Subwoofer Break In ?

[DJSlowfets]

I've tried researching this topic it's alot of he said she said is there any evidence or proof that playing your subs full tilt before being "broke in" is harmful for them? I understand the suspension will loosen up which will drop the fs. Just didn't know if it could hurt the spider cone or coil in anyway. Guy at a local shop said glue isn't fully cured from factory so you want to play it low and warm it up to cure epoxy which I don't believe because subs probably sit on shelves for months before being played lol.

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[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I ripped the spider of some 8s back then when i gave them rated power right out of the box back then. Not sure if it was just junk or it needed to break in. Other than that, I always go all out on each of my subs from the start. 1 out of 19 aint too bad.

 

[chefzane]

For music it is beneficial to run a few sweep cycles at a moderate volume, for burps none at all

 

[DJSlowfets]

Lol when something like that happens all you can do is laugh xD

 

[silver07 10+ year member]

On some cheap kicker cvrs I had they died pretty quick. Played them at normal volume and rated power. Every other sub since I've done the same. Haven't had a problem yet. The hds300 I have now doesn't seem to be having any issues. It's about 3 weeks old. It's getting louder and lower every week.

 

[BlurredVision 10+ year member]

I got a stereo installed two or three weeks ago and it's still getting louder and lower. Just when full tilt and they are working themselves out.

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

All BS.. Either its built correctly or its not..

 

[BassAndBeer]

everyone has a different take on it, some ppl don't break in their subs and some do. I use to think you had to break them in, but you don't. if they are of good quality like FI, AA, DD and so on then all you have to do is give them rated power until they loosen up. I played my 2 havoc 18s on a hifonics 1600.1 free air at 1 ohm and they were flexing peak to peak, heard no distortion or anything that indicates that its bad doing that right out of the box.

 

[negolien]

I ran my Tantrics pretty loud from the get go 3/4's probably. I did play them louder after a few weeks but when I say louder I mean almost full tilt. I wouldn't abuse them like that right out of the box their probably a little like boots. A little common sense probably helps and is the general rule of thumb.

 

[MrFoca]

I've heard people go back and forth for years about this question. I've heard some companies say give subwoofers a few weeks and some say few days.

 

[DJSlowfets]

Will probably do a couple sweeps and a couple peakier songs in the high 40's so it's getting a full play range for about 1 hour at moderate level before I even think about turning that knob clockwise.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

I broke in DC subs since I wanted to limit the reasons they didn't fall apart again. Never broke in a DD sub, beat on it right out he box. They do play lower and louder over time, that's what break in is.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

I don't think break-in is necessary before you start slamming, but it does change the sound when spiders "break in"

 

[tc300 10+ year member]

Quality doesnt need broke in.... My icon has started playing lower now that the spiders have softened up after bout 6months of use... I put it on a AT 1200 right after the recone i did. Haven't touched amp settings since.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

A speaker/sub will never be in better condition than the moment it comes out of the box. No ridiculous combination of noise, tones, music etc is going to make the moving parts MORE resistant to use. It's not possible, and certainly not logical.

Things will change, sound will change, probably for the better, maybe for the worse.

Mfg's and sales reps like the myth because it gives them an explanation for customers that don't like what they hear after paying for their installation. They can say, "if you just wait a few weeks it will 'break-in' and sound much better." That may be partially true, but it also reduces the chance of the customer demanding a refund.