Break in period for subs

If a loudspeaker is breaking at or below rated power in 5 minutes or 5 years it is either because somebody lied about power handling or there was a problem with manufacturing/materials or there was some other kind of gross abuse or user error happening. There's nothing that happens after (insert number of hours and the magic ritual of your choice here) that is going to be the difference between survival or failure of a sub. Or put another way if you're breaking a woofer, it would have broken under those conditions regardless of what ceremony you performed beforehand.



I think many break-in believers do claim this, and yes, compliance does change and is (and has been) measured. I offered to share some of my own data on the subject as well as providing several links to data that others have measured but I was attacked saying that doesn't mean anything. Which ironically is more or less true, because the changes in specs (most of which which happen very quickly) do not predict any audible difference over time between new out of the box and the point where they wear out and fail.



As are loudspeaker parts. In fact, I'd wager any well made modern subwoofer used within its limits will out-last the moving parts in a double diaphragm pump.

Sundown Zv2 spider here 8 3/4" version. Seems to suffer no ill effects from folding it in half and feels noticeably softer after just a minute of bending it back and forth in my hands. Since DD came up a lot, they use multiple layers of rather soft and thin spiders.

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Like the Sundown spider in the pic above?


Considering this myth is wildly propagated by some ultra expensive snobophile home theater product manufacturers I'd say it's as much as anything just setting the stage for the buyers' expectations when they first get the product installed and start comparing it to whatever they had before or whatever they expect. It's basically saying "hey, don't return this right away if you don't like the sound, just give it a few weeks/months and it'll sound totally different!" Not so much about "breaking in" your new speakers/cables/whatever snake oil they just sold you, but breaking in the listener to get used to the different sound or even just setting the stage of expectation which the user will create for himself via psychoacoustics.

As far as people gaining with fresh subs/recones this would be extremely install dependent and certainly inaudible (under 1dB, and in reality probably only a couple tenths, or in other words the amount of variance you'd likely experience due to changes in the weather, humidity, air pressure, etc.). If anybody could just go ahead and gain a full dB based on the suspension of a new sub those manufacturers would either be designing parts to maintain whatever specs gain so much or be scrambling to keep up with demand for fresh new parts to give competitors the edge.


And finally posting some of the music with <30hz material in it. Cool. I'll remember that if I ever have the occasion to mess with low tuning.

No you won’t, because you’re just being an ******* and demeaning to everyone really.

You were not attacked; go look at your very first post. You’ve got the biggest fangs here.

I’m a break in knower. A lot of woofers it doesn’t matter, some it does. I’d rather chew on marbles or bang my head into shards of class than deal with your c*nty attitude you immediately take sometimes. It’s like you’re so right that you’re wrong, because nobody is listening to your midol needing attitude.
 
If you asked for stuff like you weren’t being the absolute biggest prick in the world and a huge know it all, then like we could get somewhere. Your whole attitude has completely ruined this topic.
 
subwoofer break in is a myth debunked years ago.....anything you think your hearing is just psychoacoustics

I know man, I didn’t install hundreds of systems in cars and tune them and make all of these conclusions with my own ears. I think the demons and aliens were in my head tricking me into hearing the bass differently than it was. And like it’s all a lie...it’s the break-in conspiracy.

Who’s trying to trick us into breaking in our subs, sometimes?

I bet it’s the subluminati.....they rule the audio world, some of the best in the business, and they waste our time with break-ins, but only the chosen few realize the truth.
 
I didn't compare motor oil to spiders that was a seperate discussion. I made the tempering comment as a comparison. Trying to make an apples to apples comparison isn't really possible. Some people might understand what tempering does to a blade.

The evidence presented is simply manufacturer recommendations and user accounts. There is no quantifiable data available as far as I am aware of. In my experience with a few 3" and 4" coil woofers with various power ratings and motor strengths, there is a noticeable difference in suspension stiffness after some play time.

For me personally this is just how I do it. I give things with mechanical parts a chance to wear in before I hammer on them. Perhaps this comes from building engines when I was a kid, but either way it is what it is. If I spend a thousand dollars on a speaker, I'm intending on taking care of it and using it for a long time. To me, spending 15 minutes playing some test tones free air to listen for mechanical noises is part of my "receiving process". I set my gains with the speaker disconnected, and I do listen at lower volume for a period of time before turning it up. The beehive 18 I have now was given more time than anything else to wear in simply because it is irreplaceable. It got a full 10 hours of 500w playtime, then another 10 hours at 1000w, then it was pulled from the car during a baffle change and tested free-air at around 1500w before going back in the car and dailying at 2k. Would I consider that normal? Not really, but it didn't inconvenience me one bit.

Playing it safe isn't a bad thing sometimes. I'm not going to advocate being overly careful in everything you do, nor do I nessecarily see an issue with someone being cautious in their life. Everyone can do their own thing, it's their choice.

Do all loudspeakers need a break in? Nope. Do some need a break in? Possibly, so I'll follow manufactures recommendations just like I would when buying a car, or a motor from an engine builder, or putting together a new seal assembly for a $65,000 machine. You do you, and I'll do me. But I certainly don't want to not speak up when someone asks this question.

Matt
Based on this and your other posts I'd bet my life you've never seen the inside of an engine, never bought a new car, and never installed any seal on anything.
 
I know man, I didn’t install hundreds of systems in cars and tune them and make all of these conclusions with my own ears. I think the demons and aliens were in my head tricking me into hearing the bass differently than it was. And like it’s all a lie...it’s the break-in conspiracy.

Who’s trying to trick us into breaking in our subs, sometimes?

I bet it’s the subluminati.....they rule the audio world, some of the best in the business, and they waste our time with break-ins, but only the chosen few realize the truth.
He finally speaks the truth
 
Based on this and your other posts I'd bet my life you've never seen the inside of an engine, never bought a new car, and never installed any seal on anything.
Oof tough break man.

Not quite the inside of an engine, but I haven't had to pull this one apart yet.

IMG_20210722_151810.jpg
IMG_20210722_151944.jpg


2021 sorento, not sure if you need a license plate and drivers license or...?

20210306_102706.jpg


High pressure seals for this beauty:
16269817965463421684985777831362.jpg
16269818218793733106115294190729.jpg

1626981857799484943804004466969.jpg


So, ya going to off yourself now or are you done being a pessimistic, argumenitive, little *****?

Trying multiple times to make a comparison that he can relate too means I'm Eli5-ING some ****. Sue me if I don't sound like a harvord professor.

Oh and for shits, here is the machine that that intensifier pump powers.

1626982029134521532733568140609.jpg


Matt
 
Based on this and your other posts I'd bet my life you've never seen the inside of an engine, never bought a new car, and never installed any seal on anything.

Oh, and here is the sorento after a trip into the Ocala forest. Not super dirty or anything impressive, just the same car in a cracker barrel parking lot.
20210710_123208.jpg
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