Keeping music running thru the DS is the key - it doesn’t matter whether any downstream equipment is powered on or not. If you have a choice in music perhaps louder (or most pop) music might make minute difference, but even better: perhaps you can shorted the breakin a little by engaging the 20dB attenuator on the DS - that puts a 15 ohm resistor from the output to ground and hence provides a much larger load than any outboard equipment would. To engage the 20dB attenuator you can use the DAC level button on your remote. The attenuator is engaged when there’s an ‘L’ after the volume display on the screen. Of course if the system is on, you’ll hear the level drop by 20dB (or rise by 20dB if the attenuator was already on.)
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Thanks Ted. What’s the magic # do you think when I can expect to be mostly “there” or at least close? 200 or so hours maybe?
I’ll have to beg off on that one - Right out of the box the DS is covered, has sloppy bass and other, perhaps disquieting issues, but still some users say the DS makes music from the beginning. Others swear it’s not listenable until a couple of hundred hours and takes some monster number of hours to reach steady state (500? 800? 1000?) For me, the worst of the missing top end and the sloppy bass is gone by 100 or 200 hours, but the top end going on forever and the black background don’t really make themselves apparent until some time later.
Thanks for the info. 100 hr in to this point - look forward to the evolution.
Enjoy the process, it continues to improve. I’ve had my DS since Feb this year and will be the primary source for my system for many years to come.
Thanks - think I hit a rough patch - not the greatest at 100hrs - a little bright- some glare and a bit closed. Liked it better at 4 hrs - weird…
Yep, I experienced a number of changes. Something like the initial Wow, then 20 hrs. later Ugh. Then Wow again followed by another Uh Oh! once it got about 200 hours in its be fantastic and solid.
Engage the attenuator, leave it powered with a signal continuously for a few weeks. If its in a free air space, place a kitchen towel on top to retain some of the heat. If it gets uncomfortably hot to keep your hand on it, its too hot. The heat should speed the degassing and all the other somewhat mysterious processes we call ‘burn-in’.
Good advice, but just to be clear, the DS Jr doesn’t need any help getting warm 
Thx all - I have DS Senior. Ted you ok with the towel approach with senior?
Yes, but the first time do it when you can be there with it and check the temp periodically…
ok so warm is good - hot to touch bad?
Yes, if you can’t keep you hand on the top or sides it’s too hot. The Sr doesn’t make a lot of heat so it’s not likely a problem, but every system is different.
ok thanks
My Sr is fully burned in, but sometimes I have periods where it sounds like complete doo-doo. Then I realize that the source itself is complete doo-doo. Sr. really hits you over the head hard with poorly mastered or recorded sources!
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One of the benefits of stacking the ds senior/jr with the dmp/ pwt is how well they can keep each other warm for a not ‘cold from start’ listening session. Kinda like spooning with the wife… Warm is always better than cold.
My DS arrived yesterday afternoon and I have about 12-13 hours of continuous burn in on it.
At this point I’m concerned. Sound-stage is poor with no width or depth. Imaging is also poor.
It actually sounds like a decent mono recording on much of what I’m hearing on music I know well to have superb stereo sound-staging and imaging.
Yesterday, right out of the box it sounded better than it does now.
I’m prepared to stick it out but really, right now it’s pretty bad.
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You’ve got at least four more days of 24/7 before it starts to open up. Will slowly improve up to about 500 hours. Same phenomenon as any other DAC I have bought new.
Thanks for the reassurance.
It’s particularly difficult for me since the DMP/DSD is the only source gear in my system, so until the DAC begins to sound like it’s supposed to, I have no alternative but to have all my recordings sound bad.
Just let it play and do something else. It will go through several good and bad phases. It’s worth it. I just wish PSA could/would burn them in for a bit or give more warning that it will take lots of time.
Thanks Brett, just what I need to hear right now.