Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

In this case, what constitutes 'burning-in'? Is it sufficient to just
leaving the power on for a week? Or does it have to be driving a load
(the neighbours are going to just love that)?

Maybe a couple of chunky resistors across the outputs would be ok?


--
Cheers, Des

On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 20:22:12 +0100, Des
wrote:

Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

Given some of the hype and other snake-oil that reviewers appear to
fall for, I would treat anything they say with a very large pinch of
salt. A lot of what I read is techno babble. (For example, a
longstanding and generally well regarded reviewer demonstrated his
total lack of understanding of Ohm's law in one article I read.)

If the components in an amplifier are changing their properties over
hundreds of hours in a manner that is audible then the amplifier is
unlikely to be reliable for very long.

If the reviewers said that the vast majority of hi-fi electronics
sounds pretty much the same (which is probably much truer than they
would ever be willing to admit), except when it was deliberately
designed to distort the signal, then their ranks would be heavily cut
by unemployment. It's in their interests and that of their employers
to conspire with equipment manufacturers to exagerate/invent
differences between equipment that the reviewers can spout upon.

Selecting an amplifier, CD, DVD or tuner is much closer to buying a
piece of consumer electrical equipment (like a refrigerator) than you
might think. (Speakers, headphones and record decks are a different
matter - but they are electro mechanical.)


--
Chris Isbell
Southampton
UK

In article , Chris Isbell
wrote:
On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 20:22:12 +0100, Des
wrote:

Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

Given some of the hype and other snake-oil that reviewers appear to fall
for, I would treat anything they say with a very large pinch of salt. A
lot of what I read is techno babble. (For example, a longstanding and
generally well regarded reviewer demonstrated his total lack of
understanding of Ohm's law in one article I read.)

I lost count long ago of all the instances where magazine review articles
showed the reviewer did not understand the basic electronics, physics, or
information theory required. Gave up reading the mags for about 10 years as
I found this so distracting when reading.

If the components in an amplifier are changing their properties over
hundreds of hours in a manner that is audible then the amplifier is
unlikely to be reliable for very long.

Electolytic caps come to mind here. However I would hope that a decent
design would be built to avoid this. Indeed, apart from power reservoirs,
my understanding is that electrolytics are generally avoided these days in
equipment with 'audiophile' aspirations.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

"Des" wrote in message
...
Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

In this case, what constitutes 'burning-in'? Is it sufficient to just
leaving the power on for a week? Or does it have to be driving a load
(the neighbours are going to just love that)?

Maybe a couple of chunky resistors across the outputs would be ok?



Bugger that - just *use* the damn thing and let it 'grow on you'........

On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 21:49:04 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:

"Des" wrote in message
.. .
Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

In this case, what constitutes 'burning-in'? Is it sufficient to just
leaving the power on for a week? Or does it have to be driving a load
(the neighbours are going to just love that)?

Maybe a couple of chunky resistors across the outputs would be ok?



Bugger that - just *use* the damn thing and let it 'grow on you'........



That raises an interesting point. Maybe, what is being burnt-in is not
the hardware, but one's appreciation of the sound.

Which is a bit alarming, really. Do HiFi shops exist that allow you to
take the kit back if you change your mind 3 weeks after you bought it?







--
Cheers, Des

That raises an interesting point. Maybe, what is being burnt-in is not
the hardware, but one's appreciation of the sound.

No maybe about it.
I visited my friend's recording studio recently. He's spent a lot of
money. Built an impressive shed at the end of his garden. Put a lot
of expensive equipment in it. I was impressed by the sound. For 30
minutes. Then I realised that it really didn't sound as good as my
lesser gear in a better room.

Maybe, what is being burnt-in is not
the hardware, but one's appreciation of the sound.

Very possible. Except that after mods I make that sound 'better' , the most
likely denoument is that the honeymoon period will wear off and I tend to think
the sound gets worse - not better.

=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.

hello,

Ask a boyracer with a Nova. They all seem to have them fitted as standard
together with front fog lights that stay on in daylight. They usually
remove the back window and point the speakers backwards to try and get the
car to go faster.

"Des" wrote in message
...
Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

In this case, what constitutes 'burning-in'? Is it sufficient to just
leaving the power on for a week? Or does it have to be driving a load
(the neighbours are going to just love that)?

Maybe a couple of chunky resistors across the outputs would be ok?


--
Cheers, Des

Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

In this case, what constitutes 'burning-in'? Is it sufficient to just
leaving the power on for a week? Or does it have to be driving a load
(the neighbours are going to just love that)?

Maybe a couple of chunky resistors across the outputs would be ok?

So use it for the first few weeks and hear it improve.
What are you, so precious that you can't listen to it until it's
reached optimum?

It's all bull**** anyway. As has been mentioned, there are other
electronic applications much more demanding than hi-fi. If burn-in of
components or cables, cable polarity, or any of the other snake-oil
existed, they would have discovered them.

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 01:12:06 +0100, Laurence Payne
wrote:

Reviewers often comment that it takes about 100 hours before a new amp
settles down and start to sound like it 'should'.

In this case, what constitutes 'burning-in'? Is it sufficient to just
leaving the power on for a week? Or does it have to be driving a load
(the neighbours are going to just love that)?

Maybe a couple of chunky resistors across the outputs would be ok?

So use it for the first few weeks and hear it improve.
What are you, so precious that you can't listen to it until it's
reached optimum?


Ok. I'm the first to admit that I'm no audiophile. My 25 year old
Rotel 810 amp is showing definite signs of packing up.
Yeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaa. A stone-cold *need* to buy a new amp. Joy, joy
joy... etc.

I'm prepared to pay a suitable wedge for the replacement - if it lasts
anything as long as the Rotel, I'm going to be stuck with it for long
time.

I'm thinking about an Arcam A85. It seems to be very well thought of.
I lifted one off the shelf at a local hi-fi store and nearly strained
a muscle - I think Saddam has been hiding depleted-uranium inside
them.

Now this thing costs nearly £800. 'Precious'? I'm positively friggin
paranoid! I do NOT want to cock this up, or I will have a very long
time to regret it. If it sounds bloody-awful compared to the one I
reviewed in the store, I want to find out pronto, so that I can return
it.

I found a review on the net that suggests that it needs burning in
(http://www.audioreview.com/Integrate...4_2717crx.aspx)
Could be all cobblers, so I thought I'd ask the gurus here.

And thankyou for all your useful comments people.




--
Cheers, Des