In case you’re the proud owner of a new iPod or iPhone, or have just bought a new set of “cans” (headphones) regardless of type (over the ear, in ear, buds, buckets… whatever) you might not know that you should break them in.

That is, plug them in and let them run for about 4 days, playing a variety of music (iPod shuffle mode is great for this) in order to loosen them up.

This is more important for some earpieces than others, but is generally true of most higher-end devices.

Anyone who has broken in a pair of Grado’s will know exactly what I’m saying: the difference is pretty obvious, as the sound goes from harsh to lush.

If you’re using the buds daily, it’s still pretty easy, of course: just plug them in and let the music play all night. You’ll be done in a week, and if my experience is any indicator, you’ll certainly notice the difference in the quality of the sound.

hth