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RE: Transformer Break-In?

Component break in is actually quite simple to demonstrate. You just have to go to the trouble to do the experiment of replacing a brand new component with an identical component that has been run for several hundred hours. But most folks aren't going to buy two identical pairs of MQ transformers, or Lowther drivers, or Teflon capacitors and just break one pair in. Thus they may not be able to discuss the differences that occur with break-in very specifically, because of the gradual nature of the process. Typically the differences are quite audible in an A/B comparison. We've also done an experiment - with Mike's help - to demonstrate that cryogenic treatment does a good job of accelerating the break-in process, by comparing new cryo treated and new non cryo treated transformers.

Please don't take the following as picking on you at all, Rick. This isn't directed at you at all, you just helped me to find a soapbox for something I've been ruminating about lately. For me this is one of those audio non-issues, and over the years I have decided not to argue about it with other audio geeks. I just don't grok why we get so wrapped up about a temporary condition. It's not like one is going to replace transformers or capacitors every day if they go stale...This idea of arguing over things based on absolute subjectivism or absolute objectivism or the divinity of the theoretical or any other pigoenhole approach to this stuff is not too interesting to me. We certainly try to take a logical and scientific approach. We do hypothesize, but then we get in there experiment for ourselves. We measure and we listen - one gets the impression that some folks only measure and never listen, and worse - some just theorize and never do either. We are willing to try new ideas even if they seem wacky. And a lot of them are wacky and don't work. But we do sort through them and we don't get too caught up with any religious fervor and try to shove our ideas up anyone else's nose

I did a tape demo the other night, for a very nice group of folks. The response was one of great enthusiasm, including applause after a couple of tracks. And yet occasionally one of these nice folks would come up to me and ask me to defend the superiority of tape over digital, or to estimate what digital sample rate would sound as good as analog, or to justify the signal to noise ratio or frequency response of tape, or ask me if I thought the club speakers were as good as what we use at the studio, etc., etc. I would politely decline to debate these issues, because the bottom line was that the music sounded really good and that is, after all, what this is all about.



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  • RE: Transformer Break-In? - Doc B. 04/12/0810:05:57 04/12/08 (0)

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