Question on earphones

SanDisk MP3 players Sansa® Fuze™
1

Alright,

I bought a pair of Sony In-Ear earphones(Sony MDR-XB40EX),and I have to say that I am totally satisfied with the product.I saw somewhere in the internet that you need at least 50 hours of listening for the Headphones to deliver it’s optimum sound quality.Is this true?Please enlighten me on this. :slight_smile:

Thanks,

Take Care 

2

Do a Google search on burning in headphones.

3

Those wee drivers haven’t been softened up yet.  In production, the drivers are assembled, tested for resistance (connections), then operated briefly to see if they vibrate, and that’s about it.  To run them for hours is asking for valuable production time.

Many, I’d say most, drivers will sound fine from the first hour.  Others, especially the ones I happen to like, the iM490S Maximos_,_ sound like ■■■■ “out of the box”, then they bloom to a wonderful sound after a day’s operation, especially in their ability to reproduce a warm bass.

Hey, I’ve had plenty of expensive devices, but a daily thrasher like the Maximo or the JVC Air Cushions is wonderful.  These devices are all $50 or less.  I have three testers here (daughters) that are guaranteed to run ANY headphone through some outright torture.

Your SONY phones should benefit from a day or so of use.  I’ve always been disappointed with Sony earbuds, as they sound more “tinny” to my ears, though the build quality is very good.  After a day, your 'buds should sound better.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

4

I guess the idea is that it’s like shoes or bluejeans: They get more flexible with a ltitle wear.

But sometimes I think burning in headphones is one of those audiophile things–like getting ultra-expensive replacement cables–that mostly make the user feel special.

If you want to try the experiment, just leave the Fuze on Play All for a night or two while you sleep. 

5

Exactly.  I have found that there is a happy balance between utility and audiophile extreme status.  I was planning on a set of the Grado GS1000 phones, but my wife saw the price.

Perhaps a wee bit of history will help.  I have owned several of the extreme  over the years, in my bachelor days.  Leicas, Hasselblads, and such for the eyes, and Stax headphones for the ears.  Today I have daughters, so I have kept an old trusty 500EL, and I’ve mothballed the home audiophile gear while the girls grow.

My ultimate plan was to tell her that the Grados are just a basic set, I mean, they’re made of wood, Honey, see? I’d hide the packaging, of course.

Burning-in will benefit most headphones, including IEM types.  Let your ears be your guide.  Sansafix convinced me about the JVC Air Cushions, they are inexpensive, and perform on par with the chrome Maximos, though I really like the warm sound of the latter.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy: