Discrete DAC seems to require very long time for burn-in before reaching its highest performance. (Or it’s actually the same for all MSB DACs?)
I got my Discrete DAC in July 2024.
Just out of the box, it sounded smooth and warm. (Honestly, I had never heard my Elac speakers giving such warmth in the past 15 years, and I didn’t think they can do it). But meanwhile, I also got the feeling that it could perform better in the aspects of dynamics and “openness”.
As my Discrete DAC sounded very different from the one I previously borrowed from my friend, I called him and asked if I had missed something or not… and the answer was:i
“Yes, PATIENCE is what missing.”
That’s where I started the burn-in process of my Discrete…
Since then, starting playing music has become the first thing I do in every morning, and stopping playing has also become the last thing I do before going to bed in every night.
The 1st leap of performance came when the accumulated time of playing hit 460 hours, and it ended after reaching 620 hours. During that period, macro-dynamics kept improving like steps, 1 step for every 2 or 3 days. This is the second greatest leap in the whole burn-in process.
The 2nd leap came when it hit 940 hours, and ended when it hit 1080 hours. While further improvement in macro-dynamics happened in this period, the most obvious improvement was actually in the aspect of clarity and “openness”. I didn’t sense any compression in sound anymore since then.
The 3rd leap came when it hit 1480 hours, and ended when it reached 1640 hours. Improvement in this period was the greatest one (and the most impactful one to me) in the whole burn-in process. Micro-dynamics revealed throughout this period. I started to feel the “texture” of singers’ voices… the voices became so full of details, and hence become so real and natural as if a real person in flesh and blood actually standing in my living room, singing in front of me.
Something weird happened afterwards. From 1710 hours to 1940 hours, the micro-dynamics just kept coming and going. It was there on one day, and it was suddenly gone on the very next day, kept missing for 2 or 3 days, and then came back suddenly. I didn’t know what’s going on, and my friend neither. (By that time, my Discrete had already got way longer burn-in time than his)
The weird thing stopped at about 1940 hours, and I have not observed any further changes since then. That was March 2025…
BUT THIS IS NOT THE END!
The burn-in process needed to be started all over again, because…
I upgraded to Premier Powerbase in May 2025.
This time, I’ve got the impression that burn-in of a powerbase is much more difficult than a Discrete Power Supply. It took more time before seeing the 1st and 2nd leap of performance. I have already spent over 2300 hours on the Premier Powerbase, and there is still no sign of the 3rd leap (and I am even not sure if it will come or not)
I guess there is still a long way to go…
(Updated on 31 Oct)
Another leap of performance started when accumulated burn-in time hit 2620 hours, and ended when it reached 2850 hours. Just like the situation of the 3rd leap with Discrete Power Supply, micro-dynamics revealed during this period.
(I forgot to mention that my Discrete DAC is not being used as pre-amp since day 1, and thus the output level is being kept as “Low” (-6 db) all the time… I guess this might be a reason why it requires so much time for burn-in.)
Anyway, I am glad the wait is over!
