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Magic Cables and Tubes

I've read here infinitim how one cable sounds better than another or one kind of old tube sounds better than some kind of new tube. I thought this test of great violinists blind testing "great" violins against new ones would be very instructive.

"In blind test, soloists like new violins over old"
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ten world-class soloists put prized Stradivarius violins and new, cheaper instruments to a blind scientific test to determine which has the better sound. The results may seem off-key to musicians and collectors: The new violins won handily.
eddaytona

Showing 2 responses by rja

rja's avatar
rja
2,356 posts
 
Forgot to mention, it's not just the violin but the skill and technique of the player as well (and don't forget the bow). These players are probably capable of coaxing some amazing things out of an ordinary violin.
rja's avatar
rja
2,356 posts
 
New cheaper violins compared to what? Oh Stradivarius? That means those "other" newer cheaper violins could be some of the best recent or currently made violins in the world, some of which are very, very good. Doesn't take much to be cheaper than a Strad, these "cheaper" violins could still cost an easy million. Stradivarius made violins late 1600s-early 1700s, wouldn't that make most existing violins "newer"?

Plus, is every violin player convinced that Strads are the best? Seems to be a faddish opinion. How about Amatis and Guarnaris or a list of other extremely fine violins that most people have never heard of? Was Stradivarius THE only person who ever made a magnificent violin? You can bet that most professional violinists aren't using Strads because old Antonio didn't make many and even fewer survived. So what are all the other musicians using, a cigar box with strings?

The OPs analogy is totally lost on me. Am I to conclude from inference that there is no difference between cables because some violinists picked violins other than those of Antonio Stradivarius? The whole thing is moderately ridiculous and even if it weren't, what does it have to do with audio cables?
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