Soloist Ilya Kaler tests a violin during the study. Kaler wears modified welder’s goggles to prevent instrument identification by eye. (Credit: Image courtesy of Stefan Avalos)
Are antique violins, such as those made by the Stradivari family, really as great as their reputation suggests?
A new study organized a blind test of 12 violins – 6 new ones and 6 antiques, including 5 by Stradivari. In the end, 6 of the 10 soloists selected a new violin as their preferred instrument; they also failed to distinguish new violins from old ones at levels better than chance.
The original research paper will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 7, 2014.
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