Burn in, is it a thing?

Cycling may contribute to earlier discovery of 'infant mortality' perhaps?

 

The burn-in process takes place mainly in the user. As time passes you're able to convince yourself more and more that the expense was worth it. Electronic components tend to burn out, rather than burn in.

 

Break in does happen with components that are mechanical, with moving parts, like speakers. Amps aren't mechanical, they don't have moving parts, so there's nothing to break in. Burn in is an audiophile myth. Be very wary of what an audiophile believes, because audiophiles will believe anything. For example, google 'Shakti stones'.

 

I’ll leave new amps on for 24 hours just to check for infant mortality. I’ve had more than one new amp fail fairly quickly. If they pass 24 hours then they are usually good for years.

 

Hey man, don't disparage the Shakti stones! They really enhance my soundstage, along with my $5k power cable that is.

Nah, burn in really isn't a thing, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Early failures can happen though on quality gear is generally quite rare. That's what warranties are for.

The burn-in to improve sound is an amazing myth that has been perpetuated by those who think $200 and up power cables are a good idea as well.

 

Better an amp fail while testing it at home than on your first gig.

Letting an amp sit idling for 24 hours may not be sufficient to exorcize all issues. But it can help. Shipping is usually a pretty good mechanical stress test.

 

I get a big kick out of testimonials that claim that “brilliant pebbles “ made their 50K system “sounds like a blanket has been lifted “ !! If I paid 50K for a system, it had better not sound like it has a blanket over it! It should also cook me breakfast and lunch!

 

OK, so Andy: I buy a new Subway head and cab(s), I can take it out tonight while it still smells new and push it for all it's worth? Do you and/or Mesa suggest any 'break-in' miles first?

I'm not asking to be a smart-ass, I'm just wondering what's the right way to approach a brand new rig, in this case, yours, since their are as many myths about this as there are.

I KNEW I shouldn't have bought that 'Electron Especiale' cable with the twisted unobtanium paired cable ! Dang . . . . . $300 ! ! ! !

 

When customers demanded (and paid for) greater failure resistance, the electronic companies put components and finished products through more stringent cycling at varying temperatures. It's a good idea to make sure you've given equipment all the stresses you anticipate long-term, before the warranty runs out.

 

It’s a “thing”, alright.

 

Thank you for this,it makes me happy knowing others feel this way.

 

Personally I always put my new equipment in a series of refrigerated chambers set at different temperatures, switching once per hour for two weeks after delivery. This ensures proper temperature acclimation and eliminates neck dive as well as bassist ankle.

 

This may have been done with tube amps (while sonic merits are a whole issue on their own, the more likely function of this process would be to ensure the new tubes operated properly and were biased correctly), I don't see any benefits this could have on a solid state amp other than a general peace of mind stress test.

 

Thinking back when I was a PC guy in the 90's, we used to burn-in machines running through their paces with a piece of software to make sure they were not going to fail. It had no impact on performance.

So, I could see where a burn-in such as leaving the amp on for a day or two and playing through it occasionally would be wise to prove some level of reliability. This would not have an effect on the sound though. Speakers, now that's a different thing.

 

Bassist ankle? I hope that's covered by my insurance...

 

I thought it was a thing with tubes. Explainable as the tube getters clearing out a bit of gas from the vacuum. A change in idle current is definitely measurable when you're burning in output tubes. After burn in, the current tends to stabilize, unless the tubes are bad. Stabilizing the bias would have an impact on sound.

 

All amps need some warmup time in playing mode to reach a thermal steady state where the components stabilize. That takes maybe a half hour. This is done before some calibration procedures are performed.

It isn’t necessary when playing through the amp.

 

I agree