Speaker Break In - Myth or Fact?

[@drhfuhruhurr4253]

New speakers are like a stiff pair of new shoes. They need a bit of time to loosen up!

[@GrahamDyson-h9z]

As an 'audiophile' of almost fifty years. I've most often purchased used loudspeaker's, but on the odd occasion that I've invested in a Brand New pair, then YES, there is most certainly a 'running in' period. There is therefore, most definitely a period of time before they'll give off their 'best' sonic performance.

[@Panslapper]

Brand new out of the box my WD 12.2 sounded shrill in the treble, like an Eagle scream but after a few days they sweetened up as well as a more rich tone overall developed. The brittle edge vanished.

[@mrkitewine7700]

The documentation for my Neat speakers (motive SX3) suggest “a running in period of at least 200 hours is necessary to stabilise performance”. I don’t have the ability to do an A/B comparison between brand new and 2 months old, however Neat themselves have done it and have said the speakers do sound better after at least 200 hours in them, and even better with more time on them (they have compared more than 1 year old with brand new and have said the older sounds much better), I presume the 200 hours is the point where the change slows down and the diminishing returns really kick in.

[@Panslapper]

I have just bought a new CD player which apparently requires, according to online forums, over 100 hours burn in! It’s a quality player so out of the box it sounds very good anyway. After changing a CD today I could smell the caps and resistors, not in a bad way, in a way that tells you that you have a brand new product like a pair of new trainers. The smell was the electric current pushing through the parts and bedding in. I could see the break in period like a river carving a route on a mountain side. The initial pioneering is a little sticky but after some time the river flows more easily as the bed has been persistently carved out. I’m not an scientist or even an electrician but I may speculate that the electric current would somewhat act in the same way. If it does the the system in turn will have after some time a faster flow of power and so react or be more speedy in response and more fluid in general. I would highly anticipate that this would have an effect on most audio products.

[@MrSlipstreem]

As the loudspeaker designer below rightly states, there is a break-in period on brand new drivers. As nearly everyone's listening environment is highly suboptimal, whether or not you'll actually notice the difference is another matter entirely.

[@afrog2666]

Depends on the material of the entire construction, not all speakers require break-in, that`s pure nonsense. That being said, I have pairs of the same model from the same batch of in ears that sound noticeably different after a few months of use compared to brand new. IT DEPENDS.

[@terrykemp8131]

There is definitely a speaker break-in time, depending on the make and nature of the speaker. It would be great if you could review the Wharfdale Evo 4.2's. However, the size and dynamics of the room, also plays an important role.

[@MegaSnake76]

I have heard that with subwoofers you need to break them in , its apparently to allow the rubber diaphragm to properly seat itself.

[@afrog2666]

Not all subs, not all full range, not all full size and not all headphones. It varies depending on the materials used and how they`re designed, as well as of course manufacturing and QC. "I have heard that with subwoofers you need to break them in" Yeah, if they tell you to LISTEN to them while you do that, you`re breaking in your ears, not the speakers..

[@arvidlystnur4827]

Best example, my father's Jenson bookshelf speaker with 8 inch woofers and paper tweeters had the foam surrounds rot out. We replaced them with the radio shack kevlar woofers. For about a week the bass was real weak until the spiders loosened up, then the bass frequencies opened up because the woofers broke in. I'm a bass player who's choice of cabinets is ACME. The designer has special 10 inch drivers that produce low extended frequencies, at a cost of inefficiency. When they're new the drivers are so stiff bass players who crank up the volume immediately after unboxing it burn up the voice coil, trying to produce bass. The instructions are to play a CD continuously for about 8 hours. I looped a Focus CD for 8 hours when I unboxed my ACME 4-10. It sounded so tinny the first minutes I thought I got ripped off. Eight hours later the bass sounded better than any other bass cabinet. Years later I purchased an ACME 2-10 but being a jazz musician, I skipped the break in procedure as I don't play loud enough to burn a voice coil. I adjusted the EQ so the bass was solid enough for my sound but every twenty minutes the bass frequencies became overwhelming so I'd have to notch back on the upper and lower bass frequencies. This went on for about three days till the suspensions broke in Yes I believe speakers must be broken in. Wire and cable break in is nonsense. EDIT: I wrote the preceding comment before I listened to this whole presentation. I didn't realize how vicious this topic could get. Let me state that stand by my comment but could be wrong. It appears logical that woofers that need to travel in an out to a greater amplitude would be more affected by the stiffness of the surrounds and the spider. Materials do become more flexible with bending. You can't avoid the physics. I do believe however after watching this whole video, any break-in period over 8 hours is at best, diminishing returns, at worst woo woo science.

[@kongtzengchang4225]

I did try 2 pairs of them (1 monitor and 1 tower) for my self if they make any different by only play 1 speaker 10 hours per day for 25 days and then compare to the other one that just seat there and found that I may hear some different but not to the point of I care about. For now on if I like the new pair at the first time I will keep them If not they are going back as soon as I could.

[@barryedwards1336]

For Me breaking anything in from brand new makes sense and a sensible thing to do, as like someone said on here, even a pair of shoes, it could also be a new car, a kettle, whatever, the thing is, this should be common sense, to us all, in respect of Hi-Fi units, its your ears that should be the judge of when you have run components in enough. more so than manufactures guidelines.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

I bought Q Acoustics Concept 50's a few months ago. It was missing top end sparkle for a few weeks, then all of a sudden the sparkle was there. Guess it just needed time to open up.

[@rich.e]

Interesting topic. I've not experienced much break-in with speakers and headphones; not going to dispute that it happens though. My only finding is that those transducers I didn't like initially, still sounded rubbish to me hundreds of hours later.

[@joentell]

Thanks for linking to my old video. There was a speaker designer who broke in his speakers by pressing in on the woofer a few times. 🤣 Here's a thought experiment for people who believe in speaker burn-in. If there's a significant measurable and audible change caused by burn-in, why does it always seem like the change is for the better? Isnt it possible that it can sound better prior to burn-in? Also, when does the speaker know when to stop changing? Won't there be a point where it starts changing for the worse? Why does it always seem to stop at the point where it sounds optimal? My conclusion from my experiment was that whatever minor change burn-in made was so minimal, it was less than the manufacturing variation from one speaker to another. At the end of the day, the asymmetry in your room will make more of a difference in sound between your left and right speaker. For example, at your desk, I bet that right speaker placed near the wall will have more bass enforcement than the left if the left is only near one wall and the desk. Even differences in hearing capabilities of each of your ears plays more of a role than burn-in....IMO. 😉

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

Thanks Joe, appreciate your input. Maybe I'll just press on the woofers going forward! 😄

[@ChrisDaniel-u1b]

I thought the difference I could hear was maybe 20 percent actually break in. The rest placebo, and just getting used to that sound signature. Your comment has made me rethink that. Probably 1 percent actual break in.🤔

[@marshgatelaneposse]

I have always said if you can’t hear any difference between a new or a speaker with 100 hrs on it get any speaker

[@michaell1751]

I fully appreciate the need to break in speakers, but when certain reviewers talk about cable break in or burn in or whatever, I loose the will to live.

[@shemsureshot]

To me break in is when I test new speakers on various content to check if they are working. Psychoacoustics plays a huge factor during this process and beyond. It is closely linked to your mood which is why your experience with hifi can change one moment to the next.

[@McBeakerson]

I've been at this since cassette decks were common in home stereos. Yes, if you have any form at all of a serious speaker(whether it's fancy and niche or utlitarian and oldschool business) it will benefit from speaker break in. For serious speakers it allows everything to heat up, loosen up and this generally improves at least woofers but it will help tweeters. There's no room for debate but is it essential to perform? No. Some people are content with products out of the box regardless of the fact it will improve things. As for integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers and receivers, they also need break in(but the same rules apply and some people are content with it out of the box).

[@paulupton7698]

Ain't listening to music complicated?😁

[@OrbitalStereo]

When running in speakers, I would be interested to hear how people do it. What type of music or a dedicated test track? How loud? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ChrisDaniel-u1b]

Just something I do... And I know that doesn't make it the right thing to do. I find speaker/headphone break in tracks on KZbin. Ones that go from 20 hrtz to 20 khrtz. I will play those at a lower volume ( about 40 db ) for 30 minutes. Then I will play it at a louder volume ( about 65 db ) for as long as I can stand it. That's usually 15 to 20 minutes. After that I go for a frequency sweep of the same range at about 65 db, but I go to another room, and it is when I am the only one home. Usually 15 passes or so. And lastly I will play music at different volumes.

[@cunawarit]

Speaker driver break-in, at least, makes logical sense. Drivers are moving components, and it’s easy to understand how usage might subtly affect their performance over time. However, I can’t help but cringe when people start claiming that "burning in" the air in a room will somehow make their WiFi streamer sound better.

[@Franky2A3]

I have the issue when people build circuits and say after burn-in it sounds better. I think what's happening is that their ears are getting use to the distortion or that their brain is in training to cancel the distortion out. Speakers are a different beast, you need to break them in.

[@cunawarit]

@Franky2A3 Absolutely.

[@buskman3286]

It's your brain that adjusts, not the speakers (or amp, or cables, etc). We were moved to Mexico city for business. We had a nice house, built in the 1930s but NOW it was under the approach path for the Mexico City Intl airport. For a few weeks the sound of the train of airliners every couple of minutes overhead during the rush period was really noisy/objectionable. A month later...we didn't notice it. Visitors would say, "How do you deal with that noise? We'd respond, "what noise?" Break in never existed in the pre internet days. No speaker or amp manufacturer mentioned it at all. It's a marketing/internet shill ploy to get you to "adjust" to the sound. If you don't like the sound of a component the day you plug it in, return it. There is NO sound that humans can hear that cannot be easily displayed on an oscilloscope/other test instruments. That includes things like "soundstage" width and depth. Believing you can hear something that cannot be detected by test instruments is up there believing in the flat earth or that humans didn't land on the moon. ;)

[@turokforever007]

I used to live near a church and my brain blocked out the bells. But if I had a visitor they would say them bells are annoying I would hear them again.

[@ChrisDaniel-u1b]

A couple of points I would like to make, and I will try not to make this too long. I by budget speaers new. I have noticed a difference in all of them at about 40 hrs. I think 20 percent of what I am hearing is actually the break in, 20 percent finding the right speaker positioning, 20 percent placebo effect, and 40 percent becoming used to the sound signature of that speaker. Second thing I have noticed is that every month or two I change speakers, there is about 1 hour until they start to sound really good again. I am wondering if things get kind of stiff again, or if it takes me that long to get used to that speaker again? Feel free to comment on the second observation. I would like to have a different option that I might not have thought of. Cheers from the USA P.S. by budget I mean warfedale 225s, jamo c93, polk es20... ECT.

[@Roof_Pizza]

Andrew Robinson thinks paprika is spicy.

[@alanjipy55]

I take what he says with a pinch of salt.. Look no futher than the. Audiophiliac. And a few others.

[@ChrisDaniel-u1b]

😂. I really like Andrews video style. In the end though, it one mans opinion. And quiet often I disagree 😂

[@alanjipy55]

@@ChrisDaniel-u1b I actually agree with you.. From about a year ago i could tell he was on a learning curve.. I corrected him on ohm's law.. As my speakers are 8 ohms that dip down to 2.9 ohms.. He didn't know that not all 8 ohm Amps would be suitable.. Some can handle it but still be fussy in doing so.. Like an AVR under 3k.

[@geraldoram2453]

If after testing before and after running in there was no audible difference what was the point of it?

[@andrehendrik]

I'm considering buying a pair of speakers from a direct-to-consumer seller in Latvia. The terms of sale read "The break-in period of our speakers is twice the time-period of our warranty in your jurisdiction. We only consider returns under warranty for speakers that have run the full break-in period." Should I be concerned?!

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

That is a little weird. What speakers are they?

[@OlaJustin]

Before watching: Yes! Anyone who says otherwise must never, ever have bought a new speaker or a new woofer for a car or anything else. Plus, you can measure the theile parameters changing as the spider softens up. Now, lets see what you say. :)

[@liamporter1137]

Speaker break-in is true but may not be true for ALL speakers.

[@donjohnstone3707]

Thanks for this interesting and informative video. I'm sure that speaker breakin time varies with different speakers and most of the breakin, that makes an audible difference, would occur within the first 20 - 50 hours for the majority of speakers. Of course there are always exceptions.

[@user-thegoods71]

Definitely a little bit of break in is required.

[@nasdkhan254]

Its not a myth . Over a 45 year period I have bought speakers new & 2nd hand and getting used to the 2nd hand speakers was much quicker for me. If any of you go to hifi exhibitions, you can take a minute or two to acclimatise in various hotel rooms. I remember as a young man in 1990 I bought a pair of Spendor ls3/5a which sounded great in the shop but at home ( which was well furnished) it sounded like a portable radio. Dont mind admitting I nearly started crying😂 but 2 days later they started to sound good & a month later better than the shop. I had the same experience in 2003 with B&W 703 and 2020 with Wharfedale Linton Heritage. This time round I didnt cry & put a cd of music I was indifferent to on repeat for 2 days and listened later and was happy. The same is with amplifiers & cartridges as well but less so with cd players 👍 . Btw pays to be in a good mood, good sleep and dont mess with drink & dr*gs 😂😂😂

[@shaunyweaver1144]

Some do some not so much, my Triangle genese trio where we'll over 100hrs, but worth the wait .

[@Roof_Pizza]

Totem Acoustic suggests50 hours break -in for some of their speakers and 100 hours for some others.

[@middleearthltd]

I don’t think it is always about improving the sound I am building cabinets for MarkAudio Alpair 12P 8" Paper Cone Full Range drivers The experience of others is that it is important to follow the directions and that at some point, after many hours, the sound characteristics change for the better I don’t really know but I am going to do what Mark Audio says in spite of any opinions I my hold to the contrary That worst thing that could happen is nothing really The best thing that could happen is not damaging the speakers Setting aside these particular speakers, I have no strong feelings one way or another Here is what Mark Audio says “Running in: Carefully run the drivers at low volume using light music (NO artificial signal generation of any-kind) for the first 100 hours. After this period, gradually increase to normal listening volumes with the introduction of music that contains some bass. The driver will reach optimal performance at around 800 hours of play time.”

[@RowlyHester]

I purchased a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 100 stand mount speakers in September 2025 and had I not had previous experience of how speakers change over time, they would have been back in the box and returned. Yes, they were beautifully built, detailed and had a good balanced frequency range etc. but they sounded “brittle”, “harsh” and “edgy”. The experience did make me wonder about reviewers of speakers. If reviewers are receiving new speakers and are basing their reviews on how speakers sound “out of the box” then I’m sorry, I would have no faith. I would agree that different speakers need different amount of play in time to reach their best. My Monitor Audio speakers now have about 100 hours on them and sound vastly different to the “raw” sounding boxes that I started with. I do agree that there may be a certain element to the listener becoming “tuned in” also but these speakers have definitely changed so much over time. (very much for the better…….in fact, staggeringly good given the price point!) I always think of a wine analogy. A young wine may have the flavour but can often be edgy and harsh but a good wine will loose these characteristics and develop its flavour with maturity. How do instruments measure this kind of thing?……..perhaps same with speakers, it’s something that can’t be ‘measured’ perhaps?

[@RowlyHester]

*****of course, that should have been *September 2024

[@chuckmaddison2924]

I say fact, it's the suspension that breaks in , like a car. With guitar strings, when first fitted, they have a jangling sound. They settle in and sound great. But after a while of playing, they start to sound dead. But no, you don't need to run 24 hours full throttle with Rammstien. Something that never gets mentioned is transporting . Ideally on back, so cone moves in direction of road bumps and shorting the terminals will lock the diaphragms in place. Also people's acoustic memory over just a couple of hours is crap.

[@KLiNoTweet]

Get well and happy new year.

[@PunkCajas]

I think people nowdays have a lot of belief, for my experience and perception I think the only thing that adapts its our hears to the speakers we are listening. I bought the Tannoy Gold 5 for listening my old music and I really hate the sound of the speakers it took from me all the pleasure of listening. I bought the edifier s2000mkiii and I was amased right away (with akm 4499 dac) its just amazing the sound with no burn in. Someone told me that I've should put the tannoy gold for burn in that it will improve 80% the sound of the speakers... audiophile world is like a religion. I'm atheist

[@charlesstevens1994]

Break in is more pronounced in natural cone woofers, wood pulp or banana pulp(fostex). Carbon fiber and poly woofers are pretty much are what they are.

[@charlesstevens1994]

Then tweeters get even more complicated. So many different designs with different materials of construction. Let your ears give the answer. 😊

[@dertechniker8867]

The Thiele Small Parameter don't change significant- equal if they are new or after 100 hours. The "burn in period" is highly overrated.

[@Niels133]

I think both. Break in and getting used to the sound.

[@artyfhartie2269]

I broke my last loudspeakers by sitting on them to warm them up

[@Rob1972Gem]

I believe speaker bedding your speakers in is a real thing round about 20 hours but to be honest there’s not a massive amount of difference from the moment you start using a brand new speaker to the moment you think it’s broken in and not a lot of difference because think the flipside of a coin would be until 20 hours your speaker sound terrible that is what some people are trying to tell you and some of them more expensive bespoke speakers. They are putting an absolute pathetic amount of break in time that’s because they know their speakers are just good to average and they don’t want people spending tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds/dollars and sending them back sooner rather than later because they can argue the fact that you haven’t given them adequate break in time a lot of it is marketing. You will often find in these type of forums and these type of conversations the higher up the hi-fi system the more snooty. The people are the more self appointed gatekeepers. They are the bigger opinion they have and also slightly more obscure things they believe I think sometimes to make themselves feel a little bit better about what they have spent a lot of money on the promises so much you know where I’m going with that

[@Kalikrates_the_witch_1]

I bought a new pair of acoustic energy ae120..they sounded stiff and cold for a while but eventually softened and warmed up..difference was night and day

[@ianyates7742]

It’s not all about measurements how it sounds to the user myself I definitely hear benefits from taking my time and breaking in the speaker I don’t like The phrase burn in sounds like you set fire to it😂😂😂😂

[@steven2809]

Good to get a range of evidence...but other KZbinrs?? Audioholics? Andrew Robinson?! Really? Manufacturer conspiracy? He's a joke...😖 Why not listen to speaker designers? Write to Peter Comeau! Plus 'on axis' frequency response is only one criteria... what about decay time, timbre and harmonics....I'm always amazed why people don't want to believe 'speaker running in' has any benefit...it's just the modern problem of impatience....

[@paulnuyens4207]

For everyone who thinks speaker break-in is real, you are missing one vital parameter; volume. Speaker companies will tell you how many hours, but never at what volume. A woofer will move much more, and therefore breakin much faster at 95db than it will at 60db. Without the volume parameter, the hour parameter is useless. I have never seen a speaker manufacturer put a db level in the manual. If Speaker breakin was real, they would surely have and provide this information to the end user. But they don't, because it's not a real. Also, if I were a speaker manufacturer and my product really needed 20 hours of use to sound it's best, I would make that part of the manufacturing process before i shipped it to the distributor, retailer, or end user. There is no way i would want a potential customer listening to my products unless they are performing at their absolute best right out of the box.

[@afrog2666]

TL;DR: it completely depends on your surround, the materials used, the coil(s) and what power levels you`re at. SOME new speakers will never change from the day they`re new, while others will take some time to loosen up. And that goes for headphones as well. I know, because I have ears and experience and have done proper AB testing. Anyone who tells you you HAVE to do burn-in is wrong, and anyone telling you burn-in isn` t real is equally wrong. THINGS ARE NOT ALL BUILT THE SAME! So stop it with this "is it real or not", because it completely depends on a number of factors, including your personal hearing. Btw, measurements are just an indication, not an experience.. As if a 2x2" full range bluetooth speaker with a tuned passive radiator is going to be the same as 8", 10" or 12" retro speakers. The only true answer is, it depends.

[@afrog2666]

"is 300 win mag better than .338 Lapua?" DEPENDS..

[@mladenbasic1]

I really think that the break in is the person listening to the speaker rather than the other way around. I have experienced this being a recording engineer, finding myself listening to a track that I initially thought was harsh mellowing out over time without me adjusting a thing. Your brain is a very powerful thing.

[@jC-kc4si]

question, is the brain evolving to hear more details in sound or is it just blocking out unpleasant sound reproduction?

[@MrAKbass]

It greatly depends on the type of speaker. With most designs you won't experience any noticable difference. I once designed and build a pair of small loudspeakers with each a 4" fullrange driver. I first build one, and the driver naturally burned in during the build and tweak phase. After that I build the second loudspeaker. When hooking them up for a first listen together the whole stereo image was off. I switched the channels (left right) on the amplifier to check if it was the amp or the second speaker, it was indeed the latter. After approx two hours of playing music at moderate volume the stereo image got stable. This showed me that there are situations like with certain fullrange drivers that a burn in period is required.

[@nigeltrigger4499]

Speaker burn in is a myth! I have bought 4 sets of speakers of the same model over a period of time for different rooms in my home (because I really like them) and they all sound exactly the same from new or years old. I have also bought different makes/models and of course they sound different....... and it takes time for your ears (listening) to adjust to appreciate them.... nothing to do with "burn in"!

[@EskWIRED]

If they were in different rooms, and presumably connected to different equipment, how could they possibly sound the same?

[@nigeltrigger4499]

@@EskWIRED Same equipment, same room dimensions.

[@davidbingdingdong]

I have had many great speakers and I find out of the box they sound brilliant. Over time they seem to improve but I do think this is just your ear acclimatising to them. Some break in I suppose makes sense but how good is people's hearing really. Must be only a small difference

[@HartfordHD125]

You have touched upon what I have believed for many years now. Quoting an extended break-in period radically reduces the likelihood that a customer will return the speakers. From my own experience, the last set I bought was a pair of Monitor Audio floor standers. Yes, they sounded awful right out of the box, but they were broken in within a few hours, certainly less than one day, and sounded perfectly fine to my ears.

[@steven2809]

Get new ears....😂

[@HartfordHD125]

@@steven2809 My ears are fine thanks !

[@fergusjohn9720]

Same here, Bronze 2 sounded harsh, no bass and really annoying straight out of box. Possibly 10 hrs later they settled down and have been perfect ever since.

[@handokosetiawan2803]

I need about 3 months for my brand new Bronze 6 to sound good for my ears, which i played them 3 hours per day, it means they need about 300 hours to be completely break in. Now they sound smooth hi, full body mid and punchy bass, connected them to Marantz PM8006 with source direct mode on.

[@HartfordHD125]

@@fergusjohn9720 Agreed. I also have the Bronze.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

This argument was probably settled 50 yrs ago, why are still talking about this

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

What was the verdict 50 years ago?

[@michaelvincent8306]

Do I run speakers in no but I would like to draw your attention to speaker run off where you're daughter has a party in you're home and someone runs off with you're falcon acoustics ls3 5a and you cannot claim on your insurance because they were an invited guest my lovely daughter now resides in a local skip happy new year everyone 😢😢

[@UTILITARIANTVUK]

That sucks!

[@chrisnunya7171]

I don't, never have. I've only heard about this being an issue recently. In the past few years or so. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@lnielse1]

Baloney

[@erikwellerweller8623]

What the manufacturers are really saying is wait a long time until you get used to how they sound before you start bitching to us and the internet. I have no doubt that speaker surrounds are initially stiff and perhaps tweeters as well but it is hard to imagine that 10 hours doesn't loosen them up. And the word SHOULD is does not belong in the conversation. It's not an engine.

[@Peter-p7e]

Nový reproduktor má trochu vyšiu Fs ako hraný. To je celé tajomstvo.

[@meutubedou]

Whether people hear any differences in sound quality or not concerning speaker “break in”, they automatically “break in” as you play them.. This is commonsense..Many Race Car engines certainly must be broken in to perform their best.. As per the Dodge company’s recommendation, I put the first 5000 miles on a 1972 Dodge Charger at different speeds to break it in for a friend, while he was a year at one of Alaska’s Radar Posts.. My father was a Pro Guitarist and always spoke of “breaking in “ the strings.. Shoes feel better after a period of “break in” .. Your new La-Z-Boy would even feel more comfortable to sit in, especially if Leather.. 100s of things benefit from a break in period ..Like a good “worn in” baseball glove.

[@andywrollo2915]

Hahahahahaha 😂

[@lebowskiunderachiever3591]

I can confirm the Lazyboy scenario. Ours put me to sleep overtime. Sadly put it on the street last year.