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Just acquired a Raysonic cd 128. Strange seller as was selling from his mum's and so I could not properly listen to it. Had to use my computer speakers to ensure everything was good. Only problem was the remote. Seller had left batteries in there and one corroded. Lucky for me it worked after a good cleanup and new batts. Anyhow, it didn't sound like a $2000 player when first plugged in. Seller reckoned he seldom used it and going by the batteries which were chinese and I'm pretty sure were the original supplied with the unit I'm inclined to believe this. So it needs a proper break in. There's a repeat button and I can let the unit run for as many days as necessary I guess. However, I've come across advice, not explained, that the method of breaking/burn in is to run until it's warm/hot and then switch off to cool. This is what most of us will do eventually when listening to our stuff. It's not clear why to me but has something to do with inherent nature of the componentry. What do you think? does it matter which method is employed? Looking esp for comments by those who diy circuitry.

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I think the theory behind what you discuss it to put the machine through repeated thermal cycles to “run it in”

I have never really found that to be any more effective than running the unit continuously for a period of time.

The brilliant self-proclaimed gurus on this site will tell you that what I am about to type is rubbish but I share it after observing this phenomenon many many many times over too many years.

For a device, component, piece of wire, CD player, Dac, amp, speaker, cable if any type or whatever to fully run in it takes around 400-600 hours of active time to achieve this imvho.

Just stick it on repeat and have a listen after a week and then again after 2 weeks.

If you are a little ocd go for another week to take it to 3 and it should be pretty well at its final sonic signature.

Happy listening.

Cheers

Rawl

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What about the tubes? Will running the player continuously for over a week overheat the tubes? Do they work that way? My first tube equipment so know nothing about this aspect.

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Guest Muon N'

Tubes are fine, some military ones run for thousands of hours 24/7 in remote radar stations.

 

Saying this, I would never leave a tube amp unattended for long, nor sleep while on.

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4 hours ago, wahoo said:

Just acquired a Raysonic cd 128. Strange seller as was selling from his mum's and so I could not properly listen to it. Had to use my computer speakers to ensure everything was good. Only problem was the remote. Seller had left batteries in there and one corroded. Lucky for me it worked after a good cleanup and new batts. Anyhow, it didn't sound like a $2000 player when first plugged in. Seller reckoned he seldom used it and going by the batteries which were chinese and I'm pretty sure were the original supplied with the unit I'm inclined to believe this. So it needs a proper break in. There's a repeat button and I can let the unit run for as many days as necessary I guess. However, I've come across advice, not explained, that the method of breaking/burn in is to run until it's warm/hot and then switch off to cool. This is what most of us will do eventually when listening to our stuff. It's not clear why to me but has something to do with inherent nature of the componentry. What do you think? does it matter which method is employed? Looking esp for comments by those who diy circuitry.

"Running in" means passing music through it ... not just switching it on.

 

"Running in" refers to capacitors' (in the component) dielectric getting exercised by the signal passing through the cap.

 

Andy

 

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12 hours ago, Muon N' said:

Saying this, I would never leave a tube amp unattended for long, nor sleep while on.

I keep hearing this but I often leave mine off when I walk out of the house for up to a couple of hours or so happily rather than thermal cycle them which is more harmful over shorter periods (I use 2 hours as my rule of thumb). Have you seen any evidence that tube amps have spectacular failures more so than solid state amps? It seems more like conventional wisdom based on no evidence to me more than anything else...

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14 hours ago, wahoo said:

What about the tubes? Will running the player continuously for over a week overheat the tubes? Do they work that way? My first tube equipment so know nothing about this aspect.

Is this cd player in an enclosed cabinet?  If not then there is very little to worry about.

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Sorry to answer the actual question: I would leave it running with music playing into it (at full volume if it has a volume control) and connected to an amp (with its power turned off) .

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Guest Muon N'
3 hours ago, Ittaku said:

I keep hearing this but I often leave mine off when I walk out of the house for up to a couple of hours or so happily rather than thermal cycle them which is more harmful over shorter periods (I use 2 hours as my rule of thumb). Have you seen any evidence that tube amps have spectacular failures more so than solid state amps? It seems more like conventional wisdom based on no evidence to me more than anything else...

I don't even leave SS amps on, just how I look at these things.

 

Others can do as they please of course.

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Well I don't like to leave things on unattended excepting the fridge so I'll be switching it off when I go to bed. It'll just take a little longer to run in. thanks guys.

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On 21/07/2018 at 4:45 AM, kukynas said:

As Andy said, it’s mainly about caps settling down, 10-20 hours should enough, some prefer 100 hours just in case...

Yeah, nah.

Burning in of caps is just one aspect and they take a LOT longer than 10-20 or even 100 hrs.

Resistors, connectors, all components and even the wiring take significant time ( hundreds of hours) to fully burn-in, form, or whatever word you want to use to describe it.

I and a number of fellows I know well Have done comparisons many times with individual components to ascertain burn-in time and 400-600 hrs is the consistent figure we find for things to fully burn-in or form.

This includes interconnects, power cables and speaker cables.

cheers

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9 hours ago, LogicprObe said:

If it doesn't sound any good after 1000 hours..........................get rid of it.

Actually with the audiophilia bug, it's common to get rid of hardware by then purely because of upgradeitis.

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Sometimes puzzled by people who are seemingly happy with their equipment and next thing you know they've sold it!! At times they've regretted it. If you are happy with how your system sounds don't let others persuade you as to how it sounds to them. We are all different in terms of what we hear and what we are prepared to spend.

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2 minutes ago, davewantsmoore said:

How come?

That's what I asked before... everyone seems to think valves are prone to exploding and causing fires as some kind of regular fail event. I don't see it any more likely than solid state components and regularly leave both kinds on...

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3 hours ago, wahoo said:

Sometimes puzzled by people who are seemingly happy with their equipment and next thing you know they've sold it!! At times they've regretted it. If you are happy with how your system sounds don't let others persuade you as to how it sounds to them. We are all different in terms of what we hear and what we are prepared to spend.

Wahoo,

I strongly agree with you on this post.

I have been to homes and listened to systems and thought them to be very good.

Have then returned at a later stage because they have ‘upgraded’ and sat quietly scratching my head over just what they feel they have achieved by the ‘upgrade’.

Too many times I have thought things have gone substantially backwards.

A broad range of exposure to a variety of systems at shows and through club get-togethers  is incredibly valuable in helping one to assess the different factors that contribute to a great sounding system.  We can so easily focus on a narrow range of performance attributes that we want to optimize and accidentally forget about other equally important attributes.  Hearing other systems can help bring those forgotten factors back into focus.  The most important aspect is to dump the ego trip and listen as a detached observer with no vested interest in the outcome.  Sounds ( sorry!) easy in theory , but it is really not.

The fun game of audio!!

cheers

Rawl

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On 20/07/2018 at 4:51 PM, wahoo said:

Just acquired a Raysonic cd 128. Strange seller as was selling from his mum's and so I could not properly listen to it. Had to use my computer speakers to ensure everything was good. Only problem was the remote. Seller had left batteries in there and one corroded. Lucky for me it worked after a good cleanup and new batts. Anyhow, it didn't sound like a $2000 player when first plugged in. Seller reckoned he seldom used it and going by the batteries which were chinese and I'm pretty sure were the original supplied with the unit I'm inclined to believe this. So it needs a proper break in. There's a repeat button and I can let the unit run for as many days as necessary I guess. However, I've come across advice, not explained, that the method of breaking/burn in is to run until it's warm/hot and then switch off to cool. This is what most of us will do eventually when listening to our stuff. It's not clear why to me but has something to do with inherent nature of the componentry. What do you think? does it matter which method is employed? Looking esp for comments by those who diy circuitry.

I very much doubt you can hear any differences between a $50.00 CD player and a $50,000.00 CD player using computer speakers. In reality, the differences between CD players is quite small and you need quite decent equipment to note anything of significance.

 

I wouldn't bother running it in, either, as you'll just wear out the laser. 

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Guest Muon N'
1 hour ago, davewantsmoore said:

How come?

How about including that I said I wonldn't do it with SS either.

 

Why?

Common sense prevails.

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