Breaking in headphones

ng4ever

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Do they have to be at a high volume to break in headphones ? Also about how long does it take to break in headphones please? Thanks
 
Put on the music you listen to and run them overnight, maybe just a hair louder than is comfortable. You're not doing anything complicated, just getting the parts that are supposed to move used to moving.

Not all headphones benefit. Some are broken in at the factory. Some don't need it. Times vary on how long it takes, and there is a whole TON of placebo involved.
 
The ultimate beast way to break in new headphones is to immerse them in a bottle of snake oil. A cheaper solution is to just play music on them.
 
I'd be worried about drivers that "break in" over time, unless the failure was part of the genius original product design to get you to buy replacements sooner (and I had stock in said product.)
 
I'd be worried about drivers that "break in" over time, unless the failure was part of the genius original product design to get you to buy replacements sooner (and I had stock in said product.)

Actually a factory new driver can have around 30% deviation from it's released spec vs broken in condition. Drivers are electromechanical devices which means they change properties when they wear down and membranes flex. It's not total snake oil even though I joked about it.

Any 'ritualistic' process of breaking in using a certain signal is audiophile BS for sure. Just use them and they'll adapt.
 
Actually a factory new driver can have around 30% deviation from it's released spec vs broken in condition. Drivers are electromechanical devices which means they change properties when they wear down and membranes flex. It's not total snake oil even though I joked about it.

Any 'ritualistic' process of breaking in using a certain signal is audiophile BS for sure. Just use them and they'll adapt.

A factory new product from any reputable company has already done the diaphragm QA tests and if properly manufactured voice coil AC testing, which cause the varnish impregnated linen (or kevlar, or whatever) and speaker surrounds to already be at their functional state, waiting to perform and eventually fail. I have never seen deviation from linearity in any published test, nor have I ever seen any deviation higher than +3/-3 dB in spec without a broken product being involved. If there is a 30% deviation somewhere, it is probably the enclosure baffling and wall reinforcement causing it, and not the driver -- or, as I stated, the driver in question, shouldn't have passed QA.
 
A factory new product from any reputable company has already done the diaphragm QA tests and if properly manufactured voice coil AC testing, which cause the varnish impregnated linen (or kevlar, or whatever) and speaker surrounds to already be at their functional state, waiting to perform and eventually fail. I have never seen deviation from linearity in any published test, nor have I ever seen any deviation higher than +3/-3 dB in spec without a broken product being involved. If there is a 30% deviation somewhere, it is probably the enclosure baffling and wall reinforcement causing it, and not the driver -- or, as I stated, the driver in question, shouldn't have passed QA.

30% is pretty common with factory new subwoofer drivers. Not so common with full range devices.
 
break in is basically nonsense it is mostly people getting use to the sound..

playing stuff too loud could damage them .. just use them normally and enjoy
 
break in is basically nonsense it is mostly people getting use to the sound..

playing stuff too loud could damage them .. just use them normally and enjoy

Yes there is no need to 'break in' the gear. Just use it.
 
Most of the "break in" is your ears and brain getting used to the sound signature. They might sound weird at first and then you "get" them. For better or worse.
 
I purchased a pair of Philips SHPS9500s Headphones for $60 bucks after hearing my friends set. When I unboxed mine, I wasn’t impressed. They sounded tin-filled, small, and were bad compared to my Sennheiser HD-595. I had thought my friends pair were as good as my HD-595 when we demoed them A/B on my Denon x7200wa AVR.

I let them break in overnight plugged into my AVR at a reasonable listening volume, and didn’t try them again until the next day. The next day they sounded much better immediately at first listen. Not thin, or tin filled and more like I remembered my friends sounding and paralleled in quality to my HD-595. That wasn’t me getting used to them. It was me coming back to them after an overnight break in and hearing a stark difference.

With a small little cheaply, mass, manufactured driver and its tiny surround you might assume it could change mechanical tolerance with a sensible break in.

That’s my experience, and I’ll stand by it.

Maybe some cans are broken in at the factory. Those Phillips must not have been!
 
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I guess there really isn't any downside to playing a looping soundtrack overnight - it kinda makes sense that the mechanical components might change slightly from brand new.
 
As I said, I have measured even 30% differences from out-of-the-box vs used drivers. It's no imagination. But the effect varies hugely between products.

The pseudo-scientific process of breaking in drivers using specific signals like 'HD music' specifically or certain types of pink noise is just superstition and is not based on science. The break-in process itself is very real and can effect the sound.

There are some audiophiles that are so superstitious that they believe that if you break in headphones while certain crystals are placed on them, it will improve sound :D
 
Or that crazy kid on headfi with coconuts and ems? paper. That dude is a legend. I think he was dutch. Played pool. Made me laugh.
 
Don't forget to break in your cables!

In all seriousness, while the "break-in" period of any piece of equipment is probably snake oil, my 7 year old HD650s would likely sound noticeably different than a set of brand new, out of the box ones.
 
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