[Emil]

Spatials have caught my attention and so I've began reading the posts here.
Down below is a  thread  that states  you  wont hear your Spatials full potential until 500 hours?
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=180545.msg1897283#msg1897283 
Is that right? That's about 20 days playing 24 hours a day.
I'm not picking on Spatial in particularly. Its true of many speaker manufacturers.

Pardon if it's been asked before and I'm not being a wise guy but why can't burn in take place at the factory?
I'm assuming cost? What could the costs be and for what?

[abomwell]

My understanding is that Clayton will burn in the speakers before shipping upon request. I don't know how many hours is involved.

[Tyson]

With the X3's I saw major improvements at 50 hours, 100 hours, 250 hours and 500 hours.  That's pretty consistent with other top end gear, IME.

[doggie]

With the X3's I saw major improvements at 50 hours, 100 hours, 250 hours and 500 hours.  That's pretty consistent with other top end gear, IME.

Thats about right. I would add that at 100 hours they sound better, at 200+ hours they sound very good and after 400 hours they sound wonderful. There is no substitute for time with these speakers...

[newzooreview]

Yes, I have had the M3 Sapphires since September 2021. Physical changes over time in the drivers, capacitors, and dielectric in the wiring do make a difference. The sound is pretty good after 400 hours, but it continues to get better.

[AllanS]

How long should they go before auditioning amps?  I have a pair of M4 coming that will get burned in with a Ragnarok2 but I’d hate to think the first amp will be at some disadvantage compared to the last.

[franSSS]

How long should they go before auditioning amps?  I have a pair of M4 coming that will get burned in with a Ragnarok2 but I’d hate to think the first amp will be at some disadvantage compared to the last.

best to do the 500 hours otherwise you may get a distorted view....you want them as close as you can to the most burn in.

[AllanS]

best to do the 500 hours otherwise you may get a distorted view....you want them as close as you can to the most burn in.

Thanks.  I suppose that should have been obvious.  Patience may be a virtue but I’m not so virtuous.

[Emil]

My understanding is that Clayton will burn in the speakers before shipping upon request. I don't know how many hours is involved.

is that true? If so, why haven't you guys taken advantage of this?

For those  that are burning in your speakers, are you using white noise or music and at what volume?

I've hadn't purchased new speakers in a long time but I am considering Spatials

[Mr. Big]

The thing is all speakers as new take time to settle in. I used them as I would normally listen to music, so no extreme running them 24/7. I say after a month of normal use they sounded better, then over the next several months they continue to become more refined stronger, and better-defined bass and the highs smoothed out. Having said that it all depends on what type of speakers you are coming from if there were on the warmer side, or the newest trend of highly detailed with a lot of upper midrange and highs to give you that hyper-detailed sound. A guy heard my speakers on day one and he felt lots of highs and ill-defined bass, he said like all current speakers seem to sound these days, needless to say, he was not impressed, then a month later he said these sound much better, today he says one of the several nicest balanced speakers he's heard. His own speakers are $35,000. So that tells you how my M3 Sapphires sound even compared to a speaker that cost several times more, they hold their own in sonics.   

[foo_me]

Even though I read about burn in, I was somewhat surprised when I got my X5s a few weeks ago at how much I didn't like them.  I didn't hate them or anything but I expected to really like them immediately and was surprised when I didn't.  I even though that maybe I'd be in the minority to return them during the 60 day window.  Bass was there but not very articulate or textured.  Highs for me sounded subdued and a little congested.  Imaging was there from the beginning though. 

That being said, at 50 hours, I am getting what others have been writing about.  Everything has changed for the better.  Even without further burn in, I'm pretty happy with how they sound.  It's very much a joy to listen to now and look forward to more burn in! 

[Bingenito]

Maybe the moderator can make a sticky thread because break-in seems like a frequent question/ topic.

All speakers need break in and Spatial Audio Labs are no exception. Now some speakers need more mechanical and electrical break in than others due to the parts used. If you take a low resolution speaker ($200 Best Buy special) out of a box and play it good luck hearing much difference hour 1 vs 1000.

Back to high resolution speakers… the more pointed question is… are all hours of play time equal?

The answer is No. If you want to achieve 500 hours of play time that is 3 weeks of constant play and within those 500 hours Sound Pressure Levels and Full Range sound are your friend to accelerate mechanical break in. Case in point 250 hours of vocal jazz at 65DB C Weighted vs. 250 hours of Electronic Music with deep (below 20hz) synthesized bass at 95DB. Which do you think broke the speaker in more?

So if you lack patience like me and most others just play the speakers 24/7. 16hrs per day loud with bass heavy music and turn on some meditation music at like 55DB while you are sleeping.

Side note is that with the X4s as many seasoned users have said sound great with little to no toe in. I played with toe in to see why some say the speakers can be bright out of the box. If you are direct on axis (extreme toe in) you can make the speaker bright so take the tip from the gentlemen on this forum and get the positioning right which I will argue is the single most critical thing that you can do for a speaker besides the room itself.

[Zuman]

For those who are skeptical about burn-in (claiming it's merely the owner's ears adjusting, tastes evolving, etc.), it would be interesting to compare the opinions of those who had Clayton burn-in their speakers for them (thus hearing a "mature" pair of speakers from the moment they arrive in their home) with those who received virgin speakers and performed their own burn-in. Do both sets of owners follow the same satisfaction curve?
I wonder if the dataset is sufficiently large?

[Bingenito]

Opinions are like …. Everyone got one

Break in is very real and alters thiele small parameters of drivers and yes that is measurable. I do not pass judgement on those that refuse to believe it but will just say that people in general tend not to believe what they do not understand. Once you understand it and can quantify it… just all seems foundational.

Probably just inadvertently started a cable/ flat earth tread 

[DaveWin88]

Seems like we're always breaking something in Every time you get a new component in your system it does take time. I just upgraded my interconnects and speaker cables, now my system sounds flat. No real depth or nuance to the instruments. That being said I do hear the potential. Individual instruments have air, speed is there. Break in is real and the item has to be cycled on and off. I don't believe in just running the heck out of them and getting the same results imo.

Opinions are like …. Everyone got one

Break in is very real and alters thiele small parameters of drivers and yes that is measurable. I do not pass judgement on those that refuse to believe it but will just say that people in general tend not to believe what they do not understand. Once you understand it and can quantify it… just all seems foundational.

Probably just inadvertently started a cable/ flat earth tread 

You really want to get people riled up, just tell them that getting the speaker cables off the floor makes a difference. I can tell you it absolutely does. The sound stage just collapses when you don't. 

[Mr. Big]

Anything you add or change in a high-resolution system you will hear a change in the sound and that is a change in the sound, if it is better you never know till you try it. But in my 40 years in this hobby, the KISS principle applies. This is why all tweaks will always change the sound, but then so would 4 hard apples under say a preamp and they are cheap and better yet eatable...smile! 

[AllanS]

I have a little over 2 weeks / 80 hours on new M4, much of it at background level SPL.  Call it what you want but in my experience imaging and bass is a lot tighter now than out of the box.

[kd4ylq]

Mr. Big - I haven't tried the apples under a preamp, but always thought that a string of garlic over each power amp and a crucifix between the speakers was good insurance.

[Mr. Big]

Mr. Big - I haven't tried the apples under a preamp, but always thought that a string of garlic over each power amp and a crucifix between the speakers was good insurance.

Smile! Good One.

[Mr. Big]

I have a little over 2 weeks / 80 hours on new M4, much of it at background level SPL.  Call it what you want but in my experience imaging and bass is a lot tighter now than out of the box.

Any speaker or electronics will improve with use. They settle in, in speakers loosen up and things stat coming together, don't know about 500 hours but I can say in 2-4 weeks my Spatial speakers really started to sound good, and then perhaps a bit better a month later and that was with normal use, just playing them when I wanted to listen to music.