

Gold, silver, platinum: experts can't distinguish the difference in sound - toddc
http://iwk.mdw.ac.at/Forschung/english/linortner/linortner_e.htm

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GiraffeNecktie
Many years ago, I was told by a flute teacher that the main difference between
beginner (i.e. cheap) flutes and the better models is that the inside of the
air hole in the better models is shaped slightly differently to give a very
subtle indentation just below the edge of the hole. Since this fine tuning has
to be done by hand, it raises the cost (although I suspect that with all
instruments now being made in Asia, the labour costs today would be
negligible).

I'm sad that I can no longer blame my lousy tone on not having a solid gold
flute. :(

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scrod
In related news, expert violinists can't distinguish between Stradivarius
violins and newer ones:

[http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/01/02/1444828...](http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/01/02/144482863/double-
blind-violin-test-can-you-pick-the-strad?sc=fb&cc=fp)

