Rotel Electronics Break-in. Bona fide or Bogus?

[mb225]

I recently bought a Rotel RB-1582 Amplifier and a Rotel RC-1550 preamplifier. I have heard a lot of people say that the amp/preamp will need to be "broken in". I wanted to start this tread to find out what other people think about this concept? Do you think that solid state audio electronics change as they are used? Or do you think it's your ears that adjust?

The human body is an amazing thing and it's designed to adjust and adapt to its surroundings. Example, if you put someone in a room with a foul odor; the nose will adjust in about 15 minutes and that person will no longer smell the odor. So is break-in of electronics real or just our ears adjusting to the sound?

After all, I don't need to "break-in" a new computer, or a GPS device.

[hurin]

It is complete gibberish. Same as the idea that two speaker cables of the same material, lenght and diameter will sound different, just because the one is expensive and the other is cheap.

There is even a medical term for thinking there is a difference where there is none, it's called the placebo-effect.

[wettou]

I recently bought a Rotel RB-1582 Amplifier and a Rotel RC-1550 preamplifier. I have heard a lot of people say that the amp/preamp will need to be "broken in". I wanted to start this tread to find out what other people think about this concept? Do you think that solid state audio electronics change as they are used? Or do you think it's your ears that adjust?

The human body is an amazing thing and it's designed to adjust and adapt to its surroundings. Example, if you put someone in a room with a foul odor; the nose will adjust in about 15 minutes and that person will no longer smell the odor. So is break-in of electronics real or just our ears adjusting to the sound?

After all, I don't need to "break-in" a new computer, or a GPS device.

I have always wonder about that but it is just like cars and other electronic equipment the cycle of current and heat are definitely affecting the components.

[hurin]

I have always wonder about that but it is just like cars and other electronic equipment the cycle of current and heat are definitely affecting the components.

This is not a meaningfull comparison. A warm car engine is more efficient than a cold, and consumer electronic equipment that cannot work properly under normal conditions is defective.

[mb225]

"Be advised that this is a public poll: other users can see the choice(s) you selected."

Does anyone know if I can take this off? I want others to see the results, but I don't want users to be listed. I want ppl to actually respond. Sorry, this is my first poll!

[mb225]

I would be interested to know if anyone has ever had the opportunity to test 2 identical pieces of electronics, 1 broken in and one brand new, in a side-by-side comparison. Could you hear the difference?

[Industrial]

If there was a difference I didn't hear/notice it. I went from a Yamaha receiver to 15 series Rotel and was impressesed from the start.

[Alaric]

I would be interested to know if anyone has ever had the opportunity to test 2 identical pieces of electronics, 1 broken in and one brand new, in a side-by-side comparison. Could you hear the difference?

Now that is a damn fine question. :T My budget integrated definitely picked up headroom and detail with break-in and it wasn't my speaker cones breaking in. I ran the speakers for a week facing each other , one out of phase , with the horrible Fisher BPC integrated I had laying around. The changes in the sound were from my amp. I'm also sure my speakers got better after break-in (I checked them before break-in) but it's all subjective without a time machine.

[Ferres]

Some do some don't. My 1077 needed it and the 1092 didn't.

[wettou]

I would be interested to know if anyone has ever had the opportunity to test 2 identical pieces of electronics, 1 broken in and one brand new, in a side-by-side comparison. Could you hear the difference?

Unfortunately not! That would be interesting indeed

[Space]

One time I was walking into a hi-fi shop as a customer was walking out with a new power conditioner product. The salesman was saying, "It might not sound like much when you first plug it in, but the sound will really sweeten up in a few weeks." It seemed pretty obvious to me that this was a dubious claim designed to dodge buyer's remorse. If the customer decides to live with it for a few weeks even after it fails to do anything, he may become resigned to having spent the money. Or he may decide he can hear an improvement after all even if nothing really changes. Thus I checked the second option in the poll.

[mb225]

One time I was walking into a hi-fi shop as a customer was walking out with a new power conditioner product. The salesman was saying, "It might not sound like much when you first plug it in, but the sound will really sweeten up in a few weeks." It seemed pretty obvious to me that this was a dubious claim designed to dodge buyer's remorse. If the customer decides to live with it for a few weeks even after it fails to do anything, he may become resigned to having spent the money. Or he may decide he can hear an improvement after all even if nothing really changes. Thus I checked the second option in the poll.

Haha! :rofl: I couldn't agree more.

When I brought home my RB-1582 I thought it sounded bright (it turned out to be a cable issue). But I called my dealer and the first thing he said was that I needed to let it "break-in". I said, I played music for about 20-hours this weekend. He said you need between 200-400 hours before it will reach its potential. The store has a 7-day (money back) return policy. Even if I ran the amp 24/7 from the day I bought it I would only get 168 hours on it before my 7-days was up!! Sounds a bit fishy to me!

Luckily, they have a 30-day (store credit) return policy too. So I was able to work out the issue with some type of insurance. But it really seems like great way to keep "buyer's remorse" under control.

Think about it... You just bought thousands of dollars of equipment. You get it home and it doesn't sound that great. No problem, it's going back! But wait.... You didn't let it break in. Okay, I'll keep it for a few more days and see if it sounds any better in a few days. By now, your ears have started adjusting to the sound and you think... It does sound better.

It's a great sales tactic. :twisted:

I think some things might need break-in. I'm just not that convinced solid state electronics are one of them. But I don't have much experience in this... So I might be wrong. :huh:

[lotones]

My experience has been that it's real but not all electronics need "burn-in". Not only my 1068 but my electrostats need an hour or two to recover every time we have a power outage lasting more than a few hours (too often here), and I've experienced the same "burn-in "period swapping the 1068 in and out after repair (so no, it's not just the stats). After a week or so of being unplugged it can take a few days for my system (same settings) to sound "right". I have to remind myself not to start tweaking the setup until things settle down.

However I've owned many, many pieces of audio equipment that haven't sounded better or worse with hours - years of use.

[macwrede]

I have always been skeptical of break-in, but my recent experience has convinced me otherwise. As a mostly happy owner of a RSP-1068 for almost 5 years, after the DSP board went bad for the 5th time, Rotel replaced it with a new 1069. (Talk about oustanding customer service!) My initial reaction upon firing up the 1069 was utter and total disappointment. It sounded nothing like the 1068. Everything sounded 'muddy', the soundstage was narrow and flat. I was devastated. However, after having had the unit for about a month now, I could not be happier. Everything has opened up beautifully, with more definition than the 1068 ever had. I really don't think its just me getting accustomed to inferior sound. Count me solidly on the side of 'real'.

[PewterTA]

I had the same experience with my RSP-1098 as Macwrede. Along with the RMB-1095 and RB-1080. Didn't like the sound until a few weeks into it. And it wasn't a gradual liking of it. One day I turned the sound up decently loud and pushed the amps pretty hard. After that, they sounded 100x better than they had the day before. Went from almost no bass to tons of bass.

I also noticed this with EVERY CDP I've used, they all take about a week or two to get a decent sound from them. MY Cambridge Audio Azur 640cV1 and v2 both got better. The 840C was pretty good from the beginning, but after a couple of weeks I really noticed better sound staging and an over all cleaner sound from it. It was enough that I almost returned the 840c because the 640v2 sounded much better. I knew I had to give it some time to see if it got better because how could they charge 2x the amount for something that sounded worse. To my delight it definitely opened and cleaned up along with producing some amazing bass on CDs that I thought had none.

I definitely think it's there, equipment needs time to heat up and cool down a few times to get into the state it's going to stay in.

[wkhanna]

You guys will do anything to justify the money you spend! :roll:

I have gone thru 3 power amps, three CDP’s, two DVD-P’s, an FM tuner, two Pre Amps, three sets of vacuum tubes and more cables than I care to think about just in the past 3 years. In all that time I have never heard a change in my system’s sound by simply letting a piece of equipment ‘run in’.

Then again, every piece of equipment I have acquired in that time was purchased ’used’! :twisted:

OK, I am just kidding! (but not about all my equipment being second-hand)

I can say the two cartridges I bought brand new changed over time. One took about 50 hours and the difference was V clear as both the upper and lower frequencies opened up, the other started out good and improved slightly over about ten hours play time and has since remained stable.

Truth is, all my tubes were new and ‘burnt in’ in about ten to twenty hours, too. Again, the upper and lower ends both flushed out after some time along with increased clarity in the mids.

One thing I know for sure, my system needs 30 minutes run time to come ‘on tune’. I always make sure to ‘power on’ as soon as I get home from work, that way it’s ready when I finally set down and relax for some serious listening.

So while I can not say I have experienced the ‘burn-in’ phenomena of a brand spanking new major piece of equipment, everything I have experienced and all that I have heard and read from those I respect and trust the most make it a plausible reality for me.

[bigburner]

Break-in occurs in the listener's head, not in the equipment.

Nigel.

[PewterTA]

Then how to you explain someone that heard the system the first day you set it up and comes back months later and without prompting says, "Wow, what did you do to your system, it sounds much better than when I was here last."

When nothing had changed in my system.

If it's all in ones head (which I'm not saying it's not), I just don't know how that factors in. It's a 50/50 equipment/head ratio I think though.

[Opus007]

I am a firm believer in breakin time.Hell, it took me a long time to break my woman in to get her to full potential.And to this day I still have to warm her up to get the best out of her. ;x(

[bigburner]

Then how to you explain someone that heard the system the first day you set it up and comes back months later and without prompting says, "Wow, what did you do to your system, it sounds much better than when I was here last."

When nothing had changed in my system.

I think it comes down to the mood of the listener. Some days my system sounds fantastic. Other times it doesn't sound that great - for example, when I decide to listen to music just because my house is empty and the opportunity is there. On those days I find it's best if I do something other than listen to music.

Nigel.

[PewterTA]

I am a firm believer in breakin time.Hell, it took me a long time to break my woman in to get her to full potential.And to this day I still have to warm her up to get the best out of her. ;x(

:rofl:

Enough proof for me! :T

[SkyDover]

I remember when I mentioned this with my amps breakin and quickly became on shaky grounds with some upset with me that there is no break in period but in my head.
After that.... I avoided mentioning it on forums with how badly I was treated. So now I just wonder if it's all in my head or real.

[Opus007]

I remember when I mentioned this with my amps breakin and quickly became on shaky grounds with some upset with me that there is no break in period but in my head.
After that.... I avoided mentioning it on forums with how badly I was treated. So now I just wonder if it's all in my head or real.

The problem is that there are those that believe and those that do not.I am on the side of the believers.
You will also get the same debate for cables.I use to be on the side of the fence that wire was wire and there was no break in time.I went a on cableing binge a while back that lasted almost a year and I can tell you there is a diffence in different cables and break in time.Never curb your thoughts because of others on this forum or any other.Whether others agree with you or not is of little importance.This is just my 2cents worth.