How much break-in?

August 24, 2005

To Doug Schneider,

I purchased new Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v.3, CC-570 v.3, and ADP-470 v.3 speakers. I know that they need burn-in time to sound the best they can. Approximately how long does this take and what is the best way -- music played over and over, a movie played over and over?

John Rinehart

Congratulations on a fine home-theater setup. I've heard the Paradigm system you've purchased and it sounds great.

A lot of claims are made out "burn-in," or "break-in," times for equipment. Unfortunately, though, a lot of the claims made are greatly exaggerated -- for example, I've seen some manufacturers claim that you need to break-in their speakers for up to 500 hours! Some reviewers have also perpetuated this myth by claiming similar numbers. Can you imagine if it really took that long to hear exactly what a speaker sounds like? If so, how would a company that claims this length of time be able to ever finish designing the speaker with all the tweaking that goes on?

In terms of what's a reasonable length of time, knowledgeable manufacturers I've talked to -- Paradigm included -- have claimed anywhere from a few hours to, say, upwards of 30 to 50 hours. Most, though, come closer to the "few hours" amount, providing the speaker hasn't been treated to unusual conditions like freezing.

As for what to break them in on, again, this is an area where some claims have been exaggerated and some companies have even sold special burn-in CDs to help you do it. I've never used such a thing. Instead, I've just played my system at reasonable listening levels using my regular music and movies. This seems to do the trick....Doug Schneider

"...sat/sub systems (at a decent price) are what I'm focusing on..."

August 22, 2005

To Doug Schneider,

I enjoyed your review of the Mirage Nanosats. I'm wondering if you have an opinion on the Orb Audio speakers, which have gotten some good press recently. I've talked to their tech people a few times and I am impressed. I have a smallish media room (11' x 16'), so high-performing sat/sub systems (at a decent price) are what I'm focusing on (Magnepans just won't fit). I would appreciate your thoughts.

Richard Jacobson

You have a fairly small room, and I agree that it's probably best suited to a small-size satellite/subwoofer system. I haven't heard the Orb Audio speakers, but I did look up the company on the Internet and checked out their speaker models. Personally, I'd like to hear their products because I'm always suspicious of how well a single-driver, full-range, crossover-less small speaker can perform, which, based on the data on their website, appears to be what they're promoting. Small full-range drivers rarely have good frequency response in the highs, and even if they do, dispersion usually suffers because the driver is "beaming" that high in frequency. That's why companies like Mirage use multiple drivers -- a tweeter and a small woofer in the Nanosat -- crossed over at a proper frequency. Still, I have heard interesting implementations of small single-driver speakers that appeared to work well -- Hsu Research's Ventriloquist system, for example -- so I'd be interested in finding out what Orb Audio can do....Doug Schneider

"...problems hearing the voice track of DVDs..."

August 15, 2005

Editor,

A question -- oh, please provide an answer. I have problems hearing the voice track of DVDs on my modest 5.1 100W Onkyo/Polk system. Voices seem suppressed, in the background, muffled, distant. Crucial words are spoken in whispers and I miss them. Music frequently drowns out voices, though I have my center-channel speaker calibrated at a higher level. My hearing is so-so, but this happens only on DVDs. Voices are fine on broadcast and cable. Is this me? Or the DVD? Do I need a more powerful amplifier, say 120Wpc, especially for the center-channel? Specifically, would a Denon AVR-3805 work better in bringing out voice tracks? Why is there such a marked difference between voices on DVD and standard broadcast?

John S. DeMott

There could be a number of things happening here. You've adjusted the center-channel's level already, so I'll assume that raising it further would not help. You've also asked about whether the DVD itself is the culprit. I've heard a number of DVDs that are mixed with a somewhat subdued dialogue track, so this could be the case with some movies (but not all, which means you have another problem). My gut feeling is that your center-channel is not placed properly. I've witnessed a number of setups where the center speaker is placed high atop a television and pointed straight forward. This arrangement can mean that the seated listener is located many inches (if not feet!) below the on-axis plane of the loudspeaker. In many cases simply angling the speaker down (or up, if the speaker is located very low on a shelf below the TV) makes all the difference in the world. Many speakers sound quite different off axis, and the center-channel is no exception. Regarding the difference with broadcast TV, perhaps the lack of aggressive surround mixes with most TV shows is the difference. Voices can come through clearer in less-active mixes...Jeff Fritz

Reference DVDs

August 10, 2005

To Doug Schneider,

What are the best-looking and -sounding DVDs to help me audition my home-theater system? Is there something specific I should use?

Jeremy Wieland

Having a good, consistent reference to audition home-theater systems with is a good idea. I could name a title or two, but I think it would be better if you consulted our "Reference-Grade DVDs" listing, which is designed exactly for that....Doug Schneider

Stereo home theater?

August 2, 2005

To Doug Schneider,

I just bought two new PSB speakers. Can I use them for home theater, or do I have to buy more speakers? Do I need any special equipment?

Carl Waples

I assume that you bought two speakers because you want to listen to music on them. To do so, you'll need a receiver or integrated amplifier and a source such as a CD or DVD player. There's nothing wrong with watching movies with just two speakers instead of five or more. In fact, I do that quite often when I'm "between" systems -- surround-sound effects don't really thrill me all that much, and I'm usually happy enough with the spaciousness and fullness of sound that just two speakers can provide....Doug Schneider

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