Virtuoso Violin A String

I put the medium virtuoso set on neutral sounding and they did add a supplemental warmth especially noticeable on the D and G strings. They do take a few days to play in and for their true sound to emerge.

These are the best strings for mine and my sweetheart’s new handmade violins by Darren Freeman in Portland, we tried the Il Cannones on both our instruments and they are of course great but there’s something about the feel and gorgeous colorful sound of the Virtuosos, we’ll be sticking with these!

While initially putting these strings on, they have a tin sound, after about a week of continuous playing they warmed right up and settled in nicely. They are a great compliment to my violin after using only gut strings for decades, I have found that these ring true, stay in tune, warm sound. I did have to adjust my tailpiece to get the correct ratio (super easy).

I've used these strings since they came out a couple years ago, and I love them! The setup time is extremely short, and they hold pitch fantastically well. Even the high tension strings have lower tension than anything in the Pirastro lineup- on par with most dolce tensions from Thomastik. This low tension makes it easy to practice for hours without fatigue, and makes some delightfully lush playing on the D and G strings.

I would consider these strings almost a 'synthetic gut' sort of sound concept. They respond more slowly than most synthetics, making you pull the sound out of the instrument rather than press. They respond fantastically to quick bow speeds, but give out easily under too much weight. As a result, the core sound is incredible, but the range of dynamics is diminished on both the pp and ff ends. Fantastic for orchestral playing and chamber music, but definitely not loud or bright enough for soloing with orchestra. They're ideal for solo Bach and sonata playing, where double-stops are rich and full, and the harmonics from the strings blend perfectly with the piano.

G - 'Synthetic gut' core, silver wound - Sounds incredible, great tone quality all the way up. Never cracks or 'screams' at the top of the fingerboard.
D - 'Synthetic gut' core, silver wound - Also sounds good, not quite as lush as the G, but still a great string. Tends to lose power on my violin above 5th position (could be setup-related)
A - 'Synthetic gut' core, aluminum wound - Another great sounding string, with the same warmth and clarity as the G string. High passages on the A are a breeze with the lower tension.
E - Carbon steel - I don't know whey Larsen put this E with the set! It is much thinner gauge and is much brighter than the other strings. I only use it as a backup, and stick to a Vision Solo or Vision Titanium E. It would be a great pairing for synthetics like Evah Pirazzi or Obligato, but with this set it doesn't work.