"Violinists blast holes in violin experiment"

Τheater of the absurd.
So where do you wish to focus on? Preplanned conditions for predictable outcome. Another evidence of solemn manipulation and a compelling proof of the inexhaustible machinations the industry devises in order to fulfill their marketing needs. I'm excited by Frank Almond's decision to expose this parody festival.

This is interesting beyond the usual.
Double blind testing...and I am not a psychiatrist so don't believe what I'm about to say....wreaks havoc with the evaluative process of people...puts them in an almost paranoid state.

Example...we all know what pineapple tastes like, right?
Wrong...
Blindfold a group, and fool them with (you may have to mash it so the texture doesn't give it away)...oranges or some other fruit that can pass as similar.

Recently the movie, 'Hereafter' featured a cooking segment in which the 'chefs' were asked to, while blindfolded, identify various foods...they could not.

I started playing Alto Sax as a child of 7 years old...my parents bought an inexpensive Conn, as I recall...at 17...playing professionally, I bought a Selmer Mark VI, considered to be the 'best' of the day...the difference was, in a word, unbelieveable...not just in the way it played for me the musician, but for (and I realize that it's interactively related) those listening...'Wow, what did you do?' 'Gee, you sound like a different musician Larry, what's up?'

So, to say that the Strad sounds the same, or there's no difference only points to the lack of scientific safeguards that have to be taken during any experiment of this kind.

Jim Thiel, one time, many years ago said to me...'There's no such thing as a small difference Larry...it depends entirely on who's experiencing that difference.'

That stuck with me, resonated...some thirty years later, I'm remembering it and passing it on.

Good listening,

Larry

When blindfolded, even professional chefs often fail at identifying common foods, or even determining which is pork and which is turkey.

Yes, double blind test can be poorly designed, implemented and the results can be misconstrued. At the same time human senses can be easily confused, mislead and outright wrong. The problem for audiophiles is that we hold as an article of faith that we can tell very subtle differences between equipment using our flawed senses.

As a famous audiophile once said, "a man's got to know his limitations".

I don't know if the experiment was well designed or not, but it just seems odd to me that owners of very expensive violins and audio gear are so adamantly opposed to being asked to identify it without being able to see what they are listening to.