Headphone Burn-In Test (rtings)

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/break-in

No says small sample. More likely change from pad wear and reduced clamping force.

 

This is one argument that's going to run and run.

I'm not against the idea of burn-in - I can see how a mechanical system will, through initial wear, settle to a consistent state. However all evaluative tests that I've seen regarding transducer burn-in show no change, or so little change that it would have a minimal to no perceptible effect on the audio.

Nevertheless I've heard it - or have I? I think in the face of the numerical evidence that suggests no burn-in is taking place I have to accept that it's not the transducer that's burning in, but me instead. In fact I'd probably go as far to say that the psychological aspect plays more of a role in this effect than any pad wear or loosening of the clamp.

In fact now that I think about whenever I've switched headphones for a week or so, and then gone back to the ones I was using previously they never sound like how I remembered them - I need to get used to them again. So I'm constantly having to re-burn-in, so to say.

 

@Tyll Hertsens did that test already a long time ago on innerfidelity. This is just a rehash really, they even used the same headphones (akg Q701).

 

https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-break

 

My liquid spark that I recently got says it needs 100 hours of burn in before reaching it's full sound signature. I thought that was interesting. I heard of headphones but, never thought of amps.

 

Wouldn't tonality be determined by I guess the general characteristics of the distortion (even if small)? I'd assume that when we hear a headphone that's metallic like say a Utopia or... Dita Dream or something despite having low distortion numbers whatever distortion it does have is consistent in a manner that's different to say an LCD-4 or Stax can. I'd assume we'd need even more granular equipment to see a clear picture of something like that but I'm not as well versed at this as many of you.

 

Troels Gravessen, the speaker designer, recommends running some high amplitude 50Hz signal to stretch out the suspensions on some of the PA drivers he uses. The guy with whom I built my subs also finds it to be common knowledge that speakers do need some run-in until they reach specified characteristics. Naturally, neither of them say that it needs to be hours, just a few swings close to Xmax. Troels even says that one could just push the speaker cone in a few times to flex the suspension enough.

It’s a good question @purr1n . What can one change in a headphone, without changing the frequency/phase and distortion characteristics? Intuitively, I feel that initially the suspension element of the headphone might be stiffer than after flexing a few times. This coincides with reports from my speaker buddy, he says that Fs goes down when the suspension runs in and Vas goes up due to the suspension losing stiffness. As I'm lucky enough to live in a proper 4 season environment, I have experienced a shift in sound characteristics for headphones and car stereos during winter. Subjectively cold transducers have a thinner sound due to missing low end. This coincides with the Fs and Vas changes I was talking about. However changing these parameters always has an impact on both the the modelled and measured frequency response of a transducer system.

I could persuade my lab guys to do a series of different measurements, to try and find out if and how dampening characteristics change with time in a headphone. As marketing guy, my money is always on people using the burn in time to get used to a headphone and zeroing in on music that masks their flaws. So, do tell if you have ideas that I could pitch to the R&D team.

 

I wonder if burst response wouldn't be the most revealing measurement of mechanical break-in on drivers.

 

That’s what I wonder as well. But I feel that changing only the damping of a system will inevitably change it’s frequency response as well.

 

"The changes observed were either too small to be audible, or very large and not repeatable, which suggests fluctuations in system performance or environmental noise."

How does one define what is "too small to be audible", though?

 

The beautiful thing about truth; it's repeatable. Sort of a pillar of the scientific method.

 

I'm sure it will, but FR changes too easily (in the small magnitudes that we're likely to see) just from the pads and headband settling in.

Tyll's concerns in his test were not unwarranted.

Impulse and burst response should be relatively invariant.

And just to allay concerns one should probably seat the headphone for 100+ hours on the rig before measuring...

It might just be a whole lot simpler to just measure a single speaker driver, really, no soft squishy head-hugging bits to be concerned with.

 

I know I’m a rando who no person with an ounce of wisdom would trust a word of...but I have to start somewhere.
Having recently come from speakers to a new headphone setup I took the opportunity to pay close attention to this controversial burn in. I’m significantly over 100 hours now.
The problem is I’m 100% convinced that I’ve gone through a huge burn in. My brain has learnt to listen to this new setup and appreciate it more as I’ve gone. It may well be that the phone has also had a burn in...it makes sense that moving parts would move slightly differently once operated for a significant period of time as compared to when they were spanking new...But I can never know this from observation of my senses as my perception of my senses has been changing all along as my brain adapts to appreciating this new device delivering air to my ear which I magically perceive as wonderful music.
The effect is accentuated by going from speakers to phones rather than phones to phones but I would argue the effect is still present in different quantity.
I cannot know from observation how much, if any, of the changed perception was due to a change in the phone once I am convinced that my perception itself has changed, which I am.
Which leaves proof to what can be repeatedly measured and yes maybe we’re measuring the wrong things. So the rando got you nowhere. Hey, what did you expect? I warned you from the beginning.

 

Kudos on at least introducing yourself. Welcome to brain burn-in.

 

In principle I would say, Great! Common sense lives! So-called burn-in is more likely to be inside the head rather than inside the equipment.

In practice, I would have to admit that even slight change of position on the head can make a change to headphone sound. Finding the best position is something we do over time. I don't have any experience with pad change, other than physical comfort, but I don't see any reason why it should not make a difference.

Want to do science rather than just enjoy the music? Buy two pairs and keep one in the box for a year. Then do a blind test (which, might not even be possible) one against the other. Science is important, but so is just listening to music.