Elite Violinists Can't Distinguish Between a Stradivarius and a Modern Violin

sciencehabit (1205606) writes "If you know only one thing about violins, it is probably this: A 300-year-old Stradivarius supposedly possesses mysterious tonal qualities unmatched by modern instruments. However, even elite violinists cannot tell a Stradivarius from a top-quality modern violin, a new double-blind study suggests. Like the sound of coughing during the delicate second movement of Beethoven's violin concerto, the finding seems sure to annoy some people, especially dealers who broker the million-dollar sales of rare old Italian fiddles. But it may come as a relief to the many violinists who cannot afford such prices."

Comments

Re:Modern audiophiles are no different.

[russbutton]

I've got about a dozen recordings on both CD and vinyl. My own experience is that vinyl has different timbre, which many describe as "warmer" than the CDs I have. It certainly feels more... I dunno what words best describe it... "organic" maybe? It's definitely different. But is it better? That's up to you.

CDs have no background or media noise the way that vinyl does and vinyl is typically compressed a bit. It just doesn't have the signal to noise ratio that digital does.

I record the concerts my wife's string quartet does at 96 khz/24 bit, and when I down sample to 44.1 khz/16 bit to made a CD, it seems to me that I can hear differences there as well.

Personally I buy recordings to listen to the music. I like to listen on better gear just like everyone else does, but the hi-end can get waaaaay too anal retentive for me. I keep my vinyl because there's so much of it that will never make it to CD. I've got some jazz recordings you'll never see on CD.

And if you ever think you want to get into some real hi-end sound without spending an insane amount, check out

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/

Re:Modern audiophiles are no different.

[russbutton]

*crackle* I can sure *pop* hear the *snap* difference in *crackle* vinyl myself.

As vinyl ages, you lose the high octave with a curve that a lot of people like the sound of. Tube home amplifiers distort sound in a very similar way, that a lot of people like the sound of. There's surely a difference, but I prefer music mastered to be listened to accurately.

If you're going to be that serious about it, then you're going to need a system that reproduces accurately. I'll betcha it ain't better than mine.

The problem with digital is that you won't find my Bill Hardman or Frank Rosolino recordings in that medium. It doesn't matter how much "better" it sounds to you if you can't listen to it at all.

I like digital because it's so much easier to work with than analog. I like analog because of the library I have on it you'll never hear anywhere else. What you like is what you like and that's totally cool with me.