Burn in
According to a lot of people a head phone or IEM will considerably improve by smoothing the membrane inside the drivers. That takes some time. You can compare it with wearing in new shoes. At first they will be pinching your feet, because of the stiff leather. Once you’ve been wearing them more often, they will fit considerably better.
Fact or fable?
Opinions vary considering the use of this ‘burn in’. Some people think it’s just a fable and hardly perceive any difference between new IEMs and older ones. They think it’s nothing but a psychological matter. Others claim playing in to be a must. In any case, playing in won’t harm your gear.
How to burn in
Because a lot of people don’t want to wait for their IEMs to sound better, they force the playing in-process by playing their new in ears for hours. There are different ways to do that. You can either choose to connect your IEM to a PC, a hifi or MP3-player or you simply play music for 24 hours a day. Preferably music with a lot of bass. Others use the noise of a radio-transmitter or a CD/MP3 with specific tones. In short: various ways to burn in your IEM of any kind.
For how long should I burn in?
It’s hard to say for how long one should burn in to reach the desired result. You are the only one who can decide at what point the sound is to your liking. It might take you a 100 hours, maybe longer. It’s best to listen and judge along the way.
As stated before, there are various ways to burn in your IEMs and it depends on your preference which ones you use. Burn in will in no case have a negative effect on your gear as long as you don’t pump up the volume too much. The latter might distort the sound and consequently harm your drivers. Make sure to keep the volume at a normal, or a tat above that, level when playing in.
