OK - just loaded up a new set of 12's.
What is the best way to break them in ?
For how long ?
and lastly ... why ?
Thanks!
What is the best way to break them in ?
For how long ?
and lastly ... why ?
Thanks!
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Breaking in new speakers
- Thread starter 4Mal
- Start date
i think i read on one speaker manufactures site (cant remember which one) to play a cd through your bass cab on a low to moderate volume.
not sure if this is the best way to go about it,
i believe you need to "break in" speakers because the cone is stiff when you first buy it. So if you straight away get a new speaker box, take it to a gig and blast it, you can put some cracks in the cone. If its been broken in it will allow more free movement....or something.
thats my take on it. i could be wrong
not sure if this is the best way to go about it,
i believe you need to "break in" speakers because the cone is stiff when you first buy it. So if you straight away get a new speaker box, take it to a gig and blast it, you can put some cracks in the cone. If its been broken in it will allow more free movement....or something.
thats my take on it. i could be wrong
Some folks play CDs through them. I usually play fingerstyle through them at low levels for a while.
Not to start a debate, but I've blown one by probably not breaking it in long enough. I also got a cab that was already blown - first note at low level was ugly. I've then turned around and probably broke them in longer than was needed. I've been able to hear the difference as the stiffness relaxes.
I'm not the one to give you the science behind it. It's been discussed by more learned folks.
Not to start a debate, but I've blown one by probably not breaking it in long enough. I also got a cab that was already blown - first note at low level was ugly. I've then turned around and probably broke them in longer than was needed. I've been able to hear the difference as the stiffness relaxes.
I'm not the one to give you the science behind it. It's been discussed by more learned folks.
I believe the reasoning behind it is that as the speaker's suspension loosens up, the resonance drops, providing better low frequency response.
I also have 2 brand-new 12"s. And man they smell like a new car with very stiff cones big time. I'm afraid to put anything but low, gentle wattage to them.. but for how long?
this is from the acme website....
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1 . The woofers in our Acme Low B Series 11 models have a break-in period.
The surrounds on these woofers have a higher stiffness new-out-of-the-box than they do after some hours of use. This has two real-world consequences.
The first is that the ability of the systems to reproduce the lowest notes doesn't reach it's full capability until the surrounds have been loosened up by being used. The second, and perhaps more important consequence, is that when driven to their maximum excursion, the woofers are much easier to damage when they are new, than after they've been broken in. It is more likely that the cones will be overstressed the when the speakers are brand new, than at any time after they've been used.
How much break-in time is necessary? They have been broken in using a sine-wave generator in less than three hours. When playing bass, it is very difficult to predict how long it would take for a specific person to do it. It depends on your style, and how loudly you play. The best advice is to start slowly, and work your way into it. Within reason, of course, the longer, and the more gradual the better. But please do your best to loosen up the woofers before you get into any serious slammin.'
The reason we have chosen to point out these concerns about breaking the speakers in, is because just lately, we have had two customers damage their woofers within the two-week trial period. This was unheard of just several years ago. The woofers are the some. But we believe that the availability of incredibly powerful amplifiers, even more than just a few years ago, has changed the landscape.
____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
1 . The woofers in our Acme Low B Series 11 models have a break-in period.
The surrounds on these woofers have a higher stiffness new-out-of-the-box than they do after some hours of use. This has two real-world consequences.
The first is that the ability of the systems to reproduce the lowest notes doesn't reach it's full capability until the surrounds have been loosened up by being used. The second, and perhaps more important consequence, is that when driven to their maximum excursion, the woofers are much easier to damage when they are new, than after they've been broken in. It is more likely that the cones will be overstressed the when the speakers are brand new, than at any time after they've been used.
How much break-in time is necessary? They have been broken in using a sine-wave generator in less than three hours. When playing bass, it is very difficult to predict how long it would take for a specific person to do it. It depends on your style, and how loudly you play. The best advice is to start slowly, and work your way into it. Within reason, of course, the longer, and the more gradual the better. But please do your best to loosen up the woofers before you get into any serious slammin.'
The reason we have chosen to point out these concerns about breaking the speakers in, is because just lately, we have had two customers damage their woofers within the two-week trial period. This was unheard of just several years ago. The woofers are the some. But we believe that the availability of incredibly powerful amplifiers, even more than just a few years ago, has changed the landscape.
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I've used DigiTech's JamMan to break in my new DIY 15" cab.
After I've recorded my playing from open E to 21st on G, I made the JamMan replay it overnight at small volume.
There WAS definite difference between before & after.
I've considered using sine wave, but is this a bass cab anyway?
After I've recorded my playing from open E to 21st on G, I made the JamMan replay it overnight at small volume.
There WAS definite difference between before & after.
I've considered using sine wave, but is this a bass cab anyway?
Blown them in what sense? I can see creasing a cone (like with the Acmes) happening if the driver has a significant break-in period and you hit it with a lot of LF before the suspension reaches its optimal compliance, and maybe an outside chance of a torn surround. But if you're talking about voice coil damage, that wouldn't have anything to do with break-in.
Not all speakers exhibit significant break-in time. It tends to be more of a factor with high compliance drivers. There are measureable differences, as Tenma4 mentioned, though I'm not convinced that they are particularly audible.
Running a cab with any sort of wideband program material at a reasonable volume for a few hours should be enough to break them in. This 'audiophile' business of 100+ hours of break in is abject nonsense.
I think its pretty darn lame for builders to deliver product that is not ready for full & immediate use ... with this product there is no excuse really ... can't think of any other products that are delivered this way ...
btw - If a builder can break in a speaker in a few hours using a sine wave ... then that is exactly what THE BUILDER should do ... and they should have a method of test & inspection that determines its %100 readiness ...
Leaving this kind of "break-in" to the buyer is just blind guess work )-:
Besides, how can you evaluate something in a reasonable amount of time (ie. within the waranty / return period), if you need several weeks of break-in time ??
btw - If a builder can break in a speaker in a few hours using a sine wave ... then that is exactly what THE BUILDER should do ... and they should have a method of test & inspection that determines its %100 readiness ...
Leaving this kind of "break-in" to the buyer is just blind guess work )-:
Besides, how can you evaluate something in a reasonable amount of time (ie. within the waranty / return period), if you need several weeks of break-in time ??
The transmissions on new cars are supposed to be broken in. Drivers are advised to take it real easy the first 3000 miles or so.
I just bought a new pair of shoes that are gonna take some breaking in.
I agree that the builder should break them in before they ship, but then that would add to the cost of the unit; and you don't HAVE to break it in per say, just as long as you don't crank it to 11 and slam away right after you get it. Most speakers naturally break in over time through normal playing.
I've broken in home and car subwoofers in the past, but not pro audio drivers. I have noticed a significant difference in the pro audio woofers once they are broken in. I like the sound much better after the fact. In the future I will probably start doing this. WinISD (speaker enclosure design software) includes a signal generator. I'd say set up a slow sweep at a moderate volume over several hours...overnight if you can stand it, or maybe while you are gone to work.
You people do work jobs don't you?
You people do work jobs don't you?
I hook my new speakers up to my stereo in my basement for a few days.My big tv is hooked up to it and my boys play video games and play music through it too.I also play bass through them at home before taking them to a gig or practice.Even tv shows and movies with some bass content helps to break in the woofers,you don't have to have a special sound track or have to play a certain amount of time to do it.This is not something new,it's been common knowledge in Hi Fi equipment for many years,it's just common sense that it should apply to our bass speakers too.
I break in all my speakers: mains, wedges and instrument cabs using a power amp (Crown Microtech 600) using a CD as source (through mixer) with a wide range of frequencies like Gospel (Fred Hammond) or Jazz (Brian Bromberg's Wood II) at a moderate level for a day while I'm at work.
Using pairs I have compared before and after and to my ears the speakers sound more relaxed after break in . . . and if it helps with speaker long-life that is good too!
Using pairs I have compared before and after and to my ears the speakers sound more relaxed after break in . . . and if it helps with speaker long-life that is good too!
Never heard of this before?!
Not being aware of speakers needing any kind of breaking in period, I jammed using my brand new Markbass 104HF cab earlier this week and trust me guys, I didn't go easy with it.
Does this mean potentially I could have done it some kind of damage?
Am I meant to go really easy with it during my next few jams?
Not being aware of speakers needing any kind of breaking in period, I jammed using my brand new Markbass 104HF cab earlier this week and trust me guys, I didn't go easy with it.
Does this mean potentially I could have done it some kind of damage?
Am I meant to go really easy with it during my next few jams?
The speakers in this case are a set of Avatar's new extended Xmax 12's loaded up into last years neo 2x12 cab. So far they sound nice. More solid low's than the original neo's Maybe not quite as detailed in the upper mids. We'll see.
Have to agree with TobyPro4. I have never heard of breaking in speakers before. I have bought 2 new GK RBH cabs in the last 5 months. If this is the case why would the store selling me the product not say something and why is there no mention of a break in period mentioned in GK manuals (at least not what I remember seeing)?
If there is a break in period then I guess -- oops! lol
If there is a break in period then I guess -- oops! lol
I think break-in periods for all speakers should be mentioned in the manuals. When I bought my new Ampeg 810e, the speakers needed to be broken in as I easily distorted the cab with my low end and not much volume. I think it was around 20 hours of me playing finger style. The day the cones strated to sound good - I remember hearing the extra low end coming off of the cab -wow! Really noticeable. The easiest way to break in speakers (as described above) is just playing music through them at low volumes for 24 hours. The break in allows the speakers to go louder and put out more low end - great for bassists!
Lot's of threads on this. For the most part, there is no reason at all to do anything 'special' regarding 'breaking in' a speaker. If you feel more comfortable with it, play at home at moderate volumes of an hour or so to loosen the surrounds. Some swear that the low end will extend and open up after a 'break in' period, but it has nothing to do with 'safety' or anything. I've never heard a speaker that has significantly changed tone of the first few hours of playing, so my belief is that it is mostly a myth.
However, the rather unusual Acme speakers (low power handling but 'long throw' or high x-max design) do seem to be a little bit different, since those drivers piston so much. I believe Andy suggests playing at moderate volumes for a couple of hours before really cranking them up.
This idea of playing CD's through a speaker for hours to 'season' them or whatever is quite funny to me!
K
However, the rather unusual Acme speakers (low power handling but 'long throw' or high x-max design) do seem to be a little bit different, since those drivers piston so much. I believe Andy suggests playing at moderate volumes for a couple of hours before really cranking them up.
This idea of playing CD's through a speaker for hours to 'season' them or whatever is quite funny to me!
K
