Raycom Ltd UK Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 I always understood that new drivers (be they for speakers or headphones) tend to be a little 'stiff' when new, and that a bit of use loosens them up and allows them to reach their design compliance. This is an effect that is only significant at low frequencies where the cone travel is greatest. Some monitor manufacturers 'burn in' low frequency drivers by applying a sine wave with significant excursion prior to testing the speakers. So I don't think this is total BS! (heaven knows there is enough of that around in audio marketing!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 So I don't think this is total BS! (heaven knows there is enough of that around in audio marketing!!!) SERIOUSLY! At least this one isnt trying to rip me off and cant really hurt anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Collins Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 Never had a problem, always buy used, well burned in.;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 I would think a bit of burn-in time never hurts. I guess the main reason for doing so would be more consistent performance, over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 The web is filled with discussions over this, one could read much in sites like head-fi.org. One can even find mini apps for pc's that generate a mix of pink/white noise and sine sweeps with 'rest time' intervals etc. The fact remains that, even if it is true that headphones require burn-in, there's practically no difference between 'forcing' this result using the aforementioned solutions and simply using the headphones on different applications (monitoring, music), apart from the time consumed. I agree with all of this. I once had a 20-minute conversation with a German Sennheiser exec at AES about 20 years ago, and he shook his head and insisted that all of their headphones and microphones get thoroughly burned-in at the factory and will not change. The Sennheiser exec (who I believed was a VP) also said that their products are deliberately designed to age very gradually, and was slightly offended at the thought that the products they sold weren't perfect right out of the box. I suspect there's a lot of placebo factor in this. The trick is, unless you buy two sets of headphones, confirm that they absolutely sound identical, and then burn one in and not the other and compare them, you'll never really know for sure. My contention has always been that auditory memory is fleeting. Can you really remember today exactly what something sounded like 4 days ago? 2 weeks ago? More? I can't remember what I had for lunch two days ago, let alone if something was a little brighter, louder, or has edgier mids. So much of our perception of sound is tied to mood, energy, blood pressure, time of day, and all that stuff, I think this is all very ephemeral. I'm reminded of doing post sessions for clients where they say, "bring it down a dB," and I reach for a knob and they say "that's it! It's perfect!" And I'm stupid and honest enough to say, "I haven't touched the knob yet." And they say "uh... I knew that. Try it now." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 ^^^^^^^^ very very true! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 What about burning in microphones ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 What about burning in microphones ?? That one I have never heard of, and could only slightly see maaaaaybe doing for dynamic mics. But yea, def something I wouldn't bother doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) dynamic microphones are built, and operate in the same way as speakers and headphones... their motors are essentially the same Edited March 19, 2012 by studiomprd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Waldron Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Robert, I've got a deal for you. You definitely need to burn-in your 2 Schoeps rifle mics. I can do your whole system at once for you, speakers, mics, headphones. You will HEAR the difference afterward. People will call it the RPS sound....tracks will be platinum, not golden! Whole system burn-in ...$400 plus $150 gear /travel fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Burn 'em all!! I going to get a burn-in file for my laptop, and I'm going to play it for two weeks straight in my garage through all my playback speakers. I'm going to plug all my headphones into Comteks and point all my microphones at the speakers. It's going to be epic. All my stuff is going to sound awesome!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhyOne Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 SO educational, I mean I used to think I knew something..... Now, what can we do for eardrums that are BURNED-OUT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 a dynamic microphone is no different from a speaker or headphones... If so, can you post a non-joke photo of you wearing a pair of SM57s (or similar) strapped to your head while recording? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 If so, can you post a non-joke photo of you wearing a pair of SM57s (or similar) strapped to your head while recording? You can record stuff using your headset as a mic. I've done it (don't ask me to recount the story). Give it a try, you'll be suprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 You can record stuff using your headset as a mic. Understood. But the statement was "a dynamic microphone is no different from a speaker or headphones". No different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Reilly Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 "Now, what can we do for eardrums that are BURNED-OUT?" What? (obligatory "deef" soundie joke) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsnd Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 A dynamic microphone and a headset work in the exact same way. They both use magnets as transducers. they are just designed to work in opposite directions. If you hook a dynamic mic to an output, it will make a sound (a crappy one) If you use a speaker as a mic, it will create a signal (a crappy one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Steigerwald Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 If you use a speaker as a mic, it will create a signal (a crappy one) Old favorite in the studio: So much so, that Yamaha has their own version: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsnd Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I used to use a similar setup for a band I used to do FOH for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 If you hook a dynamic mic to an output, it will make a sound (a crappy one) ... If you use a speaker as a mic, it will create a signal (a crappy one) And then again... sometimes that "crappy sound" is exactly what you need. Famously, Abbey Road engineer Geoff Emerick used a studio speaker as a microphone to record Paul McCartney's bass on The Beatles' "Paperback Writer," and I think it sold about 5,000,000 copies. Story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles'_recording_technology I also know of effects editors who have used microphones to record speakers to "worldize" sound and screw them up for special situations. So ya never know. In fact, one old buddy of mine told me he routinely did that to create "telephone" sound in the 1980s, because it sounded more like a phone than just EQ alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toy Robot Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I agree with all of this. I once had a 20-minute conversation with a German Sennheiser exec at AES about 20 years ago, and he shook his head and insisted that all of their headphones and microphones get thoroughly burned-in at the factory and will not change. The Sennheiser exec (who I believed was a VP) also said that their products are deliberately designed to age very gradually, and was slightly offended at the thought that the products they sold weren't perfect right out of the box. I suspect there's a lot of placebo factor in this. The trick is, unless you buy two sets of headphones, confirm that they absolutely sound identical, and then burn one in and not the other and compare them, you'll never really know for sure. My contention has always been that auditory memory is fleeting. Can you really remember today exactly what something sounded like 4 days ago? 2 weeks ago? More? I can't remember what I had for lunch two days ago, let alone if something was a little brighter, louder, or has edgier mids. So much of our perception of sound is tied to mood, energy, blood pressure, time of day, and all that stuff, I think this is all very ephemeral. I'm reminded of doing post sessions for clients where they say, "bring it down a dB," and I reach for a knob and they say "that's it! It's perfect!" And I'm stupid and honest enough to say, "I haven't touched the knob yet." And they say "uh... I knew that. Try it now." +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Understood. But the statement was "a dynamic microphone is no different from a speaker or headphones". No different? essentially, they are the same, however most headphones are packaged in a form factor that is more comfortable in its intended use... I have modified the original post, in hopes of increasing the clarity.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Burn 'em all!! I going to get a burn-in file for my laptop, and I'm going to play it for two weeks straight in my garage through all my playback speakers. I'm going to plug all my headphones into Comteks and point all my microphones at the speakers. It's going to be epic. All my stuff is going to sound awesome!!! +10000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Trew Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 If the sound changes after being used for a few hundred hours, how do you know if you are burning them in or wearing them out? gt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Lowe Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 It sounds like audiophile rubbish to me. While your breaking in your cans, why not go out and buy some cryogenically frozen cables. They'll cost thousands, but they'll sound 1% better... --- I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?hqd4lo The proper term is audiofools. I did have a pair of Grados 325s that seem to get a bit better after getting pounded by a recording session. The bass seemed to reach a little farther. Might have been me though. What about burning in microphones ?? I've got a 60's U67 that's seen plenty of burning in. It sounds amazing now (probably better back then). But all jokes aside on the mic side of things, my 67 is a tube mic and I have had to "burn" in a few new tubes till I found the one with the least microphonics and lowest noise floor. It wasn't evident right after I put the tube in. I had to let the mic sit with a preamp set to a decent gain for a night or even 2, then in the mornings, I could get a better idea how the tube settled with my mic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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