However, after normalizing the graphs around the HzHz region it became evident that the changes were mostly in amplitude and not frequency response. This was most likely caused by changes in the clamping force of the headphones on the head due to the changes in the earpad softness and room temperature over the duration of the test.
The changes in frequency response around Hz in the normalized plot are too small to be significant and audible by humans. The frequency response of the remaining three headphones didn't show the amplitude fluctuation that was observed with the Q, probably due to the different type of material used for their earpads.
The changes in frequency response measured were too small to be audible and a lot smaller than the normal fluctuations in frequency response that happen due to changes in the position of the headphones between re-seats.
Specifically, the HF5 showed virtually no fluctuations in their frequency response, which means that the test system the dummy head, audio interface, and amp was very stable over the duration of the test and performed very well and consistently.
No significant change or observable pattern was found in the phase response of the four headphones tested. Again, the changes shown here are a lot smaller than the changes that happen between each re-seat of headphones on the head caused by the small changes in their position. The break-in phenomena reported by the users is usually quite significant, but none of the fluctuations measured here are significant.
Additionally, the LCD2 showed almost no fluctuations in their phase response over time, which is another indicator for the stability of the test system.
The harmonic distortion results showed the most fluctuation among the three tests analyzed here. This is most likely due to the THD test being the most sensitive to environmental noise and changes in system performance.
However, no pattern was observed in the fluctuations and the majority of the fluctuations were less than 0. The large changes in THD in the bass range is most likely due to environmental noise and room temperature and showed no observable pattern. The unusual THD response of the Q at hour is most likely due to environmental noise or system malfunction, since it was not present in the hour measurement. As mentioned, music clips were recorded through the headphones for subjective listening evaluation.
Although the focus of this test was objective measurements, a subjective portion was included to monitor for changes that may be audible to human hearing but not captured by the measurements. Here, you can listen to the same music clip recorded through the headphones at 0 and hours, and decide for yourself whether you can notice any difference in the sound other than changes to the environmental noise.
AKG Q 0-hour. AKG Q hour. Audeze LCD2 Classic 0-hour. Audeze LCD2 Classic hour. Beyerdynamic DT Pro 0-hour. Beyerdynamic DT Pro hour. Etymotic HF5 0-hour. Etymotic HF5 hour. No evidence in support of the existence of the break-in effect was found in this test. The changes observed were either too small to be audible, or very large and not repeatable, which suggests fluctuations in system performance or environmental noise.
Also, no pattern was observed in any of the changes over time, ruling out a cumulative or long term effect due to burn-in. The music clips recorded as part of the test also sounded nearly identical in a subjective listening evaluation.
It is therefore concluded that breaking-in headphones for consumers is not necessary, and won't result in any noticeable change in their sound. The user reports regarding the existence of the break-in phenomena can be explained as a psychoacoustic effect caused by the fact that human hearing is very good at adapting to new sounds.
So, a pair of headphones that were perceived as harsh a few weeks ago are now being perceived as more tame and balanced. However, we are not able to make a conclusion on whether break-in has an effect during the manufacturing process or whether the headphones tested were broken-in during the manufacturing process, since the headphones tested were retail versions of the products.
Our test was limited by the number of headphones tested, the type of headphones tested, the length of the test, and the type of tests performed to determine the results. Also, the conditions in which the test was performed were not ideally controlled in terms of temperature and noise. Therefore, it is possible that there are headphones in the market that would require break-in but were not included in our test.
It also possible that increasing the length of test by a few hundreds of hours, or testing headphones of others types with electrostatic or hybrid drivers would show evidence of burn-in. Additionally, we only compared the headphones in terms of frequency, phase, and harmonic distortion response.
Other metrics such as inter-modulation distortion or non-coherent distortion may be able to show a pattern of change that could be considered as evidence for headphones break-in. Get insider access. Best Headphones. Headphones Recommendations. View all headphones recommendations. The more hours you can get without having to loop the playlist, the better.
You want lots of different music so it loosens the drivers in your headphones and they become accustomed to producing various sounds at an optimal level. Incorporate periods of white noise and pink noise on your playlist. An easier method would be to find a video that plays pink or white noise on YouTube and play it through your headphones. Use a program on your computer to make a playlist of the burn-in tracks. Alternate the music genres to encourage your headphones to adjust to the various changes in bass, treble, and frequency.
Programs like Windows Media Player , iTunes , and Winamp are easy to use for making custom playlists. Add the songs you want, then organize the files by alternating the genres. For instance, play a country song followed by a heavy metal track. Download a burn-in app if you want to use your phone. Both iTunes and Google Play offer apps specifically designed for burning-in your headphones.
The apps are essentially the same as an audio file—with pre-built playlists that alternate music, noise, and rest periods—just made for your phone. Read the product descriptions and reviews to find which app might work the best for you. Part 2. Connect your headphones to a computer using a wired connection. Use the auxiliary cable or USB cord—whichever your headphones are equipped with—to make the connection.
Bluetooth tends to not produce very clear sounds, so for the burn-in, make sure to use a wired connection. Listen to make sure the music is playing through your headphones. First, simply ensure that your headphones are producing sound.
After that, take a closer listen and note the quality of the sound. Make sure the volume is turned up on both the headphones and the computer; check that each end of the cable is fully inserted into the port on your headphones and computer; and ensure that there is no damage to the cord. Make sure the volume is set to a medium level before playing the tracks. If the volume is set too high, it can damage your headphones. Part 3. Play the music for hours a day to slowly warm up the diaphragm.
Some people opt to run their playlist for 40 hours straight as soon as they take them out of the box. This may work, however, it also has the potential to cause too much strain on the diaphragm. To play it safe, run your playlist for hours a day for days to ease your headphones in. Joined Jun 27, Posts 1, Likes I'd throw in some pink and some orange to be safe. As well as two hours worth of whale sounds.
Quote: chewy4 said:. Joined Feb 26, Posts 3, Likes Quote: mshenay said:. Don't burn in with noise. You can damage your headphones that way.
How does that happen? I don't understand how random noise can do any damage as long as it is not at too high a level? Joined May 28, Posts 4, Likes Quote: xnor said:. Joined Oct 6, Posts 1, Likes Please first remove the earbuds or headphones from your ears, connect your headphones to your computer, turn the volume to mid-level medium , press play on the player below, and let it play for the desired time. The audio burn-in file contains a nonstop loop of: White noise, pink noise, radio white noise, Hz frequency sweeps, Hz frequency sweeps, Hz frequency sweeps, as well as a minute of silence in between each for a rest period.
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