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Post subject: How Long?
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:35 pm
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I'm picking up a used DRRI tomorrow with only about one hour of use. Before I decide if I need to replace the speaker I was wondering how many hours of play does it take to break in a speaker?


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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:32 pm
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Generally, about forty hours of vigorous play.

Before even thinking about replacing anything, I'd recommend having the bias voltage checked, and if necessary, adjusted for optimal output tube performance. Fender amps are usually biased pretty cold from the factory to extend tube life. This often results in a sterile, clinical tone.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:11 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Generally, about forty hours of vigorous play.

Before even thinking about replacing anything, I'd recommend having the bias voltage checked, and if necessary, adjusted for optimal output tube performance. Fender amps are usually biased pretty cold from the factory to extend tube life. This often results in a sterile, clinical tone.

Arjay

Thanks Arjay, I will follow your suggestions .


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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:32 am
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BTW... That is 40 hours of constant playing, so fire up that coffee pot .... :wink:

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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 8:01 am
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Just a bit of an addendum to what Arjay already said...remember that it depends on what you consider "broken in". The reason a lot of folks like "old amps" is because for many, older speakers sound better. Obviously this is just as subjective as which pickups sound best or which guitar sounds better, but older speakers do sound different than new speakers. I remember back in the 80's when the first incarnation of the Twin reissues came out, there was an article (Guitar Player magazine if I recall correctly) where they were comparing a '65 Reissue side by side with a genuine '65 blackface Twin. The reviewer said that at first they sounded like completely different amps...while the reissue sounded "good", it just did NOT sound like a real vintage amp. Then they plugged the reissue into the vintage amp's speakers and the difference was day and night...the reissue suddenly took on that wonderful warm tone that so many blues players and such really love.

That said, I more or less agree with Arjay's comment of about 40 hours or so. In more practical terms, depending on how much you play and how hard you play, unless there's really a specific problem with the sound right off the bat, I would allow 3 to 6 months before making a decision. I would also suggest playing the amp in a few different rooms as well before making a decision...remember that virtually any amp just isn't going to sound the same in your bedroom or basement vs. a full bar/club on a Saturday night.

Just a few things to consider.


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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 11:45 am
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Good advice above.

I thought this was gonna be about the song: :?


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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:02 pm
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Breaking in speakers for more than a couple of minutes has been debunked a couple of times. There have been exactly zero double blind tests where listeners have been able to tell which speakers have been broken in and which haven't. There are plenty of people who give all sorts of justifications for why break-in is beneficial, but common to all of them is that they can't point at a single double-blind test that shows that a difference can be heard, or that it's a positive difference.

What likely happens is that "breaking in" breaks in the ears and mind of the listener far more than the speakers. The listener gets acclimatized to the sound and likes it more.
This is all fine as long as it's personal use; then it doesn't really matter why something sounds better, only that it does. But when playing for others, the audience doesn't get that benefit.


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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 5:02 am
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Surely part of it is getting your ears used to the 'new' sound. I've had certain new speakers that I couldn't tell the difference from the first minute versus years later; I've also had several that I swear had major tonal differences from the onset until they'd been played loud for a period. That period varied from 20 hrs. to 80 hrs. depending on the speakers. The WGS speakers I have seemed to take 'forever' to sound good to me, but now they do.

I can't swear I could pass a blind test (which is the ultimate test), but it sure seemed different in some cases to me. YMMV

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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 4:26 pm
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I have a really sick mind...

"How long....?"


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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 4:41 pm
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maroonandgreysweater wrote:
I have a really sick mind...

"How long....?"

That's what she said. :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 9:12 pm
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Aah . . . but, how long does it take for that speaker break in to loose it's sweet sound? Or does it?

Note: My experience shows this unlikely to be the case. YMMV

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Post subject: Re: How Long?
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:29 pm
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Minnesotastrats wrote:
maroonandgreysweater wrote:
I have a really sick mind...

"How long....?"

That's what she said. :mrgreen:


great minds think alike :lol:

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