Is warming up your studio monitors a myth or true?

[arta]

I just got one of my Tannoy Reveal 802 and I am curious to know if breaking in studio monitors is something that actually works. Are the materials in the monitors becoming flexible the more music plays, is it just your ears getting accustomed to them or is it all an old wives' tale?

And if true, is there some process to it like calibrating a plasma tv? Do you just play any music for a few hours or is there some special sound file you use?

 

[Fade]

I've never heard of warming up speakers, but who knows, could be something!

 

[crog85]

Never heard of this for studio monitors, but about 15 yrs ago I was super big into car audio... I was told to always break in the subwoofers before cranking up the volume, cant remember the specifics but it basically consisted of playing them at low to mid volume for an extended amount of time... Not sure how much of a difference it made tho

 

[Bugsy]

This is an interesting topic.

Ive read about this rumour when I was researching for Studio Headphones from a forum of Audiophiles.

I think its more of your ears getting used to the frequencies that the studio monitors reveals. some would give you more boost on the low end then others.

Room treatment also plays a huge factor on this, as well as where and how you place your monitors. Think of it this way, if you place 2 pairs of studio monitors that are exactly similar on different rooms, they would sound different no matter what.

curious to know what the others think of this as well..

 

[crog85]

Ok, so I've been reading a few different articles concerning this warm-up/break-in period... This is the conclusion I've come to:

Studio montiors do have a warm-up/break-in period, but you don't need to break them in before playing them... The "break-in" is mainly referring to the woofers. Straight from the factory the woofers will be "stiff" and only after playing them for a few hours to a few days will they begin to loosen... Once they have loosened they typically will sound deeper/lower... Hope this helps.

Room treatment also plays a huge factor on this, as well as where and how you place your monitors.

Very true!! This should be something else to consider... https://illmuzik.com/threads/studio-rescue.36525/

 

[Fade]

Good points from all of you. I could see this being a thing though because think about a TV or a computer monitor. I find looking at it as soon as you turn it on, it's not the same as it is hours later.

 

[wrightboy]

yes, i do this with all of my speakers and headphones. it's easier for headphones. i just plug them in and play my itunes library. don't have to be there. can stick them in a drawer full of stuff to drown out the sound. with monitors, i just play them for a few hours each day and low-mid volume for a week or two before i try to mix anything on them.

 

[Hadoq]

not sure how much of a difference it makes in the end, I'd rather create than wait.
won't turn an average producer into dr dre magically tho, I've tried <3

 

[Obscene Planet]

My krk rokit 5s instructions recommend playing "your favorite music for 10-15 hours" to condition. I assumed it was a kind of speaker break-in period and ear conditioning/acoustic treatment technique.

 

[wizard]

I always keep my signals warm! But, again im old school my stations might get completely shut off like maybe 1 time out of the week! Not sure about warming up,
I just keep them warm and ready makes sense to me you want to stretch out before running a marathon! lol
as for plasma I stay away from them and use led"s