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Do speakers need to be played in?


NickT

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I've just bought a new cab and I remember reading somewhere that speakers need to be "played in" before they perform at their tonal peak. Is this true?

 

PS: I have joined the Goliath III Appreciation Society.

Free your mind and your ass will follow.
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I've also read that somewhere. My speaker sounds better now than when I bought it -- I put that down to practice, and my sansamp! :D
A man is not usually called upon to have an opinion of his own talents at all; he can very well go on improving them to the best of his ability without deciding on his own precise niche in the temple of Fame. -- C.S.Lewis
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Most anything mechanical will settle over time. I've heard that playing organized tones (tuned musical sounds) may actually improve the timbre of tone woods on instruments. Maybe the break-in of a new speaker happens for similar reasons. Frankly, I have no idea if this is true or false.

It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman

 

Soundclick

fntstcsnd

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Yes. However, they may have been broken in at the factory. The component that changes during the break-in period is the speaker surround, the flexible, usually folded-fabric, ring that connects the cone to the frame. Initially the surround is stiffer than it should be, which both raises the Fs of the speaker (thus reducing the bottom end) and puts greater strain on the cone during moments of high excursion (which can lead to cone creasing).

 

If you buy any hi-fi speakers you'll notice the bottom end become deeper and clearer during the first few hours (as many as 20 or 30 depending on how hard you push them).

 

The only bass speakers I know of that definitely need breaking in are Acme ones. Initially they have far less bottom than you'd expect and the surround is very stiff. With the big power amps that most Acme people use, it's very easy to crease the cones during these early stages.

 

To break speakers in, plug a CD player into your rig and leave it running on repeat at low volumes (getting progressively louder) whilst you're out of the house. If you have a pair of cabs you can connect them out of phase so the bass cancels out and you don't upset the neighbours.

 

Alex

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I never thought anyone would agree with me but when I got my Advent Prodigy home stero speakers (via UPS) I noticed that they sounded much better the next day. I attributed it to the liquid filled tweeters.
If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing!
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Breaking speakers in has nothing to do with being extra careful not to harm the drivers. Rather it's being aware that along with more depth, they will open up more after 4 to 8 hours of play.

 

Although every speaker is different, this is certainly how ours works.

 

Mark

AccuGroove.com

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I've just bought a new cab and I remember reading somewhere that speakers need to be "played in" before they perform at their tonal peak. Is this true?

 

PS: I have joined the Goliath III Appreciation Society.

 

simple solution if u don't wanna break it in:

 

buy it used, saves money, and "breaking it in" :D

-BGO

 

5 words you should live by...

 

Music is its own reward

 

---------------

My Band: www.Myspace.com/audreyisanarcissist

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I've got it new, and I'm loving "breaking them in", including 4 and a half hours revising tunes for a dep gig and playing along with Public Enemy tunes.
Free your mind and your ass will follow.
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