warm up

[admin_exported]

i've noticed that my system sounds better after it been playing for a short time

i know systems have a 'run-in' period, is this what i'm experiencing (my system is just over a month old) and if so how long does it usually take (or will music always sound better after the systems has warmed up)

 

[altruistic.lemon]

20 minutes tops.

 

[chebby]

i know systems have a 'run-in' period, is this what i'm experiencing (my system is just over a month old) and if so how long does it usually take (or will music always sound better after the systems has warmed up)

It usually takes about 15 - 30 minutes for electronics to 'warm up'. Not weeks or months.

 

[Anonymous]

it usually sounds better by the end of the first side of an lp

 

[chebby]

it usually sounds better by the end of the first side of an lp

And that will be partly due to the compliant rubber grommet in your cartridge warming/loosening up as well

 

[Anonymous]

i heard that you need to 'burn in' or have so many hours playing time before your kit is at the optimum - wondered if it had anything to do with it

 

[chebby]

i heard that you need to 'burn in' or have so many hours playing time before your kit is at the optimum - wondered if it had anything to do with it

With electro-mechanical things like speakers and cartridges yes. They perform better once all the stresses and strains have evened out with all the different materials and joins and adhesives etc. and things have loosened up a bit.

I don't believe this happens (nor have I experienced this) with electronics beyond that first 15 - 30 minutes from 'cold', even with brand new kit.

 

[matthewpiano]

Agree with Chebby entirely. I've never found that the sound of an amp changes over the first few weeks but they do often benefit from 15-30 minutes warming up time from cold. This seems to vary from amp to amp. The 650A seems to be pretty consistent from switch on until the end of a listening session.

 

[MajorFubar]

My Cyrus 2 used to benefit from being left on, or at least switch it on half an hour before I needed it. The sound was a bit strident and brittle from a 'cold start'. But my Marantz sounds the same right from first switch-on.

 

[Inter_Voice]

i heard that you need to 'burn in' or have so many hours playing time before your kit is at the optimum - wondered if it had anything to do with it

With electro-mechanical things like speakers and cartridges yes. They perform better once all the stresses and strains have evened out with all the different materials and joins and adhesives etc. and things have loosened up a bit.

I don't believe this happens (nor have I experienced this) with electronics beyond that first 15 - 30 minutes from 'cold', even with brand new kit.

+1 . The comment is entirely scientific. I believe 15-30 min. warm up time to allow everything to settle in and let the electronics to attand their working temperature should be sufficient.

 

[jaxwired]

Don't confuse "burn in" with "warm up". Warm up is something that happens everytime you turn on a cold amp. Many people (including myself) beleive that amps sound better after they have warmed up. 20 minutes is common. Burn in is entirely different and has to do with the process of using brand new electronics. Some people believe (myself excluded) that the electronic components that make up the circuits in your hifi need a period of break in when they are brand new. The break in period is said to last as much as several hundred hours of continous use before the electronics stabalize and deliver their optimal performance. Once a product is "run-in" or "burned-in", it is done with that process for the rest of it's life.

 

[Anonymous]

i heard that you need to 'burn in' or have so many hours playing time before your kit is at the optimum - wondered if it had anything to do with it

With electro-mechanical things like speakers and cartridges yes. They perform better once all the stresses and strains have evened out with all the different materials and joins and adhesives etc. and things have loosened up a bit.

I don't believe this happens (nor have I experienced this) with electronics beyond that first 15 - 30 minutes from 'cold', even with brand new kit.

+2

In the real world of electronics away from hifi, the term 'burn in' refers to running equipment at elevated temperatures and voltages to weed out components that would suffer from infant mortality - mainly to minimise warranty claims. Nothing to do with the performance of the equipment. Electro mechanical components need to be 'run in' in the similar way to car engines. Speakers, tone arms, cartridges may all improve with use.