I appreciate your demonstrations of the various strings, with the common elements that lets us compare „objectively“ if that is possible, and how you relate to them. Please continue in the expansive way. It is educational - trains the ears and our perception of sound.
I know I'm more than a year late to the party, but you said if we see anything that stands out... The graph at the end. The Dominants' 3rd harmonic is hugely overpowering. It's part of what gives them their shriller tone. You can hear it in your video about Dominants, when you let the open A ring, and the high E actually outlasts the A in the decay. On just about any instrument, warm tone or not, I'd prefer these Amber Warchals to the Dominants for that reason alone: when I play an A, I want to hear the A, not the E an octave and a fifth above it. ...But that's just like, my opinion, man.
I have an old German violin that sounds sweet mellow and woody but not enough volume (like old fiddles do usually). I used to enhance the sound with Evah pirazzi. Then I still wanted more power and changed to titanium tailpiece + end button. This combo did bring out more power and resonance, but somehow lost the signature mellow and sweetness of the violin. Now I put Warchal Amber to balance out again on the darker tone, so far is working great. More power than before and retaining the tonal quality I was looking for.
I use gut strings typically for my one violin. Just sounds better than standard synthetic which gives me a nasal tone. When I saw these were suppose to imitate gut but for a slightly lower price. I had to try it, plush the idea of getting and tuning gut strings in 3 days is a rush. I had NEVER seen this on an E string. Thought it was odd, looked to get an answer, thank you for your help.
Very cheap??? You are very fortunate if that is indeed correct, since they are at least 3200 Thai baht per set for purchase in Bangkok--- thinking in Canuck shekels (Canadian loonies^^), at c. 23.5 baht per CAD, that is not exactly pocket change for 4 rather thin pieces of wire...
Just got the Warhcal Amber E. I've been playing Dominants for about 30 years, so change is hard. But after a few days practicing with this, I am sold. Sorry Dominant E, you've been replaced :)
Hey Michael 😊 I have a question about comparing Warchal Amber to Obligato. Which one is more soft, dark and mellow on a shrieky violin? It would be nice to hear a comparison on the same violin, since both are regarded warmer than usual. Possible? 🙏
I have been torn between ordering Warchal Amber or Obligato and I decided to order a set of the Amber and I was considering getting Obligato's for the D and G if I'm not happy enough with the lower registers of Ambers. I would love to see some comparisons and opinions of these two sets!
Yes to Angela and Neomi’s requests, and as someone with both a viola and violin, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on how well your analysis of the violin strings transfers to viola strings for the same brands.
İ have 39 sm viola that sound Warmer..i Want to make it bright sound (big volume)and Real viola tone(mine is sounding like violin..)which strings Can you prefer for my viola??thanks your answer..
I used one full set of ambers then switched to the Brilliant/Russian A/Amber E combination partially for the Russian A and partially because I have highly corrosive sweat that Warchal says aluminium is highly susceptible to and that silver resists. And I can confirm that on my old amber D (hydronalium/silver wound) I can clearly see alternate coils loosening up. Hopefully the silver wound brilliant D will last longer.
Sunit so what is the conclusion? Did you stick to warchal brilliant or now you found something else? I also have observed that sweat can be a problem. Currently using Pi and warchal amber e. Love it.
@@KolodziejczykKuba I settled on the warchal amber with avantgarde A combination for a couple of years, as I really liked the warm sound it has even at a close distance (vs. other strings that are meant to have more projection, like Brilliant, Evah Pirazzi, PI - at least in my perception). As I'm playing less (and also at a lower level) after the COVID epidemic, I'm considering switching back to Brilliant D and G as I can find it for much cheaper than the Amber strings, and am hunting for more generally available metal A strings to match, such as spirocore, prim and Larsen metal core A (the last one seems not well known), which I will try to match.
@@SUNIT052 Interesting! I tried the same combos with Russian A and Avantgarde (which I found too stiff) but settled on Amber G, D and E forte + Russian A for better stability, brighter highs and somewhat more sophisticated lower strings. The coils on the D string are indeed prone to loosening - though it hasn't affected the sound that much in my case. Have you tried mixing the Russian A with Ambers and have you had any other problems using those strings?
So interesting! One question: I noticed that when you play these strings, they sound like they have this incredible resonance compared to your Dominant and Obligato videos. But you mentioned this was recorded in a different room. In your opinion, is the dramatic resonance difference I’m hearing due to a difference in strings or room acoustics? Are the Ambers actually that much more resonant?
Thanks for watching! That's a great question! The Ambers will be a bit more resonant than the Dominants. They would be in the same ball park of the Obligatos with regard to resonance, but that can vary depending on the instrument they are on.
As someone who got initially hooked by Warchal strings precisely because of richer overtones - yes, there absolutely is a difference in the perceived resonance of the instrument with these strings on! Brilliants are even more resonant and ring longer but they sound too artificial to my taste - though experience may vary depending on the instrument. Not sure Warchals really remind me of Dominants in any way except for being in the same sythetic / aluminium-wound strings category. Ambers may be a compromise between the super-rich but unstable Pirastro Olivs and super-stable but too focused Evah Pirazzis - in that sense, Michael was completely right in comparing them to other strings "somewhere in the middle" of the imaginary graph rather than to something like Pirazzis. Warchal's Timbre strings is their response to Evah Pirazzi - they are more powerful and focused but certainly not as pleasant to play in small spaces!
I bought a set of the Amber Warchal strings. When I tried to tune it the first time, I broke the E string. Guess that coil on the E didn't stretch as much as I thought it would!
I've seen a lot of complaints about the E loop breaking. I broke my first two fairly quickly. I use a Hill-style mini-fine tuner. There is a solution. Wittner makes a plastic insert that you can place over the prong to cushion the loop. Problem solved. A luthier showed me how to attach one with a tiny dot of Super Glue.
I really like warchal strings but my first experience with warchal brilliant heavy tension A string broke after a week and having to retune it. And one of my A Amber strings had a unwrapping effect where the spring section is.
On my highly characterial, dark and complicated violin, these just add too much texture. Trying them now and they feel so incredibly unforgiving, I love textured sound but here it might just be too much for me. Also the E does whistle - my violin whistles with pretty much everything except for my favourite Hill. I guess I'll go back to Corelli Crystal (with a Hill E) soon, I've never found any better strings on my instrument.
These sound really nice on my instrument, though I have to say I didn't care for the E - it didn't solve the whistling issue for me and the tone was unclear. The Amber G, D, & A with Pirastro Gold Label E did great. Am I the only person who gets no whistling with a Gold Label E? I usually use Warchal Ametyst even though I prefer the Amber because the Ametyst are cheaper but that E whistles something awful...
haha. Yeah, sometimes it comes and goes, but that whistling E is the worst! It's a hard decision to sacrifice quality for price, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. ruclips.net/video/rZ0HUcswsHk/видео.html
I am using the same configuration and after about two weeks I really started to love the sound. I also felt they needed a stickier rosin. I am now trying the new Dominant Pro and though people comment with praise on the projected sound, to my ear (obviously close to the violin) they sound very congested. I also feel the tension is too soft on the Dominant Pro, especially the A string. The D string with silver is the most satisfying. I am conflicted and feel like I want to go back to the Wachtel Amber with the Thomastik Gold E.
Very woody sound. A little nasal. I'm ordering the e string to solve some whistling issues on my electric fiddle. It has the clearest sound of the four, so I'm interested to see how it performs. Gonna compare it to a wound Dominant, Kaplan, and Pirastro No. 1.
It's the easy part of the 1st mvt. of Tchaikovsky violin concerto. (yes it's easy, but I like it because you get a little taste of every string, and kinda high up on each string too).
7:19 They're not quite as dark or as brooding of a sound as Obligatos; definitely warmer, richer... more developed sound than Dominants. Obligato review: ruclips.net/video/IlWo9anDtIw/видео.html
Thank you for a great demo. BTW, since this is a brand name based on a *family* name, here's a video on how to pronounce it properly (...but they graciously do give you permission to use whatever is convenient...): ruclips.net/video/T6Lt49fLrRc/видео.html
Por onde comprou? Quando eu comprei pelo fiddlershop a alfandega ne taxou... Essas cordas são as melhores cordas que ja usei achei elas muito superiores as evah pirazzi Mas tenho medo de comprar e eles me cobrarem taxa de importaçao denovo 😭
The sound of the Warchal strings is disappointing. Of course, they're inexpensive, but the sound is narrow, dull in comparison to eg Thomastik Dominant. It's abundantly clear in the review you did on the Larsen Il Cannone, where you compare them with Evah Pirazzi and WArchal Amber strings - the latter being clearly the most tonally limited.
![OhGeesy x Lefty Gunplay - What It Iz [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L0yzW9t2ixk/mqdefault.jpg)
Please review the Warchal Brilliant violín strings too. Keep up your great work! Thank you! 🙏🏻🎻
I appreciate your demonstrations of the various strings, with the common elements that lets us compare „objectively“ if that is possible, and how you relate to them. Please continue in the expansive way. It is educational - trains the ears and our perception of sound.
I love these strings! Highly recommend them , we have also great strings and bows in our store
I love these strings! Highly recommend them 😀
I know I'm more than a year late to the party, but you said if we see anything that stands out... The graph at the end. The Dominants' 3rd harmonic is hugely overpowering. It's part of what gives them their shriller tone. You can hear it in your video about Dominants, when you let the open A ring, and the high E actually outlasts the A in the decay. On just about any instrument, warm tone or not, I'd prefer these Amber Warchals to the Dominants for that reason alone: when I play an A, I want to hear the A, not the E an octave and a fifth above it. ...But that's just like, my opinion, man.
I have an old German violin that sounds sweet mellow and woody but not enough volume (like old fiddles do usually). I used to enhance the sound with Evah pirazzi. Then I still wanted more power and changed to titanium tailpiece + end button. This combo did bring out more power and resonance, but somehow lost the signature mellow and sweetness of the violin. Now I put Warchal Amber to balance out again on the darker tone, so far is working great. More power than before and retaining the tonal quality I was looking for.
Thanks for watching!
I use gut strings typically for my one violin. Just sounds better than standard synthetic which gives me a nasal tone. When I saw these were suppose to imitate gut but for a slightly lower price. I had to try it, plush the idea of getting and tuning gut strings in 3 days is a rush. I had NEVER seen this on an E string. Thought it was odd, looked to get an answer, thank you for your help.
I have these strings on my Richardson Tertis viola. They are rich, deep, warm, very stable and very cheap. Highly recommended for viola.
Very cheap??? You are very fortunate if that is indeed correct, since they are at least 3200 Thai baht per set for purchase in Bangkok--- thinking in Canuck shekels (Canadian loonies^^), at c. 23.5 baht per CAD, that is not exactly pocket change for 4 rather thin pieces of wire...
@@colinwrubleski7627 $59 U.S.
This was amazing, could you guys do a review on the Warchel brilliant violin set??
I'll add it to the list! Thanks for watching
Just got the Warhcal Amber E. I've been playing Dominants for about 30 years, so change is hard. But after a few days practicing with this, I am sold. Sorry Dominant E, you've been replaced :)
Can you please make a Video about Pirastro Perpetual ???
Love these strings! I’d like to be adventurous and try other strings, but these are too good!
Glad you like them! Thanks :)
Hey Michael 😊 I have a question about comparing Warchal Amber to Obligato. Which one is more soft, dark and mellow on a shrieky violin? It would be nice to hear a comparison on the same violin, since both are regarded warmer than usual. Possible? 🙏
I have been torn between ordering Warchal Amber or Obligato and I decided to order a set of the Amber and I was considering getting Obligato's for the D and G if I'm not happy enough with the lower registers of Ambers. I would love to see some comparisons and opinions of these two sets!
Yes to Angela and Neomi’s requests, and as someone with both a viola and violin, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on how well your analysis of the violin strings transfers to viola strings for the same brands.
6:06 vs. 11:28 for comparison between Dominant A and Amber Warchal A.
For me this strings are better than evah pirazzi's
Please show the warchal brilliant!!!
İ have 39 sm viola that sound Warmer..i Want to make it bright sound (big volume)and Real viola tone(mine is sounding like violin..)which strings Can you prefer for my viola??thanks your answer..
I used one full set of ambers then switched to the Brilliant/Russian A/Amber E combination partially for the Russian A and partially because I have highly corrosive sweat that Warchal says aluminium is highly susceptible to and that silver resists. And I can confirm that on my old amber D (hydronalium/silver wound) I can clearly see alternate coils loosening up. Hopefully the silver wound brilliant D will last longer.
Very interesting stuff Sunit! Way to experiment and find something that works!
Sunit so what is the conclusion? Did you stick to warchal brilliant or now you found something else?
I also have observed that sweat can be a problem. Currently using Pi and warchal amber e. Love it.
@@KolodziejczykKuba I settled on the warchal amber with avantgarde A combination for a couple of years, as I really liked the warm sound it has even at a close distance (vs. other strings that are meant to have more projection, like Brilliant, Evah Pirazzi, PI - at least in my perception). As I'm playing less (and also at a lower level) after the COVID epidemic, I'm considering switching back to Brilliant D and G as I can find it for much cheaper than the Amber strings, and am hunting for more generally available metal A strings to match, such as spirocore, prim and Larsen metal core A (the last one seems not well known), which I will try to match.
@@SUNIT052 Interesting! I tried the same combos with Russian A and Avantgarde (which I found too stiff) but settled on Amber G, D and E forte + Russian A for better stability, brighter highs and somewhat more sophisticated lower strings. The coils on the D string are indeed prone to loosening - though it hasn't affected the sound that much in my case. Have you tried mixing the Russian A with Ambers and have you had any other problems using those strings?
You do really good reviews. It’d be nice if you could do some reviews for viola strings
So interesting! One question: I noticed that when you play these strings, they sound like they have this incredible resonance compared to your Dominant and Obligato videos. But you mentioned this was recorded in a different room. In your opinion, is the dramatic resonance difference I’m hearing due to a difference in strings or room acoustics? Are the Ambers actually that much more resonant?
Thanks for watching! That's a great question! The Ambers will be a bit more resonant than the Dominants. They would be in the same ball park of the Obligatos with regard to resonance, but that can vary depending on the instrument they are on.
As someone who got initially hooked by Warchal strings precisely because of richer overtones - yes, there absolutely is a difference in the perceived resonance of the instrument with these strings on! Brilliants are even more resonant and ring longer but they sound too artificial to my taste - though experience may vary depending on the instrument. Not sure Warchals really remind me of Dominants in any way except for being in the same sythetic / aluminium-wound strings category. Ambers may be a compromise between the super-rich but unstable Pirastro Olivs and super-stable but too focused Evah Pirazzis - in that sense, Michael was completely right in comparing them to other strings "somewhere in the middle" of the imaginary graph rather than to something like Pirazzis. Warchal's Timbre strings is their response to Evah Pirazzi - they are more powerful and focused but certainly not as pleasant to play in small spaces!
I bought a set of the Amber Warchal strings. When I tried to tune it the first time, I broke the E string. Guess that coil on the E didn't stretch as much as I thought it would!
I've seen a lot of complaints about the E loop breaking. I broke my first two fairly quickly. I use a Hill-style mini-fine tuner. There is a solution. Wittner makes a plastic insert that you can place over the prong to cushion the loop. Problem solved. A luthier showed me how to attach one with a tiny dot of Super Glue.
I really like warchal strings but my first experience with warchal brilliant heavy tension A string broke after a week and having to retune it. And one of my A Amber strings had a unwrapping effect where the spring section is.
But the A isn't coiled - only the E is coiled.
How do these compare to Il Cannone Soloist with the warm and broad A?
Warchal has a stronger major 3rd harmonic content. Thomastik Dominants have more post bow sustain.
On my highly characterial, dark and complicated violin, these just add too much texture. Trying them now and they feel so incredibly unforgiving, I love textured sound but here it might just be too much for me. Also the E does whistle - my violin whistles with pretty much everything except for my favourite Hill. I guess I'll go back to Corelli Crystal (with a Hill E) soon, I've never found any better strings on my instrument.
These sound really nice on my instrument, though I have to say I didn't care for the E - it didn't solve the whistling issue for me and the tone was unclear. The Amber G, D, & A with Pirastro Gold Label E did great. Am I the only person who gets no whistling with a Gold Label E? I usually use Warchal Ametyst even though I prefer the Amber because the Ametyst are cheaper but that E whistles something awful...
haha. Yeah, sometimes it comes and goes, but that whistling E is the worst! It's a hard decision to sacrifice quality for price, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. ruclips.net/video/rZ0HUcswsHk/видео.html
I am using the same configuration and after about two weeks I really started to love the sound. I also felt they needed a stickier rosin. I am now trying the new Dominant Pro and though people comment with praise on the projected sound, to my ear (obviously close to the violin) they sound very congested. I also feel the tension is too soft on the Dominant Pro, especially the A string. The D string with silver is the most satisfying. I am conflicted and feel like I want to go back to the Wachtel Amber with the Thomastik Gold E.
Great video, thank you! What frequency analyser software did you use??
Adobe Audition is the secret sauce
Very woody sound. A little nasal. I'm ordering the e string to solve some whistling issues on my electric fiddle. It has the clearest sound of the four, so I'm interested to see how it performs. Gonna compare it to a wound Dominant, Kaplan, and Pirastro No. 1.
Please let us know what you think, Geoff. Thanks
Please do the pi thomastik-infeld review
Oh please!!!
Thank you. I appreciate this. Even though you ramble.
My friend wants to know what piece you were playing (5:12 into your video). Thank you very much!
It's the easy part of the 1st mvt. of Tchaikovsky violin concerto. (yes it's easy, but I like it because you get a little taste of every string, and kinda high up on each string too).
7:19 They're not quite as dark or as brooding of a sound as Obligatos; definitely warmer, richer... more developed sound than Dominants.
Obligato review: ruclips.net/video/IlWo9anDtIw/видео.html
Só falta comprar o breu Andréa solo
What piece were you playing at 5:10?
Parabéns pelo vídeos .bom violino
Thank you for a great demo. BTW, since this is a brand name based on a *family* name, here's a video on how to pronounce it properly (...but they graciously do give you permission to use whatever is convenient...): ruclips.net/video/T6Lt49fLrRc/видео.html
Thanks for watching!
The only thing I find annoying about long videos is the inevitable apologising at the beginning :)
Lol! OK, that's a good point. No more apologies (it'll probably save a minute too)
Eu tenho essa corda
Por onde comprou?
Quando eu comprei pelo fiddlershop a alfandega ne taxou...
Essas cordas são as melhores cordas que ja usei achei elas muito superiores as evah pirazzi
Mas tenho medo de comprar e eles me cobrarem taxa de importaçao denovo 😭
@@IsraelAssisdeOliveira MercadoLivre
The sound of the Warchal strings is disappointing. Of course, they're inexpensive, but the sound is narrow, dull in comparison to eg Thomastik Dominant. It's abundantly clear in the review you did on the Larsen Il Cannone, where you compare them with Evah Pirazzi and WArchal Amber strings - the latter being clearly the most tonally limited.
Know, donut apologize! The in-depth narrative keeps me embalmed, enthralled, u know?