Few moments beat that first unboxing. You’ve probably waited weeks—researched, measured, maybe even rearranged the room. The speakers go in, you cue something familiar... and the sound might come across as sharp. Or dry. Or curiously lean in the bass. You chalk it up to newness.
And you’re not wrong. A few hours in, things soften. A week later, they sound warmer. Then, without warning, something changes again. The balance shifts. The lows feel different. The top seems calmer—but you can’t tell if it’s the speaker or your ears.
It could be neither. It could be that the system is still figuring out how to move.
What to Do
Give it time. Dynamic loudspeakers—especially those with rubber surrounds or large woofers—tend to evolve over their first 50 to 200 hours. Let them play. Not too loud at first. Just steady, real-world volume across a wide range of music. If you can leave the room, try looping something with rich bass and vocal dynamics during the day. Think Norah Jones meets Bill Evans meets James Blake. Save the voicing decisions for later. Hold off on toe-in, placement tweaks, or crossover adjustments until things stabilize.
You’re not breaking them in. You’re letting them wake up.
Here’s Why That Works
Speakers are mechanical. That woofer cone you’re watching? It’s suspended by materials—spider, surround, adhesives—that flex, settle, and shift as they work. Early on, that suspension is tight. The driver doesn’t move as freely. Bass can sound constricted. Highs may beam. Crossover components—especially capacitors—also change character as they cycle and stabilize.
What seemed hyped at first might mellow. What felt thin might open. The entire voicing can evolve—because the system is physically changing.
So don’t panic. Don’t tweak to chase ghosts. Let the drivers stretch, settle, and learn the shape of their own motion. When they do, the image relaxes. The bass deepens. The sound starts arriving not just clearly—but naturally.
You’ll know it when it happens. One day you sit down, and the speaker doesn’t sound new anymore.
It sounds like music.
