"FryKleaner" and "FryBaby" Frequently Asked Questions

Why is cable break-in necessary?

Let's think for a minute how cables are constructed. They are made from a number of manufactured and refined materials, which fall into two categories: conductors and insulators. All of these materials go through a number of traumatic processes, seriously manipulating their being. Ore is dug, refined, separated, melted, pounded, cast, drawn, pressed, heated, cooled, well you get the idea. The life of those molecules is hell. Same for insulators. Mixed, melted, cured, molded, extruded. The point is that in the manufacture of cables, there is a lot of stuff going on. The result is a cable with particular geometry, conductors, and insulators to make up a useful interconnect. But have these materials really settled? Could there be some residual pattern, signature, charge, magnetism, etc. leftover that could affect sonics? Empirical evidence says yes. And that is where break-in comes in.

Break-in is the final step in the manufacturing process. It is needed to "format" and clean up or "finish" the materials in the cable. Some cable manufacturers provide this service for you. Others don't, and that is why many audiophiles agonize over a possibly lengthy break-in period. Thus, the FryKleaner was invented, offering a more effective and shorter break-in cycle.

What about capacitors and other electronics?

The above can also be said for capacitors. And resistors, tubes, circuit boards; anything experiencing some radical manufacturing process. Virtually all electronic devices benefit from break-in. Phono, line, power amplifiers, CD players, tuners, etc. Mechanical devices and transducers such as cartridges and loudspeakers also require break-in. In fact, the mechanical process is almost easier to understand, i.e. the surround of a loudspeaker starts out life a bit stiffer.

Does everything require break-in?

No. In contrast, natural unprocessed materials usually do not need break-in. For example, cotton insulation. Or beeswax. As long as the material did not undergo any major molecular restructuring or refinement, you are probably ok.

How does the FryKleaner work?

The FryKleaner attacks the problem on two fronts. It generates a very wideband noise signal to "work" or exercise the dielectrics with electric fields, and generates very low frequency, even subsonic, signals to maximally impact magnetic fields in conductors. Actually, both electric and magnetic fields work both insulator and conductor, but each has it's preferential effectiveness. Beyond that, the FryKleaner sweeps these frequencies such that there are no standing waves or constant patterns driving the cable. The waveform is continuously changing. In fact, it is very music-like, as if you were playing a dozen songs all at the same time. More info in this article.

What are the scientific principles behind cable break-in?

So far the theories are inconclusive. We can make a lot of educated guesses, but I don't believe anyone has performed the rigorous scientific testing required to prove out a hypothesis. All I know is that it makes a big difference. So do many customers, as shown in these testimonials.

It is likely not any of the prime parameters such as inductance, capacitance, resistance, or conductance (a measure of insulation). It could be dissipation factor, or something similar, perhaps frequency or temperature dependent. Could be related to contamination or parasitics such as residual diode-like junctions between materials (cuprous oxide is a semiconductor!), photovoltaic, thermocouple, or electrochemical (battery) reactions. Could be a hysteresis, remanence, coercivity, permeability, permittivity, reluctance, etc. The list goes on. Maybe it is deeper, quantum mechanical in nature. There are many items up for investigation. Progress has already been made on several fronts. Mostly in material science; chemical purity and refinement (six nines), geometry (litz, golden ratios), dielectrics (foam teflon, active biasing), and metallurgy (cryo, single crystal).

Don't you need a lots of voltage or current?

This is a myth, even though at first glance it makes perfect sense. It turns out that the wideband content is more effective at break-in than raw amplitude. Finesse over brute force. This has the advantage in that you do not have to worry about overloading, scorching, or breaking down your cables and equipment. Even the fine wire used in cartridges will not get damaged.

Can a power cord be burned in?

Yes. Be careful not mix the ultimate application of a cable with it's ability to be broken-in. Remember, we are merely forming the materials after a chaotic manufacturing experience. The materials do not care whether they are in a power cord or a speaker cable. They are simply conductors and insulators. The FryKleaner focuses in on the materials, not the intended destination.

How long does the break-in process take?

That is the million dollar question. There is no way to calculate this, not with our existing understanding of physics, anyway. We have to rely on experimental results. And after a lot of customer feedback, it appears the "48 hour" rule of thumb works pretty well for all devices. There is some opinion that silver conductors take longer than copper. Does the break-in process ever end? Maybe not, but getting 95% or 99% of the way there is quite significant.

What is the difference between voltage and current modes?

This is important. The FryKleaner can be operated in both modes for maximum usefulness. Voltage mode is where there is no loading on the interconnect. It simply receives the break-in signal as a voltage across it's terminals. This works the electric field. In current mode, we short circuit the cable or drive both ends differentially such that the signal becomes a current passing through the conductors, thus generating a magnetic field. It turns out this is the more effective of the two. Hence, our recommendation, at least for cables, is to run 24 hours in voltage mode followed by 48 hours current mode.

What about my directional cables?

Cables are only directional when used as a conduit for information or power; a channel between transmitter and receiver. During break-in, the FryKleaner connects the cable not as a conduit, but as the load itself. Directionality does not matter during break-in, only in the subsequent application.

Do I ever have to break-in my cables a second time?

No, probably not. The exception is if you leave a system unused for a long period of time. A short break-in helps to get back to where it was. I believe this is akin to a Stradivarius, which if unplayed loses its tone. Cables are probably the same way, except not quite as dramatic.

Can I break-in XLR cables with a FryBaby?

Yes, but it is not easy. We figured out a way to do this in several steps, breaking-in half the cable at a time. See our forum for diagrams.