I was one of the people who spotted it, but mostly by the sound file name rather than just hearing that the Bos wasn't a Spizz. I've heard your Bos Antique sound file before, and I am thus better able to judge how it sounds compared to my own 21" Bos Antique at 2530g. Not as nice as yours! I didn't really think the cymbal in the sound file was trashy like a Spizz (and that smooth Bos Antique crash), and that's why I looked more closely at the sound file name. But I couldn't be absolutely sure the sound files were mixed up because I've only ever had sticks on one Spizz and that was for a brief time. My ears aren't that good.

So anyway, this is a good example of how false information persists once it gets out there. Despite me posting the information about the likely mixup of sound files in a Cymbalholic thread (started by somebody who was seemed interested in it and loved the sound) and a subsequent confirming post from others, discussion continues about how that soundfile couldn't be a Bos and how much it sounds like a Spizz not a Bos.

As to why the Bos is lagging so much in price, I guess it is because people bid more with their eyes than their ears.

People are willing to pay more for a "designer label" like Spizz, and in part that may be because they seem to hold their resale value very well. Even though they could get that magnificent Bos Antique much cheaper. I'd be going for it myself (instead of myth busting) except that I've decided that I'm really more of a 20" guy. Pity. It is delicious sounding.

My father used to say of Lacoste (our first exposure to designer labels)

"That's a $10 shirt with a $30 dollar alligator stuck on"

I think they didn't pay attention to the sound file at all. They are bidding according to the brand and model of cymbal. The Spizz is worth lots more than the Bos.. However the Bos definitely could be bid up towards the end of the auction. If you still wanted the spizz to stay on auction you could have just added to the description with a link to the new sound file.

I'm generally not extremely trusting of sound files because I know that recording techniques vary and have an effect on the resulting sound. They can be used as an indicator, but very likely people were bidding on the cymbal name and many could have not even listened to the files, or not have seen the other auction.

Yes..........could have. But I don't like sloppy.

Look for it Sunday night.

Let's say you had a Spizz and a Bos that both sound identical. And you pointed that out on the auctions, and included info that both were simultaneously on auction, and provided the 2 different sound files. Then you would have a scientific experiment to find out exactly how much of a difference the name makes. That would be very interesting.

I see what your saying here, but this alone tells me just about as much as I want to know about this phenomena, without going to such lengths.

Using eBay as a vehicle through which to satisfy scientific curiosity by conducting double blind soundfile experiments is not really what I interested in.

In the final analysis I'm just trying to sell cymbals so that I can make a quick buck. That's not as lofty a goal as the persuit of scientific truths, which I admit; but it does pay the rent.

Great example of market psychology/perception and reality being two very different things. Coke, Pepsi, cigarette companies, beer brands...well any big corporation really...all pay teams of psychologists to study this very phenomenon.

I'd want the Spiz 10 out of 10 times -even if the Bos sounded better. I consider Spizzicino cymbals to be metal sculptures made by an artist.

If the choice was between a Picasso painting and another really good Spanish painter's painting, then I'm taking the Picasso every time, too.

So, yes, I agree. There is something about a name that can make a big difference in people's perceptions sometimes.