The DREADED 500 Hour Break-In w/ Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal 

Thanks for the nice comments. Sorry if I got too annoyed. I'm really on your side and all I want is for you to be happy whether you shop at Upscale or not. I mean that.

Absolutely true. My speakers and amp were broken in and sounded great. I upgraded my existing class D amp to an AB and initially thought I'd made a mistake as it didn't sound as good as the amp I replaced. Rather than panic, I took Kevin's advice and gave the new amp time to break-in. Two months later the new amp sounds absolutely glorious. Complicated musical passages that gave my old amp fits sound magnificent on the new amp. Be patient folks, and listen to the experts like Kevin.

Purchased a PrimaLuna Evo 200 earlier this year knowing it would take some time to break in. After about 100 hours of playing time the sound had really opened up and smoothed out and I was more than happy! A couple hundred hours later, WOW! Wasn't expecting the further improvement so was ecstatic! The man knows what he's talking about.

I'm loyal to Kevin Deal and Upscale Audio 100%. He is NOT about BS and just making a sale. He cares and knows a lot more about gear than most of us. I have to say Kevin has got to be the hardest working guy in audio - all for the sake of helping audio enthusiasts! Don't believe it? Every time I see Kevin Deal at Axpona, he's working, educating about gear and especially Primaluna. I, personally appreciate all these videos he's put out on RU-vid. Thanks Kevin!!

Gotta love a man who is incredibly passionate about what he does! There are so many choices and combinations of equipment out there it’s amazing. Find what you like and simply enjoy. Have had my PrimaLuna Evo300 and Heresy IV’s for over a year now and the sound is absolutely wonderful. The break-in is real. How long? How the hell do I know. But you’ll know when you hear it. GO KEVIN!

Oh Kevin, so intense when you rant. I LOVE IT ! Always enjoy your videos from the shop, you just keep on doing what you do, and I will keep watching and listening (O:

Preach Kevin, preach! Ignorance and attitude runs deep in this industry. But we have Kevin to lead the way to understanding and enlightenment. Thanks for all you do Kevin.

My Focals were the speakers that made a believer out of me about break in. It was like “ oh wait ! What happened ! Awesome” Focals take forever and it’s worth the wait. And they were good while I waited:)

Uncle Kev is absolutely right. I recently bought a BAT VK-33 preamp from UA and he told me about the 500 hour break-in. I'm nowhere near that (maybe 40 hours), BUT I can hear a difference in sound already. So, Kev is correct ... enjoy the ride of break-in and listen to how your equipment changes over time soundwise. It's educational and it's fun. With Kev, I always feel like I'm treated fairly, respectfully, and that I'm getting accurate information. He's the best. Period. End of story.

"Who gives a shit, anyway?" Great line! LOL

This is what makes this hobby great.I personally have never liked the sound of horn speakers. I've heard $500 horns and I've heard $25,000 horns and they have never been to my taste. Many other speakers have and I own Goldenear speakers. As far as speaker break in is concerned it is more a mechanical break in of the driver surrounds then an electrical change and it is real because the sound changes gradually as they break in and you don't notice the change until you compare them to when they are new.

I'm always amazed at how some people become obsessed with hating high end audio products. They put so much time and effort into it.

I wish we had Upscale Audio in the UK. Kevin is a gem 😎

In 2011 after about 250 to 300 hours of break in my FOCAL speakers sounded so good playing SAN LORENZO by the PAT METHENY group I was wiping tears from my face. All HiFi equipment needs break in time to produce great sound.

Thanks for validating what I've known for years; break is extremely important. I've unsubscribed from a number channels that claim break-in is not a thing. I don't even need matched levels to hear it, it's so obvious to me. It's so significant, I think there should be disclaimers on all equipment boxes. I can only imagine how much gear has been prematurely returned or sold over the years.

Truth to power! Kevin, you’re an American Badass!

I love your passion brother! I agree with you as well. Ive never been happy with any of my gear till at least a month or two after I get it in the system.

Another great video ... !! Burn in time is real. Love your enthusiasm Kevin, you seriously crack me up. Thank you for the candor and honesty in your videos. I need to come for a visit to the showroom soon, I am in Newport Beach.

I loved my Heresy IV’s right away, and then one day they sounded even better. Break in is for real

I really like the lighting in this video. Nice production!

Kevin, I love these rants; you always talk truth to bullshit. I’ve been into audio for 45 years, 40 of those with tube amps and tube preamps and all kinds of speakers. You are 100% correct about break in. I’ve proved this to many over educated engineers that only believed in measurements.

Wow! I really enjoy listening to Kevin Deal. What a wonderful outlook on life.

No need for apologies Kevin. You just keep going man.

Thank you, Kevin. I can attest that Upscale is no pressure no non-sense. I purchased from my fav- Kat!!! She’s awesome! Upscale is the real deal.

For $4,00 a piece, let them break them in at the factory and then install them in the cabs. Smarten up, Klipsch

Kevin Deal, your the real deal! Thanks.

Im so happy i bought my first new pair of speakers from you guys. I was able to make payments and your no nonsense reviews helped me make my decision.

Serendipity! I came across this video just in time. I have a Primaluna EVO 400 preamp & power amp (from UA) arriving tomorrow. A nice reminder for my impatient ass! Great video, btw.

You tell them Kevin. I have a PL HP Dialogue Integrated amp with KT150 tubes feeding a pair of Focal Kanta 2's and it took time to break them in. But when it broke in after a couple of hundred hours on it, Omg its Magico!. I would not trade that combo for nothing in the world. Great job Kevin 👏🏿

I took my new Cornwall 4s off the pallet and hooked them up in my listening room and shut the door for 5 days. They were just starting to sound good.

I absolutely adore you, Kevin! When you got to the point in the video, when you got real, and you said you’re “at the point in your life”… I just had a big old baby. Absolutely loved what you said and I feel the same way because I just turned 65 effing years old, and I intend to do what I want and to hell with everything else. No BS and that’s what I love about you, your wife, your business .

Kevin, you are awesome. Keep on doing what you feel is right!

Sadly, I was one of them customers giving Kevin a hard time many years back after purchasing a Prima Luna preamp and power amp (I could never sell audio gear, it’s got to be way too stressful). I was new to tubes (and an electrical engineer), freaked out and full of panic when I had a slight buzz coming from what turned out to be just a bad tube (he quickly replaced the quad). To the point of this video, break in is very real, and I’d argue even with amplifier circuits, measurable as well as audible. With loudspeakers, anyone with a signal generator, resistor and an o-scope can measure the resonant peak of the drivers as they age (break in) go down in frequency as the suspension becomes more lossy and softer. More so at first and then once the mechanical bits reach their happy spot, slow down to being nearly imperceptible. Any dealer or person suggesting this is not a fact, is pushing fake news. It would be great if devices never changed mechanical properties as they aged. Imagine the amount of money you could save not having to replace anything with mechanical parts because it never wore out?

Speaker break in can take a long time. I recently bought some Fyne Audio 704s and it has taken a month of listening 4-5 hours a day for the dome compression tweeters to finally stop frying my brain. If you ask me today, I would tell you the 704s have a balanced top end and mid range; ask me 2 weeks ago, I would have sworn they were too bright and mid range was too forward.

I bought a pair of used floor standing speakers with metal horn tweeters. About 2500 usd new. I think I was the third owner on them. They where lacking bass and had a bit sharp upper. It took a few weeks and some really loud sessions before the lower started to come alive and the upper to get smooth. What I'm getting at is that you need both time and power (play them loud) to break-in a speaker. Every new pair of speakers I have bought has had a significant sonic difference before and after break-in. Cheers from overseas.

Thank you, thank you , Kevin! You are the real deal. Nuff said!

My primaluna definitely took some time to break in. I also just re did the surrounds on my JBLs and at first I thought the bass was so off. About 20 hours later, they changed dramatically and now they sound normal again. I'm a little skeptical about breaking in cables or DACs but with stuff likes tube amps and speakers, break is absolutely real. I do think our ears also need time to break in too. When you switch to new speakers or a new amp after listening to something else for a while, it takes time to get used the new sound. Sometimes it's love at first listen but not always. Klipsch Heresy Is a good example. At first they might sound colored, but once you get used to their "voice" they begin to sound very natural. The brain is a crazy thing like that.

I’ve compared brand new heresys and older heresy ii The ii sound smooth and the new iii sounded harsh… I believe in break in. It’s just like a quality leather chair. Some may be stiff at first but will wear in comfortably over time

Well said Kevin! You are a huge asset to the industry.

That’s ok. The 45% sales drop will be a wake up call for them

This is classic! Well said.

I have the Heresy IV and it took a lot of playtime to break these in. And well worth the time. These sound awesome! I have played these for many friends who are fascinated by the sound. These are made for baby-boomers who play records from the 60's and 70's. Led Zeppelin II rock the crap out of these speakers! Boston, Frampton, ELO, Allen Parsons Project, The Beatles & The Rolling Stones, etc. I have listened to the Cornwall IV and have my desire set on them for the future, but the Heresy IV's are little f-ing monsters.

Klipsch: 30% 4th quarter earnings decline.

Can confirm break in time of my EL 34 tubes of approx. 100 hours. Everything in audio matters imho and will change the sound, hopefully for the better. Love your shows Kevin! 🙂

Awesome. Love this. He has steered me to some great equipment at a great price. He is passionate about his business.

What a great speech 👍you tell them! Well done 👍 top job Kevin 👌

I love Upscale Audio Rants!! 😂💙🤘

"Break in" is largely mythology.

Kenny knows what bloom - slam - warmth - detail - and I mean crazy, warm, real detail from tubes is - I use his Telefunken EC88's in a Hafller HA75 tube headphone amp / poor man's line stage head phone amp ( well maybe not , it has the right connectors ) / with a Creek Destiny 2 and a Benchmark DAC1 with Harbeth HL5's ....

Awesome rant! Love it.

Excellent

Kevin is great! Good rant I love it.

It took quite a while for my SET amp to break in, plus a bunch of tube rolling. My Triangle 40th Anniversary Comêtes took about 200 hours. My Atoll IN200 Signature took OVER the 200 hours the distributor said it would take. Break in is real and the *guidelines* are just that.

I really enjoy your videos when your wound up. When I get like that my girlfriend says I have a temper. Then I politely remind her how crazy she is, and there might be a very good reason I have a temper.......

Kevin: We love you!

I genuinely feel sorry for people who can't hear the break in happening. What else are they missing out on? It's like color blind people who don't understand what they can't see until they try those glasses that show them the worlds true colors. But the break-in-deniers never get those glasses.

Well said, Kevin!

Kevin, I want you to treat my system like its yours, just don’t break in the speakers because I don’t believe in sorcery 😂😂

100 hours worked for my Paradigm 100F Founder series. Every brand is different.

I agree with Kevin for the most part, but I have thousands of hours on my Focal Electras and find the Tioxid 5 tweeters remain bright and need appropriate system matching to keep them sounding their best. Not sure about the Be drivers and they may well mature differently.

Kevin, you are the best. Too bad Im on the East Coast, Id love to explore the Focal products.

Good to see you get in to all the Dropkicks. They go to Uni and then become knowalls. Put up with it for 35 years. I have the experience,they don't!

Out with knee surgery and killing time on internet. Bought my first tubes for my first tube pre from you two months ago Read your review of the Heresy 4 ( I have the iii's ). You are very enlightening , entertaining and funny. Thanks

Shouldn't people be softening bright speakers with room treatment?

BTW, I am about to sink some cash into a decent hifi system. I am not an audiophile but enjoy good quality sound. Just had a really nice listening system installed into my Porsche 928. I love the Prima Luna brand and like the idea and sound qualities of tube amps so thinking about the Evo300. Also love the styling and absolute build quality of these amps. My room size will be of medium proportions and wondering which speakers you would pair with a Prima Luna EVO range of amps. Am guessing something with reasonable sensitivity?? Would wlecome your thoughts and maybe a selection of say 3 types/brands/models of speaker to consider. Thanks Tony

I’m running an SET tube amp with broken in La Scala’s. The amp’s sound have undeniably changed, and not for the better. About 150 hours. I expect it to break through at some point and be great.

Kevin is right, period!

Does break-in also mean you have to play at a certain volume level too for either amps, speakers or both?

I AGREE WITH YOU!! KEVIN !

Great vidéo. It s a good thing to remind some fondamentals in this hobby. Trust you ears! Carry on thank you great job. I too have worked hard for my business and I too want to have fun. One small good thing in getting old is indeed not to bother with annoying people Carry on!

Why doesn't the manufacturer or the dealer safely break them in with a structured system?

After 500 hours you may need new tubes.

You are great! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Love your straight talking style Kevin. Please don't change. Love your videos. Why don't you have a store based upon your concepts, here in Australia :-(. I would love to buy from you. Cheers Tony

Why don't the manufacturers break them in before they leave he factory?

I'm a show me the numbers type. If the sound really changes with break-in then it should be measurable. The goal is to have the speaker settle into a long term frequency response that the listener can enjoy for the majority of the product's lifespan. This might require things to start out a little hot in areas that will be the first to diminish with age. No problem. Just don't claim this wouldn't be measurable. If manufactures really want to step up to the plate they should publish specs on new VS broken in at whatever # hours it takes to get to the long term steady state.

if the top end changes how come it can't be measured ?

"This is a Klipsch Harrison Ford".... 😁

LMFAO!!!!!!!! Yep, some people out there say that break in is a myth. From my personal journey from humble beginnings, to the educated high end audiophile level I have attained, high end stereo systems are PHYSICS! But where most people get it wrong is what you hear. Stop and self examine what you hear. It amazes me when people just go out and buy something they may hear at Best Buy or a simple stereo shop, then get it home and get quite disappointed at how it sounds. That's because where you auditioned the stereo system is set up to play only what the store demo has running. Try bring your own music to play and they refuse, or it does not sound as good. They know a lot of tricks that will fool you. Every speaker has different sonic characteristics. We all have different reference/preference to what we hear and listen to. That is why their are so many different speakers. It is the way an individual hears. And, break in is an ongoing process. For tubes, 20 hours minimum and the tubes "begin" to settle in. That means the sonic characteristics start to settle in and what you hear will eventually warm up as time goes on. IMHO, tubes will continue to "break in" for the rest of their life. They get ever so slightly warmer as time goes on. But after 20 to 50 hours, tubes "start" to settle in. As for turning on the amp(s) and walk away for a month I disagree. You need to have a low level signals pushing through the tubes. The valves need to open and close. After a day or 2, turn everything off for a few hours, then turn them back on. Why, because you want the tubes (and the entire system) to cool. The valves expand, then contract and become more pliable. After a while around 20 to 50 hours, turn up the gain and listen to some good music. Then go back and continue the same process for about 3 to 6 weeks. You WILL hear a noticeable difference every time you listen. The speaker suspension should be settled in and the tubes will be beautiful, warm and dynamic.

Sold

Love this

Do anybody have experience with ATC SCM 40A. I have 150 hours on them but the tweeter still harsh on my ear frying my brain.

Got to love the 'I'm right and you're not' brigade; they trust so much in their knowledge that it becomes fact, not realising they actually don't have the practical experience to confirm their belief.

EPIC RANT!!! Just the words I needed right now! I have purchased for my 50th birthday a Prima Luna Evo 100 integrated, klipsch Cornwall IV and a bluesound node and I am struggling with the female vocals some electric guitar notes and the odd country male tangy singer being strident, but only on certain notes. I have never bought a stereo new before and was using a 600 dollar system before. This is the rant I needed cause I belive in breakin. I build guitar amps and play with speakers for years. I guess the Cornwalls need more time, the caps in the prima need more time. And maybe I need a better dac streamer. But I needed this rant to give me hope on the prima and Cornwall combination. Although I have at least 500 hours now. My birthday is in 20 days. I hope it’s broken in by then! Thanks fir the rant

15% increase is nothing... all consumer goods will be 100% or 500% within a couple years. Do you people understand economics and what the fed is doing? These speakers have significant labor and materials, not to mention the shipping... all of which are soaring with costs.

nice eat phono pre down there on the shelf..

Buy the ticket, enjoy the ride...

my cambridge axr100 melted my eardrums out of the box.

Do international shipping pls

How long for break in for home theater receiver?

Get them Kevin get them!

Nice that Klipsch wants a 15% increase in their speakers. But then we have people like GR Research that constantly has to upgrade them because of the cheap parts they’re building their speakers with. As a consumer are we going to get a 15% increase in the quality in their speakers and in how they are made? I don’t think so, we’re going to still get the cheapest crossover parts you can possibly put in their speakers and send them off to the customer at a 15% increase in price. Then the consumer is going to have to spend more money upgrading the parts from GR research just so the speakers can sound right. This is what happens when a big conglomerate takes over a small company and destroys it. What used to be a good price for a good speaker now has become a high price for a mediocre speaker. Under federal law, The practice of exchanging free products or payments for favorable reviews without disclosure, which is called (incentivize reviews)is illegal. Endorsements are required to be truthful by law. The federal trade division of advertising practices says that all disclosures of payment must be put upfront and be forthwith before anyone does a review on a product.

Hi Kevin, you're bang on, those people that are trying to tell you your game, are munchkins, , don't even bite my mate,, Let them go and buy some shitty amstrad, and put their money where there mouth is.. Love the channel,.. Genuine. regards. Antony, Warrington, England....

Elac prices went up aswell!

Spendor make amazing speakers

E.E.’s and snake oil screamers, take all the fun out of Audio. Pay them no mind and just have some fun.

People people people calm down, there's no magic number for break-in. It's subjective, what kind of music you listen to, what volume you listen to it, what temperature it is, what the humidity level is and so on and so on. Just relax and give it some time👌

Well, I guess I won’t pay anymore than I have to so I’ll pay zero. 15%? Kiipsch is good, but not worth another 15% to me.

and I take cipralex for days like this

4k for Forte. Thats a very hard pass.