Why do equivalent notes played on different instruments sound different?

Question

So if an A is 440hz, why does a piano playing an A sound different than a violin, a guitar, or someone’s voice making that same A 440 note? It’s obvious that the pitch is the same on each instrument but each instrument has a distinct sound. I’ve never heard an A on a piano and thought, is that a piano or a cello. Why can we distinguish between instruments?

In: 151

Answer 1

Materials and sound reflection mostly.

With different materials u can get “different” sounds. It’s like the: what weights more? 1 pound of feathers or 1 pound of steel?

It’s the same result but the amount of (in this case how the sound moves through the materials and the shape of the item) is different.