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RE: USB Cables Require Breaking-in?

Posted by Mercman (A) on September 14, 2016 at 03:17:05

In Reply to: USB Cables Require Breaking-in? posted by Mag4Life on September 13, 2016 at 20:31:17:

Yes, most benefit from break-in.

Q. DO AUDIOQUEST CABLES REQUIRE A BREAK-IN PERIOD?
A. Yes. In fact, all cables require a break-in period - even so-called "lampcord" cables that are often supplied with speakers. "Break in" is a misnomer. What's really happening is that the insulation (or dielectric to give it its proper name) is being "formed". This "forming" is caused by the dielectric absorbing energy from the conductor when a signal is present (i.e. when current is flowing). Every cable requires something to separate the negative conductors from the positive conductors - a dielectric. However, because the dielectric is in direct contact with the conductor, it will interact with the conductor whenever a current flows, absorbing energy from the conductor. What the dielectric does with that energy once absorbed depends upon its quality. PVC releases the energy back into the conductor a split second later, causing a kind of "smearing" of the signal. In contrast, Teflon absorbs significantly less energy in the first place, turns most of the energy into heat, and whatever energy remains is released back into the conductor virtually instantaneously. This causes significantly less damage to the signal which is why - all things being equal - a cable with Teflon insulation will sound better than the same cable using a lesser dielectric. This absorption of energy causes the molecules in the dielectric to be rearranged from a random order into a uniform order. Once the molecules are fully rearranged, the cable is said to be "broken in". The dielectric will now absorb less energy from the conductor, causing less harm, and improving performance. To ensure that the cable stays "broken-in", there must be a signal present in the cable at all times. It's obviously not practical to have your system playing 24 hours a day every day, but you can at least leave the components switched on. Even when there is no music playing (i.e. there is no current flowing down the cable), there is a potential present. This will ensure that your cables (as well as your components) remain at the peak of their performance. However - and this is the important bit - if there is no signal present in the cable at all (i.e. if the all the components are switched off, or if the cable is disconnected), the molecules will rearrange themselves back into their random order. In other words, the cable is almost like new again!

• http://www.cardas.com/insights_break_in.php   (Open in New Window)

Edits: 09/14/16

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