speaker break in period? and other questions

[Insomniac119 10+ year member]

I just installed some components (typr-r 6.5") with 75w rms going to them each. When I very fisrt started listening to them and with the volume at a respectable level of loudness, the midrange woofers didn't sound too hot. They sounded pretty shitty in fact, like something was wrong, like a kinda "fwable, fwable, fwable" sound except really fast. I turned the volume down and the problem went away, well...at least I couldn't here it any more. After a while I turned it back up and I didn't notice it as bad. Every once in a while a certain note would get that sound again and especially with the "loud" button pressed (which was set to midrange). But the problem slowly went away and was less notisable the more I played them. I was wondering if they were just getting broken it...or if it's a phase problem? cancelation? It might be the installer's fault (mine) though, it was the first time I've done something like this.

Another quesion: the fiberglass door pod's baffle's aren't 100% flat because I stretched the fleece a little too tight. Now I get a small air leak around part of the speaker's parimeter. Could I just add some rope caulk to the edge of the baffle, let it cure, then crew them back on? I don't think it would be a problem, but I thought I'd ask the expert's first.

Click to read more...

 

[jsloan10 10+ year member]

Breaking in speakers is a well debated subject, somepeople think it doesn't make a difference and some people swear by it, most magazines put their test speakers through a break in period before doing a sound quality check.

I think it makes an audible difference but thats just my opinion.

As for the leak, if it works and it doesnt look bad then go for it, I've used alot of silicone in my day to fix small leaks without any ill effects.

 

[Insomniac119 10+ year member]

I though about using rtv silicon gasket maker stuff and putting the speaker on before it tried, but don't they say that the fumes from silicon caulking can erode the foam surround?

 

[cjjackson85 5,000+ posts]

Yeah, they do...

 

[jsloan10 10+ year member]

The silicone fumes will only be present while it is drying, the foam surrounds would need to be subjected to the fumes for a long time before any real damage would happen. Its not like pouring acid on your skin so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/iagree.gif.15d6c075ee8d3913ba26866d06993068.gif

 

[bigred78797 10+ year member]

Hah, breaking in //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif , I do max wattage tone burst immediately after install HA. But i still agree with jmac ( who doesn't ). But i usually don't break in speakers i rely on the over time factor and if the speaker was built with some quality it shouldn't make any difference rather than the normal wear of the suspension.

 

[klassic 10+ year member]

I'm one of those who believes breaking in speakers is a bunch of nonsense. I always want to shake my head when somebody says a speaker didn't sound good at 1rst or midbass was weak but after break in it "sounds terrific" or the speakers have suddenly become more capable and midbass has "come alive".

 

[negativezeroz 5,000+ posts]

well every audio company should atleast put each speaker thru a "break in" period before they ship it out...

Harman International puts everything through 100 hours of testing before they produce it then Im pretty sure they test each one before its shipped..so they are kinda "broken in" but not for a long period..I still "break" mine in..just personal choice

 

[Insomniac119 10+ year member]

I'm one of those who believes breaking in speakers is a bunch of nonsense. I always want to shake my head when somebody says a speaker didn't sound good at 1rst or midbass was weak but after break in it "sounds terrific" or the speakers have suddenly become more capable and midbass has "come alive".

Well I'd be lieing if I said that wasn't exactly what I experienced.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I'm one of those who believes breaking in speakers is a bunch of nonsense. I always want to shake my head when somebody says a speaker didn't sound good at 1rst or midbass was weak but after break in it "sounds terrific" or the speakers have suddenly become more capable and midbass has "come alive".

Well, it's a known fact that a speakers performance/parameters will change with use. It would simply be wrong to deny this fact. How much of a change with "short term" use could be debateable ("night and day" differences, for example); but there would be a change none-the-less.

That said; I'm still not a fan of "break in" periods for something dropped into a daily driver (especially the "keep it at a low volume for XX number of days" idea; since that would actually be counterproductive towards breaking in the speaker). It will break in on it's own over time with regular, standard use. Just plug and play and let it do it's thing.

 

[g30ffr3y 10+ year member]

im currently "breaking in" my sub with a little over half its RMS

wattage... only reason really is that i didnt want to throw its

max RMS at it right away and have it just die on me... id rather

play it safe and let things "loosen up" a bit...

better safe than sorry... but i know that technically it shouldnt

be necessary...

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

It will break in on it's own over time with regular, standard use. Just plug and play and let it do it's thing.

He speaks the truth - any mechanical part is going to break in with time. Full range drivers are especially known for this.

My old EL84 SE amp took a long time to break in, actually - 'twas a tempermental beast sometimes.

 

[klassic 10+ year member]

I dont disagree some things change with usage and/or wear but who's to say its for the better or worse or significant. To my ears my components sound virtually the same today as they did the day I made my final eq adjustments and I will say the same for my subs and the dozens if not hundreds of speakers I've ever owned from 89' to date. Now I'm not saying long term wear wont change the sound or everybody has the same experience but for me break in time makes about the same difference as adding a cap.

 

[jsloan10 10+ year member]

Some people are alot more sensitive to subtle differences in low frequencys while others are not, Ive been known to complain "Do you hear that?, thats not right", and the other person will say "what the hell are you talking about, I just hear bass"