Silent Burning-In for amps?

My mates who know their electronics reckon about 10-20 minutes and you'll be right.

But if they're not connected to any speakers, will they pass any current? Can't you hook up a couple of bulbs instead to provide a load?

Play some Death Metal and the kick drums would probably create a strobe effect.

What exactly are you expecting to burn?

I do believe that the learned gentlemen that frequent this forum are unsubtly questioning why a 'solid state' as they were once called, electronic device would require a burn in to its componentry, unlike a device using tubes, which would benefit from such an action.

However, I have been wrong before.....

Indeed and in fact you are in this instance too.

Cos I still call em solid state *, therefore they are still called as such and not 'once called'. 

* Amongst other names which would be edited big time, lol 

Ok, so my Graham Slee Novo headphone amp is oft quoted as needing about 300 hours of playing before it starts to sing, (I think even WHFSV said same) but the X300s don't? 

I'm confused...either they sound better after a while of playing, or they don't. But who remembers what they sounded like 300 hours ago ? I can't even Remember the date.

Looks like there are a few skeptics here, at least as far as running-in a s/s amp is concerned. Me, I have no idea if such a thing has any appreciable impact on the sound, other than letting the amp warm up for 30 mins or so. Mind you, some manufacturers take it seriously. The makers of the darTZeel CTH-8550 integrated, which I think costs £16,000, recommend 170 hours before it sounds its best. It's in the manual. Just saying.

Unless one listens extensively every day for at least six hours, those 170 hours would probably take well over a month to accumulate. Do you think that the retailer would happily offer a no quibble money back policy after this time if the sound quality was not as expected?

I'm not sure how a manufacturer comes to the magic figures for 'optimum' performance, but it smacks of an emporers new clothes type tactic to stop punters from returning their gear.

I replaced my twin x-powers with the x300 a few months ago.  I did not wait and just compared them.  No contest - the x300s were sooo much better.  Much better base control and the musical seperation was stunning.  A much larger sound stage as well.

As for burning in - I did that as well but I did not re-compare against the x-powers as they had been sold.  I think that the x300s do sound better now then when I first used them.

Actually I think most people might be able to spend at most 2-3 hours a day properly listening to their audio (at least that's my experience, what with work, family, etc). So it'd probably take 2-3 months to rack up the 170 hours. So yes, your point is well-taken!

If anyone could link to any real analysis of 'burning in' improving sound quality I would be very interested.  It is my opinion that it is complete claptrap.

Mechanical systems (speakers for instance) may well improve with usage, but exactly what electronic compoments are improving through usage?  Have a look at any electronic component datasheet - do any of them say that the published spec is only achieved after some usage? - not in my experience.

'Burning in' - a technique of running electronic equipment at elevated temperatures is all about weeding out equipment that would fail early in its life and nothing about improving the performance.

An amplifier isn't a Ford Escort.

If you still want to get your amps run in before you use them dc, I'll (selflessly) offer to take them off your hands and run them in for you - free of charge, of course - might take me 6 months or so, that ok with you? 

I would need to set fire to my system to burn it in. It's class D and never gets warm even after sustained use.

I have some sympathy with the opinion, voiced above, that 'burn in' periods are a means by which (some) dealers can avoid equipment being returned by making the user doubt his/her own hearing.

Wait til you meet someone who says his cables need burning in. That takes wacky to a whole new level.

Anyway the whole process would be more correctly termed 'running in', as 'burning in' is a completely different process where electrical components are deliberately exposed to voltages beyond their tolerances to weed-out the ones that are likely to fail early.