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Burn in Headphones: How to Break in High-Quality Headphones

Blake has high-quality studio headphones and is familiar with this process.

Beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones sound great!

Beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones sound great!

Do Headphones Need to Be Broken In?

If you use high-quality headphones, you definitely need to know about the burn-in process. High-quality headphones require a break-in time called "burn in." Many times expensive headphones will sound mediocre right out of the package until they have been burned in. The burn-in process can take several—if not over a hundred—hours until your headphone speakers have settled into the way they will sound for the rest of their lives.

During that burn-in time you may notice some changes in the way your headphones sound, usually for the better. This is the how-to guide with step-by-step instructions for burning in new headphones to their best-sounding potential, getting the most wide frequency response you can possibly get.

How to Burn in or Break in Headphones



Tips for Headphone Burn In



Niconoctem on March 31, 2020:

Re: comment from "Think About It!"

I'm an Audio Engineer with 26 years experience in the industry. Burn in is not a myth, but one thing you did say is PARTLY true about people's ears. Many people can't hear the whole frequency range of 20hz - 20khz which is the human range, and this degrades typically with age. I was tested in the Navy to have a hearing range of 12hz-26khz which is abnormal but obviously I became an electrical engineer and branched into Audio Engineering.

Burn in has a mechanical effect on the materials of the drivers of monitors for example, or speakers. These are moving parts; rather vibrating and expanding parts which are tight as any elastic or flexible material comes off the assembly line.

Studio Monitor Headphones or Speakers are not designed the same way audiophile, entertainment, and other speaker systems which color sound. High end products often share traits with monitor construction even if they are not flat in the eq tuning.

A break in is like breaking in a pair of new shoes. They are stiff.

I speak mostly of monitors because I don't use colored products such as Beats. I only use monitors which are tools. A break in on monitors prepares them for work in my field.

Breaking in consumer boutique cans such as beats, Bose, etc may actually degrade the sound. They color the sound to sell in demo and work out of the box. Beats are garbage by the way.

If you can't hear a difference in new monitors, cans, speakers, or anything else, then you aren't missing anything, but it is a fact that a break in is beneficial to monitor headphones and loudspeakers and certain high quality audio devices as well... Even if YOU can't hear it.

I mentioned my odd hearing gift/curse... Audiophiles are often audiophiles because they are sensitive to the details spoken of here. Most people don't notice and hence don't care what they listen to. If they want to train their brain for it they can....

1. Sit somewhere in public.

2. Close your eyes for 5 mins or more.

3. Remember all the sounds you heard: birds, cars, talking, wind, anything. Write it down.

Read More From Spinditty

4. Repeat these steps tomorrow in your home or anywhere. You will notice more.

This trained out your brain's psychoacoustics and changes it to what an engineer or audiophile hears. You can't turn back so choose wisely. You will be stuck being an audio snob.

-Nick G

Audio Engineer

B.S. Electrical Engineering

B.S. Audio Engineering

B.A. Video Production

M.S. Acoustics

Every wonder how surround sound can be achieved through a single sound bar?

Tim on February 09, 2020:

The sound change will usually be improvement in the bass and lower midrange, although with certain speakers you might say the sound isn't as "tight" anymore which certain listeners and styles of music might class as a negative. In terms of a loudspeaker, compare the difference in sound with your finger lightly pushing on the woofer cone to compare the difference a looser suspension (from bending it backwards and forwards) makes. I'm not sure how this translates to mylar headphone drivers.

Tim on February 09, 2020:

"Do not turn up the volume much louder than you would listen"

I'm not sure I agree with this unless you listen near the handling capacity of the headphones, which is usually very loud unless putting a lot of bass through cheaper on ear headphones.

For people who listen to music at a similar volume to quiet conversation across the room, (and particularly music without a lot of bass) the drivers barely move, and no noticeable change will happen from a brand new pair sitting in silence.

To really loosen them up I'd use a volume that is uncomfortable to wear them on your head but one that does not (in the case of a powerful headphone amp) cause the drivers to reach their limits and start spooping sounds when the thin mylar diaphragm is being crinkled by excessive voice coil motion. For the bigger cans you could probably play at conversational levels (used as speakers) and for earbuds a level that can be clearly heard across the room, and if you were wearing the earbuds you should sound like you're in a really noisy club/rock concert (for hearing safety only wear briefly to test the volume)

Sarika on December 04, 2019:

I've purchased a demo headphone that I fell in love with (Blue microphones Sadie). Love it so much that I then purchased a brand new one and there is a huge difference! My older one sounds more wider and able to handle bass (punchy and lows with extreme ease). Can push up the volume by 50% more. The brand new one is tighter, the sound is rigid and volume comfort zone is at 50% less. I don't feel like I can push it as I can my older Sadie.

Dags on October 20, 2018:

Its a fact burn in will improve your headphones whether they be cheap or expensive. Burn in is even more noticeable on speakers especially monitors and guitar amps which sound much better once they have been played in for a month or more. Burn in loosens up the spider and surround of the speaker/headphone drive units which make them more responsive to all audio sounds.

Philaholic77 on September 30, 2018:

I'm not an Audiophile however I do strive to be a critical listener. I own the best headphones money can buy. And I also own some of the most inexpensive monitors headphones that sounds so great that I choose them over the expensive ones. Nonetheless it has been my experience that burning time is necessary for the driver to get loosened up. if you think about it when they come out of the factory they've been tightly screwed together. So all you're really doing is giving them a chance to vibrate and leave a audio imprint on the speaker. I also think that you should only use the pink brown and white noise for about 50 hours and the rest should be on your head listening to the music You Love. That way you can finally tune the headphones to your liking. It's interesting because sound is subjective and everyone has their opinion. So there is really no wrong answer here. Thanks and easy listening. Phillip.

Blake Flannery (author) from United States on January 19, 2015:



Pete O. on January 19, 2015:




Musu Bangura from Nation's Capital on March 01, 2014:


Dean Walsh from Birmingham, England on October 31, 2013:


Tomas on February 10, 2013:


Blake Flannery (author) from United States on November 01, 2012:



Drone on November 01, 2012:


Bob Dole on September 08, 2012:

It doesn't cost anything to burn in....

There have been measurable differences in frequency change before and after.

Think About It! on July 28, 2012:


Bob on July 10, 2012:


SANTOS FC on April 07, 2012:


Mattheu on January 26, 2012:


Yosh on January 24, 2012:

@Scott It's not myth.

I had my HD 201 burned for like, 200 hours.

The sibilance is gone(the painful "tsh" sound)

and the low-mid bass'r much better :D

Scott's Mom on January 19, 2012:

It's not a MYTH.


Scott on January 06, 2012:


Justin on December 18, 2011:

Get some JBuds from JLab. Get sport hooks for them.

Ben Zoltak from Lake Mills, Jefferson County, Wisconsin USA on October 27, 2011:



Bobri Dobri from Oklahoma on June 16, 2011:

Amazing! Have never thought about it! Thanks!

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