I am expecting my new EP350 later today and have a question. I seem to remember reading somewhere (maybe here) that there is a break-in period for some speakers. Does anyone know if the EP350 sub needs this, and if so how to do it?
Thanks

Break in is a hotly debated topic around here. Many believe that it has to be done, many others believe that there is no basis for this and that break in happens in the user's ears and brain. Take your pick and grab a beer. This is gonna be long.

akaRadar,

kcarlile is correct. Any "break-in" needed--if you believe that the woofer's surround needs loosening up, which on the face of it is ridiculous--happens in a minute or two of your running the sub with some good bass material.

If the compliance of the surround material of a woofer were to change with use, the performance and measurements of bass output would continue to change over the life of the product. This doesn't happen (unless it's an old speaker from the '70s or '80s that used a type of foam surround that would often disintegrate over a decade or so).

As ken pointed out, "break-in" is largely a product of your ear/brain accommodating a new source of sound reproduction interactiing with, and influenced by, your particular room and the subwoofer's location in that space.

Regards,

Thanks for your replies. My speaker has already arrived and sitting in the middle of the floor waiting to be hooked up. The sub it is replacing is an OLD Visonic Sub-1 which has to be at least 30 years old. I finally busted it! Thanks again for your input.
Bill

Best wishes in the setup. Report back to us how you like it.

Speaking of subs and setup, have any of you used the 'Rives Audio Test 2 CD' for calibrating your sub?

Looks interesting and fun.

I'm still trying different settings on the speaker and on my amp, but I am pleased so far with the sub. I had another question about the built-in amp/power supply. I thought the power supply would go to a standby mode and the led would turn red when my system is turned off. It's been off for about 12 hours and the led is still green and the sub is warm, like the amp is still running. Is this normal? It's hooked up with the RCA Line In on the speaker to Sub out of my JVC amp.
Thanks,
Bill

I had my EP350 connected to the sub pre-out on my HK 635 and during idle time it would go into standby mode, get cool to the touch and the LED light would in fact glow red.
I wonder if it has something to do with your amp maybe.

My 600 stays warm continuous and the LED light stays green but after a call to Axiom I was informed that the 600s & 500s will do this due to a completely different type of amp.

Give Axiom a call and see what they think.

Oh boy, here's the question that nobody asks.

uh,..getting back to the original "Break-In" topic.

(well,..at least I don't recall it being brought up)

But,...here goes.


When I first got my original M3s, they really did sound a bit harsh for a few minutes, then I guess my ears got used to it. Now they are my "personal reference" speaker that I judge all other speakers by,...

Then I got an additional M3 to use as center, and hey, it sounded a little rough too(even though I put it in exactly the same spot as one of the "main" M3s) then my ears got used to it.

Next I purchased a pair of M50s cause the listening room grew up.

Guess what!?

Yeah, they sounded a bit harsh and had very little bass for a while. But I must have gotten used to it when my ears broke in.Cause they sound great now!! Maybe even bettern' my cherished M3s

So the Question Is:.....

"When someone who has not heard these speakers before...enters the room...

....What Do THEY Hear????

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So the Question Is:.....

"When someone who has not heard these speakers before...enters the room...

....What Do THEY Hear????

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A tree falling in the woods?

And I'll bet it's a very realistic sounding falling tree.

That's Accuracy

Crickets.

break-in or no break-in......I do not know the answer.

But one question that I have never seen answered by the "no break-in" group is this:

If break-in does not occur over time, that would mean the properties of the materials do not change over time. If that is the case, does that mean they do not wear out?

Things that make you say "hmmmmmm".

And vice versa-if break in does occur, why does it stop occuring after it has reached the broken in state? Do they not keep degrading after they reach that pinnacle? Especially with fast break in, that doesn't make sense. It sounds bad...now it sounds good!...now it sounds bad again...my woofer just fell out.

Before I replaced my sub driver.....twice, once to a 10" and then to a 12,...I ran the sub with its' original 10" full-range "speaker".....

(my youngest Grandkid finally did it in when she gave the vol control a spin...blew out a chunk of cone about 2" X 1/4")

....but the driver sounded pretty darned good until then; no rattles, surround tears or any other indications of distress, not too bad considering its' 1946 vintage

After the failure, I do have to admit that the paper cone did "feel" to be maybe a bit brittle

curtis, your question has one fatal flaw. Motion is not the only factor that contributes to the breakdown of a material. Sunlight and even plain old oxygen will eventually break plenty of things down. Imagine a pair of speakers fresh out of the box and played for about 50 hours and then not again for another 50 years. More than likely, the 50 years of exposure to the in-home environment would affect the sound more than the initial 50 hours of play.

all good points which is why I always have trouble with break-in or how a speaker sounds over the years.

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Crickets.

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dammit, Maker's Mark told me it was funny!