Actually, I don't think anyone has ever said (in this thread) that violins are sonically indistinguishable. Of course they sound different from one another. To my mind, there are three key questions:
1. How different are Stradivari from one another, as distinct from different than violins from other makers? In other words, how does the within-group variance compare to the between group variance? There seems to be some consensus that the Stradivari have certain common characteristics and strengths, although there is also significant variance within the group. 2. Can Stradivari routinely be identified as Stradivari in pure listening tests (closely related to question 1). This is less clear, and from what I've read there is evidence to the contrary, despite the consensus that there is a "Stadivarious sound". Perhaps expert listeners in very good listening circumstances can do it routinely, but it's not apparently easy. 3. Are Stradivari clearly superior instruments to other quality fiddles? Of course there are a few who will claim this, but many masters prefer their Guarneri instruments, or others from modern makers. This is the key point made earlier in the thread, which is that there is not a lot to choose from among this group of superior instruments. One of the great debating techniques is to set up a straw horse, easily dismantled, and then claim victory. But it's a cheap victory. R. -- RonM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RonM's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=17029 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=81616 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
