Break-In 2 - How Does Break-In Affect My System

What is Break-In...and Why Does It Matter?

One of the Most Overlooked Aspects in Audio

OK, So How Does Break-In Affect My System

EVERY piece of gear, no matter the cost, quality, or design, WILL require some level of Break-In before operational characteristics stabilize and operate normally.

The two most common types of Break-In are Electrical and Mechanical.

• Electrical Break-In refers to transistors, transformers, capacitors, resistors, cabling, and any other components inside audio devices. Basically, the entire stage of how the signal is input, processed, then output goes through a Break-In process in EVERY device. While this only makes up a very small amount of the total system Break-In that will occur.
• Mechanical Break-In occurs within speaker components, and comprises most of the total system Break-In that will take place. All mechanical properties of speakers such as cone and spider material, suspension material, voice coil design, magnetic flux density, ribbon weight, area, tension, panel dimensions, magnet distance, stator distance, and electrostatic voltage differential, All affect how it breaks in and is dependent on the type of signal the speaker receives. This is called the "Power Spectral Density" of the signal.

Power Spectral Density?

EVERY speaker, be it a simple bookshelf design, studio monitor, 24” subwoofer, electrostatic super wall, ribbon or cone, requires a substantial amount of Break-In time to align itself to the "Spectral Density," or electrical envelope of the audio signal.

Once the speakers have aligned themselves to the present signal chain, they, much like human muscles, will become used to that certain motion. They will react in the same fashion as long as the signal doesn't change.

If the signal is changed however, speakers must go through what is called a "Rebreak-In Period".

Most of the time the change is minimal and breakin is not noticable.

When the change is Large like Tri-Pha-Zers break-in is dramatic and extremely noticable.

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