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bloke wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:19 pm I've heard some remarkably-fine not-old fiddles.
I have wondered if the 18th century instruments sound (not denying their *exceptionalism) is just as much due to whose hands they're in, as anything.

peterbas wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 6:49 pm

bloke wrote: ↑Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:19 pm I've heard some remarkably-fine not-old fiddles.
I have wondered if the 18th century instruments sound (not denying their *exceptionalism) is just as much due to whose hands they're in, as anything.
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*wow...I just double-checked to make certain that I was using that word correctly, and there is e̶x̶c̶e̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ extraordinary bias against the word, in the googawiki-Newspeak-groupthink universe.

It is stated that the new ones project better.
First rule in audio comparison of speakers, cd players, amps... is that both must sound just as loud, less then 1 dB difference, because the loudest one just about always sound better.
Maybe that is happening here also, the new violins are louder so they sound better.

PNAS wrote: Old Italian violins are widely believed to have playing qualities unobtainable in new violins, including the ability to project their sound more effectively in a hall. Because Old Italian instruments are now priced beyond the reach of the vast majority of players, it seems important to test the fundamental assumption of their tonal superiority. A recent study found that, under blind conditions, violin soloists generally prefer new violins and are unable to distinguish between new and old at better than chance levels. This paper extends the results to listeners in a hall. We find that they generally prefer new violins over Stradivaris, consider them better-projecting, and are no better than players at telling new and old apart.
...

In two separate experiments, three new violins were compared with three by Stradivari. Projection was tested both with and without orchestral accompaniment. Projection and preference were judged simultaneously by dividing listeners into two groups. Results are unambiguous. The new violins projected better than the Stradivaris whether tested with orchestra or without, the new violins were generally preferred by the listeners, and the listeners could not reliably distinguish new from old. The single best-projecting violin was considered the loudest under the ear by players, and on average, violins that were quieter under the ear were found to project less well.
...

Selection of the Violins for the New York Experiment.
New violins were chosen from a pool of 15 violins (including N5) submitted by their makers. A preselection took place in the same venue as the experiment. J.C. and the distinguished violin maker Sam Zygmuntovicz played the violins under blind conditions and selected what they considered the best eight violins. The selection of three new instruments was made by a blind test similar to the preselection in Paris (7). Three blindfolded soloists (the two participating in the experiment along with Karen Gyomo) each played eight violins behind an acoustically transparent screen for a small audience (J.C., F.-C.T., Sam Zygmuntovicz, and the two soloists who were not playing). Three violins (including N5) were chosen via an informal discussion of the player and listener preferences. There was good agreement among all parties.