I just saw an advertisement for this product being sold by The Cable Co. and HiFi Heaven. The ad contains the usual, robust hyperbole about how and why it will make your music sound great. I remember people saying playing a Test CD that contained a 5 minute swoop, from about 10 Hz to 20,000 Hz, would make your system sound better. So, maybe there is something here.
One thing the ad said which really piqued my interest, was the claim it would help warmup your system faster/better. I don’t leave all my equipment on 24/7 (the number one reason is some of my equipment uses tubes). Whenever I play my system I always play a CD for about 2 hours to warm it up before I sit down to listen. Even with 2 hours of warm-up, I always think the sound gets better after another 2 hours of listening.
Have any of you used the Luminist System Enhancer products? Does it help with system warm-up?
I’ve used that disk (and its predecessor) for a good while and would not want to be without it. In my case it cleans up the presentation in general and most noticeably in the bass and treble. It removes some bass bloat and murkiness in the treble. Overall the presentation is more relaxed with better tonal balance. (By the way the Luminist is substantially better than the earlier version.)
My system is powered up 24/7 but in standby when not in use to save tubes (safer for power surges too). So can’t comment on system warmup with the Luminist. I usually play a CD on repeat an hour minimum for warmup, then the Luminist (which is about 75 min) when I use it, about twice a week. After using it (with the above improvements) there is a brief settle in time (15 min ?) in which the sound improves a little more. This is minor and often I hardly notice.
Just a habit, a half hour is probably enough for warmup. I don’t stand around timing it. The system is in a separate building so I put a CD on repeat go back to the house and do some work. Many times I get involved with work and it is often more than an hour. When breaking in new components, as now, it often will be 8-10 hours of play.
The routine, as you explain it, works for you and makes sense. Even though I cannot reasonably fit 30-60 minutes in of warm up into my routine, I do notice that toward the 60 minute mark of listening my system opens up and PRAT really starts to flow.
That’s a first for me. Reminds me of starting a car in North Dakota.
I thought that was what standby was for?
I jump right in. I dont usually have 60min to “prepare" to listen. However I have noticed with the Classe, it almost seems/sounds a bit louder in the treble 20 to 30min in. Fairly negligible difference but I have noticed it.
Only one of my pieces of gear offers a standby mode, my Grimm MU2. And I never use it. I run it 24.7.365. All the rest of my gear I warm up for at least an hour with few exceptions. I power it up, noting the time, and I go do something else. I do not play music during the warmup. Only after the warm up period do I play anything. Main system only. All my other systems I just turn on and use immediately.
I could try playing music while warming up but I have three systems, two sharing a large room and one in my office. I usually use one of the other two while the main system is warming up.
I do not chant anything during the warm up but I do wear a proper tinfoil hat. I am not a noobie at this.
Perhaps there are other factors involved in warming up the system other than the tubes. I remember reading in the owners manual of my speakers were they mention that if the speakers haven’t been played in awhile the drivers may require a warm up period before they preform their best.
