You’ve unpacked your new system. The gear’s top-shelf, just placed, likely even leveled. Everything measures clean, nothing’s glaringly wrong. Still, it feels like the music’s waiting. The treble may sound a bit etched, the midrange not quite fluid, the bass there but maybe not rooted. It’s as if the notes arrive, but the energy doesn’t quite follow. You trust the gear—so what’s missing? Possibly, just time.
You might be hearing a system still in its early hours.
What to Do
Let it stretch. Play full-spectrum music—acoustic, dynamic, complex—for at least 100 hours before deciding how it sounds. No need to blast the volume; moderate listening levels are enough. Daily warm-up helps—especially for fresh-out-of-the-box components. Speakers, capacitors, transformers, and cables all need motion and current to settle in. If you’re breaking in new speakers, try letting them play continuously when not in use. Low-frequency content encourages driver movement, even if you’re out walking the dog.
Expect evolution over days, not minutes. A track you dismissed this morning might surprise you three days from now.
Here’s Why That Works
Speaker suspensions—surrounds, spiders—tend to be stiff when new. It takes mechanical flexing to get them moving fluidly. Same goes for electronics. Capacitors settle electrically, transformers find their rhythm, and dielectric materials begin to behave more linearly. That’s not snake oil—it’s physics. And perception follows. Once stabilized, you’ll likely hear smoother treble, more relaxed mids, and bass that doesn’t just exist—but anchors.
The kicker? A system still finding its balance can lead you astray. That treble peak might not be the tweeter’s fault—it might be stiffness that hasn’t yet eased. Placement, toe-in, voicing—all of it wants to be tuned after things have breathed. So wait before locking anything down.
Because sometimes, the final 10% doesn’t come from a cable or a curve. It comes from patience.
