Versum Solo Cello Strings A & D Review
- James Ng
- Jul 31, 2022
- 2 min read
Versum Solo A & D Cello Strings Review
After using Larsen's Il Cannone cello strings, Warm and Broad A, Direct and Focused DGC (practically my favourite combination by far) for the past year or more, I decided to experiment with Versum's Solo A & D combined with Spirocore Tungsten's G & C (all from Thomastik Infeld, Vienna) solely because of the Christmas colour combination (don't judge)
Power: Larsen strings are always the go to if you want direct and focused sound, especially for solo playing in front on the orchestra, Versum's A is not as bright and direct but still powerful, more warmth, slightly milder in character.
Core sound: Il Cannone's D is one of the best D string in terms of core sound which supports the bright A string, Versum's D sounds a little thinner but the upper voices surprisingly has a lot of clarity.
Clarity and cleanliness: This aspect Versum's strings really shines out. In terms of articulation, one might need to work harder on Versums but on the other hand it is a super clean sounding string, no extra noise from awkward bow changes etc. Intonation on double stops were clearer than my old set of Larsen strings where some frequencies just won't sit very well with each other.
Pairing with Spirocore G & C: Very well balanced as Versum's A & D is not extremely direct but good enough to project while maintaining warmth to the sound. It feels like an entire set (like Larsen's Il Cannone where you can also use the G & C).
Verdict: A very good set of strings if you do a lot of studio recordings where one demands cleanliness, clarity and response. Probably good in orchestral & chamber music settings too but if you need absolute power, Larsen is still more direct & powerful in that sense.