breaking in speakers?

[doghouseman]

Thinking of hooking my phone to a guitar cab speaker to break it in. This is a Celestion 80 in a Fender Tweed cab.

Should I run this for a long time? Or is it better to run it loud for a short amount of time?

 

[Boreas]

Personally, I would play it as you normally would, but as often as you can. I would avoid really high levels for a couple hours, but after that, don't be afraid to play it at your normal levels. If you play quietly, you may want to crank it a couple times for an hour or so to loosen the cone and VC to their full excursion. All you are doing is seating the voice coil and flexing the stiffness out of the cone. I would also dime the bass and treble.

It may gradually change to your ear over time - for better or worse - but that is normal.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Deleted

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I would just play, and not worry about it.

 

[doghouseman]

I would just play, and not worry about it.

or i could sell it and let someone else break it in.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

or i could sell it and let someone else break it in.

K

 

[Milspec]

Breaking in speakers is like breaking in a new motor for your car, there are 2 camps on the best method.

1. Drive it carefully for awhile before pushing it hard
2. Drive it like you stole it from the start

When it comes to speakers, I just ignore the whole thing and play as normal.

 

[Alex W]

If you are impatient there is nothing wrong with using recorded music to break in a speaker. I wouldn't play it super loud, though. On the other hand, if you have the time it is actually interesting to hear for yourself how the sound of a speaker changes as it's broken in.

 

[Killing Floor]

I figure if you can pay a random college kid to stand in line for 6 hours to get you barbeque I bet you could start a side hustle breaking in amps. Some snooty boutique guys will do a burn in and some speaker makers will advise on frequencies. But the easiest thing is just play it a few days at a reasonable level before you dime it. Is it really 100% necessary? I don't know. I've heard both ways.

 

[W.L.Weller]

Send it to me, I'll whale on it @ whatever wattage/SPL for as many hours as you want. Which Celestion speaker, the Seventy 80? I'll send you the one I have, perfectly broken in. You send me yours. Pay for the shipping and I'll do it

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Breaking in speakers is like breaking in a new motor for your car, there are 2 camps on the best method.

1. Drive it carefully for awhile before pushing it hard
2. Drive it like you stole it from the start

When it comes to speakers, I just ignore the whole thing and play as normal.

I have often heard talk OF break in, but I have never heard a speaker actually break in.

I’ve only heard speakers change right before voice coil blows, but it usually doesn’t last long!

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I figure if you can pay a random college kid to stand in line for 6 hours to get you barbeque I bet you could start a side hustle breaking in amps. Some snooty boutique guys will do a burn in and some speaker makers will advise on frequencies. But the easiest thing is just play it a few days at a reasonable level before you dime it. Is it really 100% necessary? I don't know. I've heard both ways.

I think I remember one speaker company offering speaker break in for an additional fee.

Sounds like a racket to me. Charge extra to hold the speaker for a few days before shipping. Players are now demanding it (because of the internet) so it seems totally legit, and in their defense the speaker manufacturers who do so “might” be unaware that it’s a myth.

It makes me wonder why they even bother to publish speaker specs since the specs would change as the speaker breaks in.

 

[Old Deaf Roadie]

I have changed out speakers in the middle of a concert set which went immediately to full program power. We did it between songs so it didn't slam the driver as hard. There was no adverse later on.

I think it probably depends on what kind of power you are sending the speaker. Nice, rounded sine waves are fine at high power, but square waves will kill any speaker, eventually.

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

From my last experience, I suspect my neighbours would suggest some kind of bat or sledgehammer.

 

[Killing Floor]

I think I remember one speaker company offering speaker break in for an additional fee.

Sounds like a racket to me. Charge extra to hold the speaker for a few days before shipping. Players are now demanding it (because of the internet) so it seems totally legit, and in their defense the speaker manufacturers who do so “might” be unaware that it’s a myth.

It makes me wonder why they even bother to publish speaker specs since the specs would change as the speaker breaks in.

I'll say in all these years I have never deliberately done it. But I have also never bought a cab or amp and floored it before playing through it for a bit. But yeah, I'm sure there is a kernel of truth and equal part of hype.

 

[Telekarster]

Some people believe in speaker break-in, some don't. Personally I do but IMO I don't think it really matters "how" you get there at the end of the day. Just play it as you usually would and not think about it. When you come back to it, over time, and say to yourself "Man.... I love how this thing sounds! Almost sounds better than when I bought it!" That's when you'll know the mission is complete

 

[W.L.Weller]

Players are now demanding it (because of the internet) so it seems totally legit, and in their defense the speaker manufacturers who do so “might” be unaware that it’s a myth.

The part where the mechanical change in the speakers attachment to the spider and basket results in a different sound is not a myth.

Paying someone else to do that for you, well who am I to tell other people how to spend their money?

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I'll say in all these years I have never deliberately done it. But I have also never bought a cab or amp and floored it before playing through it for a bit. But yeah, I'm sure there is a kernel of truth and equal part of hype.

I have never broken in a speaker either. I generally don’t dime my amps or use tons of distortion either. I have usually heard that it is used to help “loosen” up the surround and/or the spider, making a harsh speaker sound better. I just don’t hear anything like that and don’t think the science available to me supports it.

While I haven’t noticed speakers changing, I have noticed my ears becoming “accustomed” to speakers that I didn’t like at first.

It definitely wasn’t any kind of break in because the speakers were heavily used, and they were made in 1974.

It doesn’t matter to me if people want to do it. I find it a bit silly, but it doesn’t hurt to do it, so…

 

[JustABluesGuy]

The part where the mechanical change in the speakers attachment to the spider and basket results in a different sound is not a myth.

Paying someone else to do that for you, well who am I to tell other people how to spend their money?

K

 

[JL_LI]

There's a kid at GC who breaks in all the speakers playing "Stairway to Heaven".