Burn-in times revisited, I just almost finished reading the longest thread I have ever read...

Dr. Ears

Dr. Ears

Super Member
It was on Audiogon from 2014 titled, "Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD".
But this isn't a post on DAC's it's about burn-in times, what glares out at you is the DAC manufacturers are begging the OP
not to listen to their DAC's until they have at least 700 hours on them!
PS Audio ships a Direct Stream DAC with only 360 hours on it and the designer warns it's not ready for Prime Time?
While this is going on I am listening to a long playlist from Amazon HD through my restored Sansui AU-7700 with about 250 hours on it.
I don't know WTF is going on with my Sansui, but I had to get up every 45 minutes or so and lower the volume, which was a real PITA because every time I got up to lower the volume, my Goldendoodle, Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy decided it was time for another walk!
I went from number 2 on the volume control to a little passed 1 in 3 moves.
If, it's not burning-in, what is going on, I am completely sober?
 

Attachments

  • Sansui AU-7700.png
    Sansui AU-7700.png
    380.2 KB · Views: 20
  • Fuzzy4.png
    Fuzzy4.png
    787.3 KB · Views: 17
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
Dr. Ears said:
It was on Audiogon from 2014 titled, "Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD".
But this isn't a post on DAC's it's about burn-in times, what glares out at you is the DAC manufacturers are begging the OP
not to listen to their DAC's until they have at least 700 hours on them!
PS Audio ships a Direct Stream DAC with only 360 hours on it and the designer warns it's not ready for Prime Time?
While this is going on I am listening to a long playlist from Amazon HD through my restored Sansui AU-7700 with about 250 hours on it.
I don't know WTF is going on with my Sansui, but I had to get up every 45 minutes or so and lower the volume, which was a real PITA because every time I got up to lower the volume, my Goldendoodle, Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy decided it was time for another walk!
I went from number 2 on the volume control to a little passed 1 in 3 moves.
If, it's not burning-in, what is going on, I am completely sober?
Click to expand...

What's happening over a long listening period is your ears are adjusting to the average volume level. Not unlike coming home from working in a factory. You talk louder and listen to music louder. After a while you will begin to speak more softly and turn down the music. Your ears have recovered some sensitivity and react more to louder noise. The same thing happens when listening to music for a period of time.
 
I've only listened to burn in once (new speakers not included) when I recapped my crossovers and changed the tweeter diaphragms. For a couple of seconds it was horrible but in the time it took me to panic they sounded amazing. I generally don't subscribe to the idea that electrical components have a burn-in time of any significance. Electro-mechanical devices do seem to have some break-in period before fully stabilizing.
 
Dr. Ears said:
It was on Audiogon from 2014 titled, "Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD".
But this isn't a post on DAC's it's about burn-in times, what glares out at you is the DAC manufacturers are begging the OP
not to listen to their DAC's until they have at least 700 hours on them!
PS Audio ships a Direct Stream DAC with only 360 hours on it and the designer warns it's not ready for Prime Time?
While this is going on I am listening to a long playlist from Amazon HD through my restored Sansui AU-7700 with about 250 hours on it.
I don't know WTF is going on with my Sansui, but I had to get up every 45 minutes or so and lower the volume, which was a real PITA because every time I got up to lower the volume, my Goldendoodle, Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy decided it was time for another walk!
I went from number 2 on the volume control to a little passed 1 in 3 moves.
If, it's not burning-in, what is going on, I am completely sober?
Click to expand...
I can't say walk or a dog flips out and thinks it's time for a walk. Lately I can't I spell it out either.
 
JohnT123 said:
What's happening over a long listening period is your ears are adjusting to the average volume level. Not unlike coming home from working in a factory. You talk louder and listen to music louder. After a while you will begin to speak more softly and turn down the music. Your ears have recovered some sensitivity and react more to louder noise. The same thing happens when listening to music for a period of time.
Click to expand...
Thank you, that makes sense!
 
JohnT123 said:
What's happening over a long listening period is your ears are adjusting to the average volume level. Not unlike coming home from working in a factory. You talk louder and listen to music louder. After a while you will begin to speak more softly and turn down the music. Your ears have recovered some sensitivity and react more to louder noise. The same thing happens when listening to music for a period of time.
Click to expand...
I believe that's more of an opinion than anything that's been given any real comprehensive testing.
 
"Matt - the volume control is just the nature of the beast. It never goes completely to zero due to the technology used. There are internal jumpers that will get you closer though. I like it set the way it is because I don't want the volume to go up 12dB with only 10 degrees of knob rotation. I don't think its really an issue for you because you are using your preamp anyway".

Steve N
Empirical Audio
 
Dr. Ears said:
It was on Audiogon from 2014 titled, "Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD".
But this isn't a post on DAC's it's about burn-in times, what glares out at you is the DAC manufacturers are begging the OP
not to listen to their DAC's until they have at least 700 hours on them!
PS Audio ships a Direct Stream DAC with only 360 hours on it and the designer warns it's not ready for Prime Time?
While this is going on I am listening to a long playlist from Amazon HD through my restored Sansui AU-7700 with about 250 hours on it.
I don't know WTF is going on with my Sansui, but I had to get up every 45 minutes or so and lower the volume, which was a real PITA because every time I got up to lower the volume, my Goldendoodle, Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy decided it was time for another walk!
I went from number 2 on the volume control to a little passed 1 in 3 moves.
If, it's not burning-in, what is going on, I am completely sober?
Click to expand...
Italian mayor said everyone is quarantined unless they had to walk the dog. Then he said wtf is with all these dogs, do they have prostrate issues needing a walk so often?
 
Nixxuz said:
I believe that's more of an opinion than anything that's been given any real comprehensive testing.
Click to expand...

I dunno. I’d have to agree with JohnT123’s observation. I’ve worked in manufacturing my entire career and this certainly fits with my experiences. My wife knows when I’ve come home from work when she gets in my car and the radio volume is up. Same for extended listening sessions, I find myself dropping the volume over time. Maybe my ears are still breaking in.
 
jcg1112 said:
I dunno. I’d have to agree with JohnT123’s observation. I’ve worked in manufacturing my entire career and this certainly fits with my experiences. My wife knows when I’ve come home from work when she gets in my car and the radio volume is up. Same for extended listening sessions, I find myself dropping the volume over time. Maybe my ears are still breaking in.
Click to expand...

That's actually good to hear!
 
Nixxuz said:
I believe that's more of an opinion than anything that's been given any real comprehensive testing.
Click to expand...

Not so. I learned about it when working in steel mills. It's the reason we have noise exposure limits that vary with dB levels and duration. Our ear sensitivity is dampened by loud noise but it can usually bounce back. If you hear loud things too long, you experience permanent damage and your hearing can't come back to it's former sensitivity.

I find that I listen at low volumes at night but during the day, after hours of phones and computers that level sounds low and flat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom