Bowers and Wilkins Says Speaker Burn-in Is Real, but Not for the Reason You Might Think

B&W makes burn-in make sense.

Speaker break-in has long been one of audio’s most debated topics. But now, Bowers & Wilkins, one of high-end audio’s most respected names, lays down its stance on this debate.

Their evidence-based explanation offers a practical view of what really happens when you first set up your speakers.

Bowers & Wilkins’ Stance on Break-In

Andy Kerr, Director of Product Marketing & Communications at Bowers & Wilkins, has weighed in on the break-in debate.

During a recent Reddit AMA, a user asked if there’s a difference in sound between a new speaker and a speaker used for 1000 hours.

Much like new leather shoes need time to soften and fit your feet, he says their speakers go through physical changes instead of the mysterious sound improvements many fans describe.

He points to two main parts that need time to adjust:

• The damping compounds that control unwanted movement
• Suspension materials that allow speaker movement

Temperature management is another thing that he says will benefit from a burn-in period.

This stance appears consistently in manuals for B&W speakers like the CM9 S2 and 800 Series Signature.

Does the Science Back It Up?

KEF, another respected speaker manufacturer, backed up B&W’s claims in a 2024 blog post.

Dr. Jack Oclee-Brown, KEF’s Vice President of Technology, points to speaker suspensions as the key to understanding break-in.

Aside from that, temperature plays a bigger role in speaker performance than most people realize.

Think of how a rubber band becomes stiff in cold weather and stretchy in heat. Speaker parts made of similar materials react the same way. These materials, called viscoelastic materials, include the rubber surrounds and spider suspensions that help speakers move.

Here’s how temperature affects your speakers:

• Cold temperatures make these parts stiffen up, reducing bass response
• Warm temperatures soften them, which can make bass louder but less controlled
• Temperature changes can make damping materials (which control unwanted vibrations) work less effectively. This can result in increased resonance and colored sound.

This is one thing that you need to consider once the speakers are shipped to you, which will require you to “break-in” your audio gear.

However, even in your listening room, everyday things affect speaker temperature. Direct sunlight, heating vents, and air conditioning can create hot and cold spots that change how your speakers perform.

These temperature effects also shape how manufacturers design and build speakers.

For example, the voice coil, which helps create sound, generates heat during use, especially at high volumes. As it gets hotter, its electrical resistance increases, which can lower volume and cause distortion.

That’s why manufacturers put extra work into helping speakers stay cool, using special materials and designs for heat dissipation.

So, Is Burn-in a Myth or Reality?

B&W’s scientific explanation tells only part of the story. While they point to physical changes we can measure, the audio community continues to debate what really happens during break-in.

Many experienced listeners describe noticeable improvements after using their speakers for extended periods.

You’ll find detailed accounts of changes on audio forums. This includes deeper bass, smoother midrange, wider soundstage, and better dynamics.

These users often report much longer break-in times than B&W’s suggested 15 hours, with some claiming improvements continue for hundreds of hours.

Yet skeptics offer a different explanation.

They suggest these improvements might be more about how our brains adapt to new sounds rather than actual changes in the speakers.

It’s similar to how a new car’s smell seems strong at first but “fades” over time. Your brain might just be getting used to it rather than the smell actually changing. This phenomenon, sometimes called “brain burn-in,” could explain why different listeners report such varied break-in experiences.

The lack of thorough scientific research makes this debate even more complex.

Some technical discussions on forums do mention measurable changes in speaker behavior after break-in, such as shifts in resonant frequency. But, these claims rarely appear in formal studies.

This gap between measured data and listener experience leads some critics to dismiss break-in entirely as placebo.

What can we take from all this?

B&W’s explanation suggests real physical changes do occur in speakers. But these changes might be more modest and mechanical than many enthusiasts believe.

Whether these physical changes lead to the dramatic sound improvements some listeners report remains an open question.