp cone speakers (like C Rex) were the ones that took me most time to break-in. The difference in the sound is not subtle in my cases, its very noticeable! Maybe small brands could a little break-in (20h / 30h) so their amps sound better when you try them in a store.

AlsoRan · #4 09-03-2011, 11:31 AM

Good points, Jorge!

I remember trying different amps when I first got into guitars 5 years ago. They all sounded bad to me!

The first problem was that the speaker was not broken in, as I found out over time.

The second problem was I would play with the volume low so no one could hear how poor my playing was.

Anyway, I have noticed throgh the years that the amps I play on sound better at lower and lower volumes. I attribute that, in part to the speaker breaking in and losing its stiffness.

jzucker · #5 09-07-2011, 01:38 PM

speaker break-in is a myth. Ask yourself this:

Why in *100%* of the cases does speaker break-in *improve* the sound? Wouldn't there at least be some cases where folks like the sound before the break in period? There is some loosening of the suspension on speakers but by and large what actually happens is your ears "normalize" the sound of the speaker and get used to it's town. In effect, it "grows" on you.

jorgemg1984 · #6 09-07-2011, 01:47 PM

In my experience its not a myth. When I put the EV on the Heriksen was very stiif and harsh. I did 80h of break-in and every 20h or so I played for some minutes and always noticed the difference. After the 80h was much sweeter! I have talked with a lot of hi fi experts, guys that really know about speakers and they all do a lot of break-in before they even listen to a system.

SamBooka · #7 09-07-2011, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzucker

speaker break-in is a myth. Ask yourself this:

Why in *100%* of the cases does speaker break-in *improve* the sound? Wouldn't there at least be some cases where folks like the sound before the break in period? There is some loosening of the suspension on speakers but by and large what actually happens is your ears "normalize" the sound of the speaker and get used to it's town. In effect, it "grows" on you.

You just have to have a bit more experience ABing speakers. I never thought it was a "myth" but I could never hear the difference. After I ordered a batch of weber sig8s, some of which were used extensively (my VC) while others sat unused (my champ). A year an a half later it is pretty clear which ones are which. Which ones you prefer is another story..

jzucker · #8 09-07-2011, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamBooka

You just have to have a bit more experience ABing speakers. I never thought it was a "myth" but I could never hear the difference. After I ordered a batch of weber sig8s, some of which were used extensively (my VC) while others sat unused (my champ). A year an a half later it is pretty clear which ones are which. Which ones you prefer is another story..

Hmmm, you're using weber speakers. Alarms going off. Maybe *you* need more experience a/b'ing speakers. I've demoed speakers for eminence and warehouse so I do have a tad bit of experience.

jzucker · #9 09-07-2011, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

In my experience its not a myth. When I put the EV on the Heriksen was very stiif and harsh. I did 80h of break-in and every 20h or so I played for some minutes and always noticed the difference. After the 80h was much sweeter! I have talked with a lot of hi fi experts, guys that really know about speakers and they all do a lot of break-in before they even listen to a system.

sorry but i don't buy it. I've done tests where I've recorded tones through speakers before and after break-in and they were virtually identical. Do some research on hearing normalization. That's what's really happening IMO.

billkath · #10 09-07-2011, 07:16 PM

In my experience-every manufacture of loudspeakers say that a burn-in process is beneficial.
Here's what Eminence say
Speaker Break-in | Eminence Speaker

Now-what they are NOT saying is that this process takes 80 or 100 hours, or that you need some special EQ etc. They merely say that, due to manufacturing tolerances, some burn in time is needed to loosen things up. The most noticeable changes are after the first hour or so.

billkath · #11 09-07-2011, 07:18 PM

Celestion say this

Quote:

BREAKING IN YOUR SPEAKER

Brand new speakers usually require a “breaking in period”. Start with a few minutes with low-level playing or background hum. Then, turn up the power amp volume to full, and control the level with the preamp gain and play with a fat, clean tone.
Have the bass and mid up full, and the treble at least half. On your guitar, use the middle pickup position (if your guitar has more than one pickup) and play for 10-15 minutes using lots of open chords, and chunky percussive playing. This will get the cone moving, and should excite all the cone modes and get everything to settle in nicely.

SamBooka · #12 09-07-2011, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzucker

Hmmm, you're using weber speakers. Alarms going off. Maybe *you* need more experience a/b'ing speakers. I've demoed speakers for eminence and warehouse so I do have a tad bit of experience.

yes.. just a tad

jorgemg1984 · #13 09-07-2011, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzucker

sorry but i don't buy it. I've done tests where I've recorded tones through speakers before and after break-in and they were virtually identical. Do some research on hearing normalization. That's what's really happening IMO.

I respect your opinion jack but to me its a real thing: speakers sound much better and much different after breaking in. You know much more than I do about sound but I have heard guys whose opinion is really relevant to me saying that break in is not a myth. And they don't say these things just for saying. And I really hear the difference.