New Mark owner, does amp have break in period?

[nomad100hd]

I bought a mark v head yesterday i liked the sound of the combo into store. My head very hard to dial it seems a little dull and honky will the amp break in? It has no bite

 

[Mister Joshua]

There is a bit of a break in period, generally about 72 hours for solid state parts. Tubes really never stop breaking in. They keep getting sweeter until they start declining.

One thing to bear in mind is the speakers you are using. You say you liked the combo in the store yet bought a head. Remember that combos and stacks have inherently different sounds. I'd say to re evaluate your speakers and maybe even take the head and the cab you are using back to the store and see if they think it sounds right, since they've probably heard a vast array of combinations.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[nomad100hd]

i already had a wide body ported with the c90 and a 2x12 recto cab. I was hoping it would sound good with the 1x12. Yeah if can't get it to tune in i might just have to return it or exchange it. might be it just not as rich sounding as what i'm used to my other head has 6l6's and el34 in it.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I find the widebody cabs sound kind of honky. I have a pair of them and compared to other cabs they're pretty much all midrange. I wouldn't really consider them dull sounding, but they don't have the punch of the Recto 2x12 w/ V30s.

 

[nomad100hd]

Any remedy to that? What if I put a vin 30 in it.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Mounting a Mesa OEM V30 would bring it more inline with the sound of your Recto 2x12.

 

[thalweg]

Give it some time. Learn the nuances. I recommend NOT making any major changes until you wrap your head around all the tuning options of this amp. Took me almost 4 months before I fully understood its capability and where sweet spots were on the knobs for my ears. Then I started experimenting with cabs, tubes, etc...its was a more efficient process as a result and I could make easier comparisons and understood why the sound changed as much as it did.

 

[elvis]

Solid-state components don't have a break-in period. I design them, and we couldn't sell them if they were going to change measurably. They are guaranteed to meet a tight specification for a long time. Same for passive components.

Tubes change a LOT.

Jury is still out on speakers. I understand the hypothesis regarding the spider loosening, but I have seen pre- and post-burn in data (frequency-response measurements), and they look the same. Certainly not night-and-day.

 

[Mister Joshua]

Solid-state components don't have a break-in period. I design them, and we couldn't sell them if they were going to change measurably. They are guaranteed to meet a tight specification for a long time. Same for passive components.

Actually they do. I am an electrical engineer and i am currently working with a major chip manufacturer to try to minimize this break in period. Most micro architecture doesn't exhibit a measurable change because it is 32 nm technology and there is little if any change to be had over such a small depletion region. But amps use large and rather old transistor technology. And also remember that the large and unwieldy caps (which are usually replaced by transistor arrays on IC's) do change over time. Amps are not 32nm technology and they will change as charge is put through them. But this change is normally finished by 72 to 100 hours of play time. That being said i still think it is a speaker issue. Just clarifying though so folks don't get any misinformation.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[nomad100hd]

it's been a while since i had an amp with a break in period, the amp definably sweetening. I just want to make sure i'm 100% satisfied before i sell my RM100. Would have just bought a Mark X module for the RM100 but the head weights 60bls + and it's huge and awkward, so a pain to move.

 

[Mister Joshua]

The break in will be minor. You may get an extra 5% max in tone. I still think you might try some different speaker combinations. I am sure if you go back to the store that sold it that they would gladly let you play it through several of the speakers they have in stock and you can see what sounds best. Then again you may have a malfunctioning amp. But the only way to tell is to go try it out with some different speakers and let someone else who has heard a few of these hear it and see if it sounds "right". I am quite sure that with the right speakers you will find true nirvana.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[nomad100hd]

I agree sounds way better thru 2x12. Today when I turned it on was playing channel one kind of a dirty tone channel fizzed out for a split second.

 

[elvis]

Actually they do. I am an electrical engineer and i am currently working with a major chip manufacturer to try to minimize this break in period. Most micro architecture doesn't exhibit a measurable change because it is 32 nm technology and there is little if any change to be had over such a small depletion region. But amps use large and rather old transistor technology. And also remember that the large and unwieldy caps (which are usually replaced by transistor arrays on IC's) do change over time. Amps are not 32nm technology and they will change as charge is put through them. But this change is normally finished by 72 to 100 hours of play time. That being said i still think it is a speaker issue. Just clarifying though so folks don't get any misinformation.

Peace,
Joshua

Hi Joshua,

I'm not a digital guy, so I've never worked in anything measured in nm. And actually, I would be more inclined to believe that you would see shifts in that kind of process due to the fact that such a small structure is sensitive to even the tiniest physical changes. As a rule, the old, big processes are quite stable.

In my own experience, there are some characteristics that can change, but not gain or frequency response.

Discrete capacitors are certainly a wild-card.

 

[nomad100hd]

i think even cap manufactures say their is a burn in period.

 

[nomad100hd]

turns out a big part of it was the room i was playing in sucks, i took the mark to practice tonight and it sounded way better.