In Reply to: Wrong conclusion. posted by DrChaos on April 7, 2014 at 22:12:44:
The hostility to the idea that a new violin can sound as good as an old one surprises and mystifies me. Apparently we still like to believe in magic, or something close to it. A preference for magic over--I won't say science, but common sense and good craft--has a long, undistinguished history.
And yet--are the old violins better? Of course they are, because they're old. Objects take on meaning with time. That's a big part of why I listen to a TD-124 turntable, to which I have a (distant) historical connection. It matters and enhances the experience. I can easily imagine that playing a famous instrument could enhance a musical performance--not because of the sound waves that emanate from it, but because of this emotional connection.
Get used to it folks: You hear with your BRAIN. Your ears are just a piece of it. So what you hear is linked to what you think and feel, how much you focus, and many other things.
Which all adds up to an obvious conclusion, which the more thoughtful audiophiles came to long ago: Blind testing is the only way to achieve any kind of objectivity. But it's also almost entirely irrelevant to the experience of hearing music.
Jim Austin
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- YES! THANK YOU! - Jim Austin 08:32:26 04/08/14 (5)
- Nicely put. - RC Daniel 16:51:03 04/11/14 (0)
- Hear hear! :-)) But .... - andyr 13:25:31 04/08/14 (0)
- RE: YES! THANK YOU! - bjh 11:44:15 04/08/14 (0)
- RE: YES! THANK YOU! - newdreams 10:08:52 04/08/14 (1)
- RE: YES! THANK YOU! - mkuller 20:44:51 04/08/14 (0)