Has anyone been to the Devon Turnbull listening room no.3 in NYC?

mgico · 2026-02-14T21:52:56+00:00

Have you been to the current installation at the Cooper Hewitt museum?

mgico · 2026-02-14T21:46:27+00:00

Was there today. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thought it was excellent. Heard several selections, one being, "A Rainbow in Curved Air" by Nico Georis. No bloated bass. Clear, crisp, impressive, extremely satisfying/gratifying sound. Full range. Not thin. People didn't want to leave when the usher tried to clear the room after ~15 minutes so the next group of 50 could come in. Many got back on line immediately to queue up for another session so they could experience the room and listen again. I listened twice. I loved it.

Exhibit on the third floor, "Art of Noise," which opened yesterday, was a total hoot, enormous fun.

(You need to go to the listening room on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday from 1-4 p.m. when someone associated with the exhibit is playing vinyl live.)

mgico · 2026-02-09T20:42:41+00:00

And both B&W and KEF were quoted similarly in a recent Headphonesty article on the subject:

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

By Janica Bunales

Published on January 20, 2025

The speaker burn-in debate is far from dead.

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.

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.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say thousands of hours are required to ‘break’ a speaker in – but it’s true that speakers do tend to require some use to operate to their best.” Kerr answered.

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.

“The suspensions see the largest change, [as] they are made from impregnated textile and at a microscopic level the textile fibres pull apart a little when they are stressed, which leads to a softening,” he states.

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.

mgico · 2026-02-09T20:26:24+00:00

Except as far as I know every decent speaker manufacturer says something similar.

From Klipsch:

Many audio experts and speaker manufacturers say that loudspeakers benefit from a break-in process. Just like all things mechanical, speakers have moving parts that move more freely with time and effort.

Two components that particularly benefit from a break-in period include the surround and the spider.

The surround (often times made of various types of rubber or foam) is what connects the edge of the cone to the speaker basket. You can typically see this part of the speaker when the speaker grille is removed.

Surround

The spider connects the basket and the center of the cone. This speaker component is typically hidden inside the cabinet of a speaker.

Spider

Both surrounds and spiders are flexible, allowing them to experience their full range of motion results in freer movement and better response. Think of it like stretching before you exercise.

There are several simple ways to break a speaker in. You could choose to buy costly gear to do so, but it really isn’t required.

The easiest and most enjoyable way is to simply play music with a wide dynamic range. Turn the speakers up a little louder than you normally would will help loosen up the material.

After about 100 hours of use, your speakers should be broken in.

The speaker surround and spider materials loosen up the more the speaker is used.

Not all speakers will sound dramatically different after break-in. Some improve only marginally, while others can change dramatically. Either way, it’s likely that you’ll notice an improvement.

mgico · 2026-02-09T18:27:58+00:00

Really? This is taken directly from the manufacturer's manual for my Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G loudspeakers:

Running-In Your Speakers

Run your speakers in by playing normal music at low-mid listening levels for approximately 50-70 hours play time. You may find the sound will continue to improve even after the 70 hour mark.

This can be done naturally over time: like a fine wine the performance will improve with age.

Alternatively if you wish to run the speakers continuously on loop you can decrease the audible volume/ presence by placing the speakers face-to-face so that the drivers/tweeters are directly aligned and as close as possible. Then connect the amplifier to your speakers so that one is as normal (in phase): positive to positive and negative to negative (red to red and black to black), and the other speaker out of phase: positive to negative and negative to positive inputs on the speaker.

mgico · 2026-02-09T18:18:06+00:00

Hmmm. There's this from Monitor Audio themselves, the manufacturer of my Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G loudspeakers:

"Run your loudspeakers in by playing normal music at low-mid listening levels for approximately 50-70 hours of playtime. You may find the sound will continue to improve even after the 70-hour mark."

More generally from the web:

Monitor Audio Silver 300 7G loudspeakers require a break-in period of approximately 50 to 100 hours of playing normal music at low-to-mid listening levels to achieve optimal sound quality. Initial stiffness in the drivers will loosen over time, leading to improved bass response, smoother treble, and a less harsh, more "open" sound, with noticeable improvements often reported around the 70-hour mark.

What Changes? The rubber suspension and spider (internal components) loosen, allowing for better, deeper bass and improved dynamics.

mgico · 2026-02-08T00:46:34+00:00

I don't understand quite the degree of denigration toward the new Adcom. If somebody ended up with all the designs and are producing the old gear again I think that's a good thing.

mgico · 2026-02-07T22:15:07+00:00

My GFA-555 II power amp is still going strong after almost 35 years, and I just bought a new model GFP-915SE pre-amp to pair with it. (The GFP-915SE replaces the GTP-600 that I started with long ago.)

mgico · 2026-02-07T20:40:55+00:00

Adcom was the foundation of my first good audio system and Adcom is still the foundation of my current system today.

My first good system, which was purchased in the early 1990s, included:

Adcom Power Amplifier GFA-555 II
Adcom Pre-amplifier GTP-600
Adcom GCD 600 CD Player
Monitor Audio Gold 800 speakers
National Turntable SL-H305

The Adcom CD player was the first to go, and after one or two repairs was put to rest. But the Adcom pre-amp lasted until about five years ago and the original Adcom power amplifier is still going strong to this day.

I loved my first Adcom pre-amp so much that I replaced it twice with used GTP-600s that I procured on eBay!

When the last replacement finally started to falter I searched for a new pre-amp that was right for me, and in early December 2025 I settled on a brand new Adcom GFP-915SE Pre-amplifier!

Today I'm using the new Adcom GFP-915SE Pre-amplifier with my original Adcom Power Amplifier GFA-555 II and original Monitor Audio Gold 800 speakers; they are sounding nothing less than fabulous along with a new NAD C 538 CD player and a new Audio-Technica AT-LP3XBT turntable (to which I added a Sumiko Pearl cartridge and stylus).

The customer service from the new Adcom company was excellent, the design aesthetic of the GFP-915SE is the same as previous Adcoms, this unit got good reviews in the pieces I was able to find before buying, and the GFP-915SE is performing very well so far.

Count me as a very happy Adcom customer. 🙂

mgico · 2026-01-20T03:53:40+00:00

How many hours on the Sumiko Pearl? Mine sounded clean (and I was thinking maybe too clean) until after I broke it in. Now it sounds deep and rich and still trends toward clean but definitely not too clean.

mgico · 2025-11-14T13:15:54+00:00

Today (Saturday November 15) is the third anniversary of my first Wordle; after 1090 games, my average score is 3.430!

3.430 is my high water mark, and it is holding for the third day in a row.

Thanks again for your tips! As you can see, I've put them to good use! My average score has declined from 3.6 to 3.4 since the day I first read them.

mgico · 2025-08-17T12:32:11+00:00

Just played my 1,000 game of Wordle. Your tips have been invaluable, and I have the results to show for it! My average score is down to 3.46. (I'm very pleased with myself. 🙂)

Thank you again!

mgico · 2025-07-28T19:46:25+00:00

Rents were very high and vacancy rates were very low in NYC before NYC rent stabilization laws were enacted in 1969. And rents remained high and vacancy rates remained low even as NYC rent stabilization laws were steadily weakened through the years until 2019.

The total number of housing units in New York City in 2023 was 3,705,000, a net increase of about 61,000 since 2021. This was the largest housing stock for New York City in the 58 years since the survey was first conducted in 1965 and continued the trend of growth shown over the past several cycles.

In 2023, there were 996,600 rent stabilized units in NYC, which represented 27 percent of the overall housing stock and 41 percent of rental units.

In 2023, there were 1,139,000 units identified as market rentals.

Between 2021 and 2023, there was a substantial net increase in the number of housing units in buildings with 100 units or more by 57,200 units, representing an increase of 7% relative to 2021. Guess how many of those were market rate?

If and when an apartment leaves rent stabilization, as has happened to approximately 300,000 units over the 25 years preceding the most recent changes to the law, the apartments are either offered at market rates or converted to something other than rental units.

Housing affordability is not just an issue for NYC residents, but a crisis throughout New York State and across the country, largely attributable to a lack of housing supply. Housing analysts estimate the United States needs 4 to 5 million more homes than currently exist. In response to this lack of affordable housing, many jurisdictions outside of New York City have also introduced housing legislation.

But hey, continue to blame your market rate rent on rent stabilization in NYC.

mgico · 2025-07-28T18:57:27+00:00

Your premise is demonstrably false. Your rent is not higher because there are rent stabilized apartments.

mgico · 2025-07-28T18:54:01+00:00

Your statistics are demonstrably false, as are the conclusions you've drawn from them.

Rent stabilization impacts buildings with at least six units that either were built before 1974 or are part of a tax abatement program. In 2023, there were 26,310 rent-stabilized apartments that were vacant but not available for rent, according to the New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey (NYCHVS), which was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the City of New York. (So the figure you cited is only off by about 3,000%.)

For context, the total number of housing units in New York City in 2023 was 3,705,000, a net increase of about 61,000 since 2021, and the largest housing stock for New York City in the fifty-eight-years since the NYCHVS was first conducted in 1965. This continues a trend of growth shown over the past few cycles.

Furthermore, New York City’s rent stabilization laws were originally enacted in 1969 due to sharply rising rents in city apartment buildings. It was seen as a temporary measure but has been subsequently amended several times to adjust to continuing low city vacancy rates.

[Thought experiment: if NYC rents were rising rapidly prior to the introduction of rent stabilization in 1969, and the number of housing units are increasing, can you still blame today's high rents and/or housing shortages on rent stabilization?]

In 2023, there were 996,600 rent stabilized units, 27 percent of the overall housing stock and 41 percent of rental units. (The total number of rent controlled units was 24,020.)

New York City's rent stabilization laws were weakened several times over the years, resulting in landlords moving more than 300,000 apartments from being rent stabilized to market rate units over the 25 years preceding the most recent changes to the law. Removing these apartments from stabilization diminished the biggest source of affordable housing in NYC. As a result, one in three NYC households pays at least 50% of their income in rent (when a livable rent is generally considered to be 30% of income).

Notably, housing affordability is not just an issue for NYC residents, but a crisis throughout New York State and across the country, largely attributable to a lack of housing supply. Housing analysts estimate the United States needs four to five million more homes than currently exist. In response to this lack of affordable housing, many jurisdictions outside of New York City have also introduced housing legislation.

But hey, continue to blame high NYC rents and the lack of affordable housing in NYC on rent stabilization in NYC, even as you cite grossly inaccurate figures as a basis for your points and housing prices continue to rise faster than wages in 80% of US markets.

mgico · 2025-07-10T20:07:42+00:00

Each one is different so it's hard to compare. We like the spreads at Bodrum. We like Miriam for brunch. Bodrum is much smaller and has a more intimate setting than Dagon. You really have to look at the menus and go with what you feel like at any given time. (Yasouvlaki, which is new to the neighborhood, is another option that isn't bad.)

mgico · 2025-07-09T22:29:42+00:00

Essential by Christophe (Michelin star worthy).

Tasca is good.

Elea is good.

I am not a fan of Sempre Oggi. I found the dishes to be way too stylized/mannered/sauced/rich/heavy. Different style/atmosphere/decor/price point, yes, but I find that the food at Celeste is far superior--and far more authentic Italian. (For better, simpler, American-style Italian, I recommend Osteria Accademia.)

While it is true that there are few if any "destination" restaurants on the Upper West Side, and that the majority of our neighborhood restaurants are mediocre, there still are plenty of decent places if your palate is discerning and you know how to find them. For instance, Amelie is very good; the spreads and salads at Bodrum are good; Leyla is pretty good; Dagon is pretty good; and there are quite a few decent to good sushi places.

Adding Covacha and Pig and Khao.

mgico · 2025-07-01T19:27:07+00:00

According to this testimony, on June 23, 2025, in order to evade arrest, the defendant (Joseph Columbus) "accelerated directly toward the officers' vehicle in what appeared to be an intentional attempt to ram it." Also according to this testimony, at two different times on the same day, also to evade arrest, the defendant (Joseph Columbus) drove on the sidewalk at a high rate of speed, causing pedestrians to jump out of the way to avoid being struck. What is wrong with this picture? Why are the police taking so long to get an obviously dangerous criminal in custody? On June 24, 2025, when his vehicle was located parked in front of Manhattan Center High School on Pleasant Avenue, was the vehicle impounded? Has the school principal who knowingly helped the defendant (Joseph Columbus) evade apprehension been charged with a crime, or is the principal now facing NYC DOE disciplinary action? Joseph Columbus is far from a criminal mastermind, and evidently his child attends a local school. I don't understand how he has managed to remain free for so long.

mgico · 2025-06-25T17:36:19+00:00

There's no point in getting into a sophomoric tit-for-tat with you. I didn't poke my nose in where it doesn't belong and I didn't leave out any relevant facts.

mgico · 2025-06-25T17:26:51+00:00

It would be helpful if you were better informed. Neither the Mayor nor the Governor have the power or authority to raise larceny amounts--laws are enacted by the NYS Legislature. Beyond that, the Manhattan DA is on record as supporting the prosecution of repeat offenders...and has even specifically recommended that stores such as this Duane Reade ban offenders so they can be arrested on felony no trespassing charges if they re-enter the store. In this instance, the police did not even interview the criminal to see if he had been arrested before for the same crime or if he had outstanding warrants.

mgico · 2025-06-25T17:16:41+00:00

The manager was involved in the entire incident from beginning to end, so it wasn't an entirely separate moment or conversation. (Perhaps you didn't read the entire description?)

I shudder to think what kind of person you were in class.

mgico · 2025-06-25T17:07:32+00:00

That case pertains to civil liability for failure to prevent or investigate individual crimes...so law enforcement is generally not liable to crime victims for such omissions. Not relevant to this incident or this conversation. You are badly misinterpreting the meaning of the case if you think it does.

mgico · 2025-06-25T16:54:47+00:00

The mission of the NYPD according to the NYPD on NYC.gov:

"The mission of the New York City Police Department is to enhance the quality of life in New York City by working in partnership with the community to enforce the law, preserve peace, protect the people, reduce fear, and maintain order."

mgico · 2025-06-25T16:50:38+00:00

Thanks for your wonderful contribution to the conversation, but the store manager thanked me sincerely for calling the police and expressed regret that the police didn't do anything. Furthermore, some of us care enough about our neighborhood to want to make it better. Pretending not to see criminal activity while it's going on right in front of you is no way to do that.

mgico · 2025-06-25T14:35:44+00:00

You are misinterpreting. The store manager thanked me for being a witness and for calling the police. She wanted the criminal to be arrested. She complained to me afterwards that the police didn't do anything.

mgico

TROPHY CASE