ejspain
Well-known member
Since most amplifiers require some burn-in, is it safe to assume a receiver needs it too?
Amp Break-in
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Almost all amps are burnt in at the factory to make sure there's no "out of the box" issues but beyond that I wouldn't overthink it.
Careful. This is one of those "trigger" subjects... 
I do notice that with my amp, it sounds better after it has been playing for about 10 minutes. Never noticed anything long term.
ejspain
Well-known member
Hahaha I know right. A simple question...don't want to start a fightCareful. This is one of those "trigger" subjects...
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Issue is that it's a question with no correct answer.Careful. This is one of those "trigger" subjects...
Some will say it makes a huge difference, others will say there's no difference at all. Neither will be able to provide proof either way so the whole subject is moot really.
As long as the amplifier doesn't get worse you've got nothing to worry about lol.
I'm assuming by Receiver you mean for home theater use. My standard practice for that would be to run the room correction process when you initially set it up, but then re-run it after about 100-200 hours of use just in case anything changed due to break in.
How's that for a neutral response?
How's that for a neutral response?
ejspain
Well-known member
Yea kinda what the manufacturer also recommends.I'm assuming by Receiver you mean for home theater use. My standard practice for that would be to run the room correction process when you initially set it up, but then re-run it after about 100-200 hours of use just in case anything changed due to break in.
How's that for a neutral response?
I do that, but it never really sounds any different afterwards. It's certainly not a very demanding process to go through though, so it can't hurt.
Has anyone ever heard a difference when running DSP calibration again after breaking in a new amp or receiver?
Fidji99
Well-known member
Thermal stabilization is normal parameter. Audible, measurable. More on some types of amps, less on the others.
Re-calibrating here and there is generally a good practice. And differences in results can be huge, but most likely caused by different mic placement. Also your usual AV receiver mic will most likely not be be individually calibrated (unless specifically sold like that) so differences between 2 measurements without any change of position are also not uncommon.
as a result- filters applied will be different, but nothing to do with burn-in impact in off-the shelf mass produced simple amp modules, found in AV receivers.
On my Aragon amp, it seems like the bass is really lean when I first turn it on, and after running for awhile it will become more full and much more enjoyable. That's the one thing I really notice. Not sure why it's the low frequencies that seem most affected.
Leporello
Well-known member
Unlike cable burn-in, I don't necessarily believe amp warm-up and burn-in are complete woo-woo. Electrolytic capacitors do form. Open loop gain can change wildly with temperature, making feedback to achieve stable closed loop gain also different, possibly affecting the sound. However, these are all at most second order effects in most competently designed and manufactured amps. Without a doubt, moving the setup microphone 1 cm since the last time you ran it would make way more difference.
Any kind of warm up, burn in, whatever, that helps ones 'mind' to feel more comfortable with their listening experience is fine and need not be turned into a full blown pissing match. But those individuals that believe in umpteen hundreds of hours for such I for one would NEVER take seriously...........
Oh yeah ... there's plenty of snake oil out there, some of which gets me thinking if it's voodoo or science.
The majority of highend audio manufacturers will clearly state in their owner's manuals that a minimum of 15mins is required for warm up, and then a further 100hrs is required for proper burn-in. Most of this burn-in process is done at the factory for at least 48 - 72hrs prior to packing. So perhaps once it's shipped out and by the time the unit reaches your home, electronic systems are stone cold, caps need to warm up, resistors need some juice to flow and current & voltages need to settle in. So most probably 15mins would be ideal I guess.
Thereafter, I've come across some brands claiming 600hrs... seriously? Those are the ones you may want to avoid on home trials simply because they'll never sound good. The maximum time frame I've received on home trials has been about two to three weeks on average. Hence, if the gear requires 100s & 100s of hrs to achieve full flight, forget it!
The other thing that still has me perplexed are those top quality Teflon caps, Mundorfs or Duelands and Vishay resistors. These seem to take crazy hours to settle in. At first they can sound bit thin... or very neutral and lean then all of a sudden, it just shifts gears into another dimension. I've logged these hours and for some darn reason it's usually after the 200hr mark. So well over 100.
At that point I'm wondering whether it's actually the allocated burn-in process or was it the glasses of
... or 
. Either case, it's marvellous!
Then there's a whole other level when it comes to accessories. Early this Jan a chap was eagerly persuading me to try these very highend footers. I think they're called Centre Stage or something like that. Placed under components and supposed to be a revelation. How it works is, the first week it slowly opens up... then the second week it goes awfully wrong... sounds terrible to the point where you want to throw something at it... then the third week it slowly gets back to normal...and the final week it reaches optimal performance, wow! That's 4 weeks all up for some silly footers to really get anywhere. Oh boy, that's definitely not wine nor beer, that must be some serious snuff pot!
Anyway, I brought them home to place under my Esoteric digital gear... it didn't do a damn thing! The tripod configured circular feet that are already part of the Esoteric's original design are more than adequate! So I promptly retuned these circular rubber discs of heavy guage status. The chap was very disappointed that I didn't give it the proper time frame of 4 weeks to settle in.
My excuse was that I ran out of wine!
Oh! Which reminds me, I've only got one bottle of Argentina Mendoza Malbec left... better hit the bottle shop so that I can experience the full burn-in process...
Cheeeers, RJ
The majority of highend audio manufacturers will clearly state in their owner's manuals that a minimum of 15mins is required for warm up, and then a further 100hrs is required for proper burn-in. Most of this burn-in process is done at the factory for at least 48 - 72hrs prior to packing. So perhaps once it's shipped out and by the time the unit reaches your home, electronic systems are stone cold, caps need to warm up, resistors need some juice to flow and current & voltages need to settle in. So most probably 15mins would be ideal I guess.
Thereafter, I've come across some brands claiming 600hrs... seriously? Those are the ones you may want to avoid on home trials simply because they'll never sound good. The maximum time frame I've received on home trials has been about two to three weeks on average. Hence, if the gear requires 100s & 100s of hrs to achieve full flight, forget it!
The other thing that still has me perplexed are those top quality Teflon caps, Mundorfs or Duelands and Vishay resistors. These seem to take crazy hours to settle in. At first they can sound bit thin... or very neutral and lean then all of a sudden, it just shifts gears into another dimension. I've logged these hours and for some darn reason it's usually after the 200hr mark. So well over 100.
At that point I'm wondering whether it's actually the allocated burn-in process or was it the glasses of
... or . Either case, it's marvellous!Then there's a whole other level when it comes to accessories. Early this Jan a chap was eagerly persuading me to try these very highend footers. I think they're called Centre Stage or something like that. Placed under components and supposed to be a revelation. How it works is, the first week it slowly opens up... then the second week it goes awfully wrong... sounds terrible to the point where you want to throw something at it... then the third week it slowly gets back to normal...and the final week it reaches optimal performance, wow! That's 4 weeks all up for some silly footers to really get anywhere. Oh boy, that's definitely not wine nor beer, that must be some serious snuff pot!
Anyway, I brought them home to place under my Esoteric digital gear... it didn't do a damn thing! The tripod configured circular feet that are already part of the Esoteric's original design are more than adequate! So I promptly retuned these circular rubber discs of heavy guage status. The chap was very disappointed that I didn't give it the proper time frame of 4 weeks to settle in.
My excuse was that I ran out of wine!
Oh! Which reminds me, I've only got one bottle of Argentina Mendoza Malbec left... better hit the bottle shop so that I can experience the full burn-in process...
Cheeeers, RJ
Leporello
Well-known member
That would be my guess. Or else you're burning in your ears.At that point I'm wondering whether it's actually the allocated burn-in process or was it the glasses of
p.s. I'll bet the burn-in period for those magic footers exceeds the return option period.
p.s. I would far rather drink wine or beer than snake oil.
Last edited:
Leporello
Well-known member
If it were me, I could not sleep at night until I had run a frequency response sweep, before and after, with speakers connected. It's just possible, but improbable, the damping factor changes that much with warm-up. Open loop gain could affect the damping factor.
ejspain
Well-known member
Thereafter, I've come across some brands claiming 600hrs... seriously?......good read and funny too. But 25 days for burn-in??? Hold in WillisOh yeah ... there's plenty of snake oil out there, some of which gets me thinking if it's voodoo or science.
The majority of highend audio manufacturers will clearly state in their owner's manuals that a minimum of 15mins is required for warm up, and then a further 100hrs is required for proper burn-in. Most of this burn-in process is done at the factory for at least 48 - 72hrs prior to packing. So perhaps once it's shipped out and by the time the unit reaches your home, electronic systems are stone cold, caps need to warm up, resistors need some juice to flow and current & voltages need to settle in. So most probably 15mins would be ideal I guess.
Thereafter, I've come across some brands claiming 600hrs... seriously? Those are the ones you may want to avoid on home trials simply because they'll never sound good. The maximum time frame I've received on home trials has been about two to three weeks on average. Hence, if the gear requires 100s & 100s of hrs to achieve full flight, forget it!
The other thing that still has me perplexed are those top quality Teflon caps, Mundorfs or Duelands and Vishay resistors. These seem to take crazy hours to settle in. At first they can sound bit thin... or very neutral and lean then all of a sudden, it just shifts gears into another dimension. I've logged these hours and for some darn reason it's usually after the 200hr mark. So well over 100.
At that point I'm wondering whether it's actually the allocated burn-in process or was it the glasses of
Then there's a whole other level when it comes to accessories. Early this Jan a chap was eagerly persuading me to try these very highend footers. I think they're called Centre Stage or something like that. Placed under components and supposed to be a revelation. How it works is, the first week it slowly opens up... then the second week it goes awfully wrong... sounds terrible to the point where you want to throw something at it... then the third week it slowly gets back to normal...and the final week it reaches optimal performance, wow! That's 4 weeks all up for some silly footers to really get anywhere. Oh boy, that's definitely not wine nor beer, that must be some serious snuff pot!
Anyway, I brought them home to place under my Esoteric digital gear... it didn't do a damn thing! The tripod configured circular feet that are already part of the Esoteric's original design are more than adequate! So I promptly retuned these circular rubber discs of heavy guage status. The chap was very disappointed that I didn't give it the proper time frame of 4 weeks to settle in.
My excuse was that I ran out of wine!
Oh! Which reminds me, I've only got one bottle of Argentina Mendoza Malbec left... better hit the bottle shop so that I can experience the full burn-in process...
Cheeeers, RJ
