Break-in

Briang · « **on:** 1 Jun 2006, 06:43 pm »

Has anybody noticed a break-in period with the AVA amplifiers? I have a 550 Ultra.

Thanks

Zheeeem · « **Reply #1 on:** 1 Jun 2006, 10:05 pm »

Uh. Not me. Just with speakers. However, I do notice when I swap gear that my perception of that gear changes in time. This may be due to a number of different factors, such as expectations (which tend to be very high when I make a change), the ability to perceive neuances only after a number of listens, and that longer-term listening tends to introduce a number of different source materials which may bring out different equipment characteristics.

I do notice a slight warm up time for tube and hybrid equipment is necessary.

IIRC, AVA stuff is actually "broken in" on the bench before shipping.

WEEZ · « **Reply #2 on:** 1 Jun 2006, 11:19 pm »

...mostly ditto to what Zheeeem said.

Speakers change the most during the first few days or weeks, depending on listening time. And equipment with tubes need some 'warm-up' time...

I believe that some electronics do need a bit of 'burn-in' time, however. Frank has said that the time is short..and I have no reason to doubt that.

The company I work for makes LED lighting products. We 'burn-in' our products for 3 days before shipment. The curcuit we buy is 'burned-in' for 1 day. That's close to 100 hrs. total. Do we do it because the color changes slightly? (it does). No. The reason is because historical failure analysis data tells us that the 'burn-in' period will basically tell us that if it survives 100 hrs. without failure- we have x% confidence that the curcuit will not fail due to bad solder joints or other problems (resistor failures, etc.) It's an inspection/quality check.

Now, some audio equipment may contain capacitors that require a longer time to 'form' or 'settle' than others. The infamous Blackgates have this reputation. And I can say from experience with Blackgates that this IS true. My amplifier contains Blackgates and it was indeed a chameleon for a while. I realize this defies engineering theory, but by god, I could hear the changes.

Frank doesn't use capacitors of this type, so any changes in sound quality during the first few hours should be minimal. Even in my case- the sound was done 'changing' in less than 100 hrs. Maybe 30 hrs., or so.

Any differences will likely be subtle with most equipment. Enjoy your amplifier! You made a good choice.

WEEZ

warnerwh · « **Reply #3 on:** 2 Jun 2006, 03:23 am »

I'm sure my Fetvalve 550 is still breaking in after 3 years of daily use.

rockadanny · « **Reply #4 on:** 6 Jun 2006, 12:57 pm »

Briang, why do you ask? Do you own a 550 and are experiencing anything disconcerting?

Briang · « **Reply #5 on:** 6 Jun 2006, 01:18 pm »

Yes, I just received an Ultra 550. I am not experiencing anything disconcerting. I am just getting to know the new piece and was curious. Break-in has been very noticeable with other pieces in the past (non-AVA).

Also, I should be doing some comparison listening with Nuforce over the next couple weeks. I don't expect any revelations, but it should be fun.

rockadanny · « **Reply #6 on:** 7 Jun 2006, 12:57 pm »

Please post your impressions when you compare. Thanks.