Stradivarius violins are reputed to have an exquisite sound that cannot be replicated or explained. Why is that? And what, exactly, is a Stradivarius violin anyway? This episode features interviews with The Strad magazine’s managing editor, Christian Lloyd, and violin maker Joseph Curtin.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor.

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Can you tell the difference between a Stradivarius violin and a modern violin? Take the informal test here!

Our classical tracks came from Musopen. Check them out at musopen.org.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/stradivarius

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What makes Stradivarius violins so special?