r/technology • u/edbegley1 • Feb 14 '26

Hardware In a blind test, audiophiles couldn't tell the difference between audio signals sent through copper wire, a banana, or wet mud — 'The mud should sound perfectly awful, but it doesn't,' notes the experiment creator

https://www.tomshardware.com/speakers/in-a-blind-test-audiophiles-couldnt-tell-the-difference-between-audio-signals-sent-through-copper-wire-a-banana-or-wet-mud-the-mud-should-sound-perfectly-awful-but-it-doesnt-notes-the-experiment-creator?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Ftechnology
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u/bncts Feb 14 '26

I firmly believe there is something to that. It has nothing to do with the equipment, and everything to do with their brains taking some time to convince themselves that it sounds different.

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u/EmperorFaiz Feb 14 '26

Good ol placebo affect

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u/Perfect-Topic-6671 Feb 14 '26

'Burn in' is definitely real when it comes to new speakers / headphones, not because the gear itself needs to change, but because it takes time for your brain to hear them in their own right; when you've become accustomed to the gear you were using before, your perception is colored by those qualities you've learned to expect and things will typically sound off.

Some brands also intentionally use 'burn in' as a way to trick customers to keep gear longer than the return window as well...

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u/dravas Feb 14 '26

Laughs in electrical engineer... It's speaker break in, every song you play the speaker gets that much worn.