do we need to burn in cables when not used for some time

[rikhav]

Hi all
My query is to fm's who believe that cables do make a difference and burn in does make it sound better or rather sound as it should

I wanted to know what is the state of a cable which after burn in is not used for a) some time and b) for a long time

Has anybody experienced a change in sound in both probalities?

 

[manoj.p]

In 3.....2.....1.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

...zero.

Everybody else: "here's Thad, of course."

So I need say no more.

:lol:

 

[manoj.p]

:lol: :clapping:

I am still hoping there would be some flashpoints. fun to watch. :lol:

 

[gobble]

I dare say - Whoever asked this question has likely stopped enjoying the music and has moved from the realm of being a passionate listener to a neurotic and obsessive compulsive audiophile.

G0bble

 

[rikhav]

Hi manoj
Have I opened a can of worms?

If yes, I am seriously not looking for high voltage drama

It was a very genuine query from my side and wanted to know what views have about it

It happens with so many of us that due to various reasons we cant switch on our system for a quiet a few days to maybe few weeks. Also we sometimes feel like trying a cable we have in our storage

So does that cable in storage needs to go through whole process of burn -in which was done when the cable was new before we come to a conclusion of how well its gelling in our setups

 

[rikhav]

I dare say - Whoever asked this question has likely stopped enjoying the music and has moved from the realm of being a passionate listener to a neurotic and obsessive compulsive audiophile.

G0bble

On the contrary I am enjoying my music more then I have been since many years.
Just because if one can detect a change in sound with cables or can distinguish the sound when the setup is cold and warmed up does not make him or her an obsessive compulsive audiophile

 

[Nikhil]

rikhav,

My experience has been that there is not much of a difference once cables are burnt in.
I think the differences - if any - come up due to factors like oxidation of connectors over time etc.

 

[spirovious]

I found that when cable is brand new,sound experienced is marginally brighter initially and settles quickly within few minutes.l found it with analog cables only whether its speaker wire or IC.

 

[rikhav]

Thanks Spiro and Nikhil for sharing your views

I hope few more members share their views as well


I will let you know what made this question come in my mind at this point.

About 2 months back I added Pass B1 in my chain removing the Promethius Passive pre. It changed the attributes of my setup to such an extent that I could actually hear differences with different cables in my setup.
It was not that I never believed in that before, but it was first time I was experiencing in my setup and I don't think my ears are so well trained like other senior members. But I checked twice, thrice to conclude that certain cables were changing the sound signature of my setup but was surprised how evident it was after The B1 came into the chain

The said cables don't have any oxidation but were in storage for some time and are quiet solidly built.

 

[captrajesh]

My query is to fm's who believe that cables do make a difference and burn in does make it sound better or rather sound as it should

I hope few more members share their views as well

The query was to "FMs who believe" (most probably forming out of personal experiences) in cables and burn in but the first pot shots were taken by "FMs who refuse to believe"

How amusing! :lol:

From my personal experience, I've noted that cables (both speaker cables and interconnects) sound edgy when first connected but settle down to their own sound signature with a session or two.

Haven't tried experimenting if they sound differently when kept unused for a while and then reused.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Hey, Rajesh, I'm starting a movement called Missionaries For Sanity in Sound (MSS) (I just made that up), and, like all missionaries, we can't keep quiet :lol:

I was musing about this whilst finding it a bit difficult to go to sleep last night...

If the energy passing through a cable makes any changes at the molecular, atomic, or subatomic level, then, perhaps those particles, when no energy is passing, like to "relax" back to their previous state?

Copper is a metal that work-hardens quite quickly: perhaps this continual electron bashing actually work-hardens cables, and they need to be rested. If this should turn out to be real problem, then we need to find some way to anneal those conductors. Obviously, we cannot heat our interconnects to red-hot-metal temperatures without destroying the non-metal parts. Is there a solution to this conundrum? Would different sounds have different effects? Could we do it by playing loud, heavy-metal music and then quenching the metal in a gentle, natural noise? If your cables start to sound hard and brittle, please try this! Ahh, now I know my my Van der Hul CD interconnect fell apart: too much acid rock.

The MSS was short lived. I am now resigning and sending my CV to Audioquest. If you cant beat them, make money out of them!

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Archimago: Sooo much better than my feeble attempts!

Enjoy :lol:

 

[rikhav]

Hi thad
I really dont have the technical prowess to given an answer to your posts nor I like heated arguments

If you think cable burn-in is nothing but a joke just ignore this thread and move on. I am not trying to prove anything to anyone, nor trying to prove that I am right and its the way as I have described

Thats why I wrote in the start that I would like to know views from members who believe in burn-in

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Sure. Please note that that my ideas are perfectly feasible according to my limited, but actual, knowledge of working with metals, so they might be right.

I made a post in a previous cable thread that was misunderstood and removed. What it meant to say, but failed to get across, was that believers to the left, non-believers to the right, is not a healthy way of going on.

 

[Santy]

Rikhav
If I have understood it correctly, you are asking if the cables once cooked goes back to its raw state after some time or long time of non-usage? If it does then the process (burn in) can be repeated I suppose!

 

[prem]

Hi Rikhav

IME, if broken in cables have not been used for a long time and put in back, it takes about an hour for it to play to its potential. This is assuming the system is the same. In your case you have changed the pre. Your new pre B1 would allow more bass which your previous cables may never have encountered. So your new cables might take a little more time to settle in. Probably a day.

 

[rikhav]

Rikhav
If I have understood it correctly, you are asking if the cables once cooked goes back to its raw state after some time or long time of non-usage? If it does then the process (burn in) can be repeated I suppose!

Yes santy
Once cooked , goes into storage for few months.. then before reusing is burn-in required again

 

[jls001]

Missionaries For Sanity in Sound (MSS)

a.k.a the measurementniks:lol:

 

[Thtpro]

IMHO it is not the cables that need to be cooked but the speakers. You may notice that some speakers tend to sound better- able being played for a couple of days