Musical instruments and Hi-Fi systems

Last week I was visiting Harvey de Souza, leader of the St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra, and witnessed a fascinating A/B dem.

A colleague of his arrived to try out some of Harvey's collection of bows to get more body and penetration in the sound of his violin. The ensuing comparisons were an eye opener. They showed me how important the bow is in creating the voice of a violin. It made nearly as much difference to the sound as the violin itself... just like Russ Andrews and Kimber cables and accessories do in a Hi-Fi or Home Cinema system!

Just to put relative costs into perspective, bow prices start around £3,000 for a good one, to £20,000 for a really good one, to £100,000+ for one a serious professional would want to use. And you expect to hear these differences on a £5,000 Hi-Fi system?

Think on.