Driver and cap burn-in with ht

[pro_crip]

I've got an old home theater amp laying around not doing anything and I was wondering if I could use it to burn in my fostex full-range drivers so when I finally build the cabinet for them they're ready to go. Since they're full-rangers I figured I could just plug 'em right into the speaker terminals. Then I could use the other 3 outputs to burn-in some caps that need burning in. I just need to get my hands on a 20-20k hz sweep cd to use as a source. 

Rich

[Grainger49]

The drivers can be bolted face to face, then wire them out of phase so they make very little sound.  That will exercise them pretty well.  You can put them under a blanket or two to absorb the rear wave also.

Here is my suggested method for burning in caps:

http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,80.msg286.html#msg286

Often linked, but I never know if anyone tries it and likes it.  I suggest music not sweeps.

[ssssly]

I normally burn new speakers in in a cardboard box roughly the size for it's sealed parameters. Is probably way overkill but it works good for me. And yes you can just plug it in.

[Paul Joppa]

More often than not, I burn in speakers and caps by running them in the system and griping about how crappy they sound until they get it together. Kind of like talking to your plants, but in a negative way ... :^)

[Jim R.]

PJ,

I thought I was the only one who used that exact method :-).

-- Jim

[Grainger49]

Paul and Jim, sounds more torturous to me than the out of phase method.  But each to his own.

I am presently burning in 4 caps for a friend's Klipsch speakers.

[JC]

LMAO, Paul!  That's what I always do, too!

Frankly, I think I actually enjoy the process.  Even the griping has some therapeutic value!

[pro_crip]

I went with grainger's method, mainly because it's going to be awhile  before the cabinets to these gets built and there's no sense letting time slip by like that. Does the volume matter and exactly how long should I burn them in for (a little over 72 hours now)? Thanks.

Rich

[Grainger49]

Rich,

Yes, volume matters in both speakers and caps. 

If you saying that you are burning in speakers then they should be as loud as you listen, maybe a little higher to really flex the suspension.  A hundred hours should get you most of the way there, 200 if they are Louthers (some say a lifetime).  It isn't a linear thing and I expect there is a curve where you get most of the burn in, in 72 hours, then almost all the way there in 100 hours.

If it is caps see the link.  The better they are the longer it takes.  I have had two friends relate a birth like experience when listening to Teflon caps that already had 100 hours on them.  This happened weeks, maybe months, after they were burned in.  It depends on how much you play them after burn in.  I'm doing Teflons for 200 hours now.