To: i-node who wrote (779055 ) 4/8/2014 2:36:35 PM From: bentway Respond to "So, when Ptolemy convinced 97% of the world's scientists that the Earth was the center of the Universe -- a belief that held for nearly 1400 years until a mere 500 years ago -- were the disbelievers "fools"?"newser.com LiveScience reports. "Like most people in the violin world, I grew up absolutely believing there was a difference between an old sound and a new sound, and most violinists could readily distinguish it," says violin maker and researcher Joseph Curtin. That is, "until I ... was really forced to listen with my ears, rather than my preconceptions."Telegraph notes.) rated the instruments in a number of categories, including tone, playability, and volume. The best-performing instrument, according to the soloists as a group, was a new one—it was the favorite of four testers and the second-favorite of four others. The runner-up was a new violin, too, while the third-place finisher was a Stradivarius; the makers of the new ones weren't revealed. As for whether the violinists could discern between new and old, LiveScience notes they were "no more accurate than the flip of a coin." Think you could do better? Take a listening test here .
