Vision Solo strings
I love trying new strings, but I'm not crazy about regular Visions - I find they tend to sound very focused at the expense of fullness and color range. Can someone tell me how the newish Vision Solo strings are different (either the violin or viola strings)? Thanks!
Replies (27)
I've got a bunch of violins and they all have seemed to be their best with different brands and/or mixtures of brands of strings.
Since the advent of synthetic-core strings I have bought and used Dominant, Tonica, Obligato, Thomastic-Infeld (Blue and Red), Zyex (original), Evah Pirazzi, Dogal (Vivaldi), Passione, Warchal (Brilliant), Vision, Vision-Titanium, and Vision-Solo --- and a few other brands too obscure to mention. I have used different gauges of a number of these strings, as well. I have also used the Kaplan-Solutions E string.
The Vision Solo strings that are the only strings (so far) that work wonderfully as a complete set on all three of the violins I have tried them on so far. Previously, each of this violins was optimized by a different brand.
So they get my vote!
Andy
P.S. IT IS RIDICULOUS WHEN THESE THREADS ARE PICKED UP YEARS LATER. SO NOW I HAVE TO RE-VOTE. INSTEAD OF VISION SOLO, I NOW CAST MY VOTE FOR THOMASTIK "PETER INFELD" STRINGS. ALSO KNOWN AS PI OD "π". These are the ebst ever and not only on the 3 violins mentioned above, but also on an 4th, quite different one. HOWEVER, IT IS CRITICAL TO USE THE SET WITH THE PLATINUM E-STRING. (I HAVE NOT TRIED THE GOLD-PLATED π S-string).
Andy (2/21/2011)
I have used both Vision strings on my viola, and prefer the sound of the Solo--richer and fuller sound. The Solo strings do need a slightly slower bow speed and I have needed to move my various contact points slightly nearer the bridge.
I've not used either regular or solo, so cannot compare, but the vision orchestral are amazing. They beat olivs on every violin I've tried, and they also seem consistent from instrument to instrument. Full, rich sound, nice overtones. It seems lots of violinists have tried the solo, which are marketed as projecting more.... but I find the orchestral to project extremely well. Hands down the best strings I've ever tried.
Julia, Andrew,
Are you talking about the "regular" Vision Solos or the Titanium Vision Solos. I am in search of a set of strings for one of my violins which lacks a little of brightness and projection. By your commnents I think these vision are worth a try.
I have only tried the vision solos. I heard the vision solo titaniums were good too.
Passione is actually synthetic???
Nope! Passione is gut wound.
The best so far!
Nicolas,
Im talking about the regular (and newer) Vision Solos, NOT the Vision Titanium Solos.
Andy
Thanks, Julia, Andy.
Do you keep the E string or use another one? I usually put Hill E on my violins.
I used to use the Hill E with dominants, but with the vision solos, I use the whole set. I really like the E that comes with the set.
The Vision Solo is indeed one of the best strings I have tried. Like Andrew said, the entire set is fantastic. I've used Vision, Vision Solo, and Vision Titanium Solo. The Vis. Solo definitely get my vote. They project wonderfully and their tone quality is the best I've come across in a synthetic. I've used both the aluminum D and silver and would have to say the the aluminum is actually superior to the silver one. I've always used silver but this aluminum D had more projection and response than any other D I've tried.
At $52 a set at IUStrings.com they are certainly worth it and I suggest you give them a try.
-Emmanuel
Well, after reading you all defeintely I will give them a try for my old "grandpa", which lacks a bit of projection due to its low fingerboard.
Andrew, I will tell you what I know from my experience. I have tried three of Vision strings line including Vision Solo, Vision Titanium Solo, and Vision Titanium Orchestral.
First off many people will love a string or hate a string, doesn't matter, it's all personal choice but it also has a huge part to do with your equipment. Your equipment being your fiddle. A young wood violin, let's use my biased choice of a Chinese Violin, in my experience has a oil and water relationship with vision (A no good choice). The instrument is already bright so why make it brighter, i would go with evah perazzi in this case. A mature 100+ year old wood violin will love it like bread and butter. In my opinion do not use vision in general if you have a chinese fiddle.
Ok, now let's assume were stringing a mature wooden instrument, be it Itatlian, french, belgium, German, whatever you're at a good start. What Vision does is releases all of the possible good complex frequencies of the wood and raises the decibel level to the max, more than any other string I know.
Now let's be specific, I tried these on my Italian. I don't like Vision Solo, I don't like any of the orchestral. My #1 choice is the titanium solo. As soon as Vision solo became available in the US many of my colleagues jumped to try them out, A few friends of mine and myself will agree, these are crap strings. They don't stay in tune, they go false after just one week and when false have a nasty unorganic sound, ESPECIALLY THE G, horrible. This boggled my mind because the VTS are the exact opposite, they stay in tune the longest, have a wonderful extreme good warm loud sound, and last about 2 months easily if you're playing heavily.
I used to use Vision Titanium Solo on my fiddle and loved them for 3 years. I would use G, D, A Medium gauge, and a westminster 27.5 gauge E. I'm past all that synthetic stuff though, I switched to Gut Olive G, D, heaviest gauges out there, with a Titanium Solo A (or Steel string or even Dominant) Heavy Gauge, and Olive Gold Heavy gauge E. This is the best setup I've found yet, I will agree the most painful, but beautiful tone requires a counter-balance of huge pain and suffering in my opinion. That's more of a philosophical statement really, but it's true.
Good Luck!
Thank you all for your feedback!
I've tried all the Visions and while they suit different violins differently, I really love the sound of the Vision Solo it has the carrying power of the Vision Ti Solo with the playability of the Orchestra and has a nice full round sound which I like better than the other two. It does seem remarkably similar to the regular Vision Heavy though....... a case of re-branding maybe??
Well, after all your input I decided to try these vision solo. Definetely great strings on my old "grandpa" but not too good on my 2008 made baby. I think some of you pointed that. For my new born I prefer to stay on my Thomastik "Wiena Melange" with the Hill E.
Regards from the sunny and quite hot Spain.
I tried a Vision Solo D next to a regular vision G on both of my violas, and I find that the Solo sounds quite a bit warmer and modulates better - but it still sounds like it's from the 'Vision' family, and I'm still not happy with the lack of fullness that I've always found these strings to possess (in my opinion). I've always liked something else better. To each his/her own.
I was at the violin shop today, and I was trying out some hotel mutes. I forgot to bring my violin, so they handed me a wonderful instrument strung up with Vision Solos with a Vision Solo Titanium A. Now, since this wasn't my instrument, I can't tell you whether the violin was inherently bright or whatnot. What I can say, is that I immediately asked what the curious strings were. The tone is very nice, although (as some others would say), it sounds very focused and direct. The tone is sweet, and it sings and sings. There's a brilliance in those strings that my Dominants lacked. While I was playing it, I was lamenting haveing to go home to my violin (currently strung with Dominants and a Goldbrokat E). However, when I played my violin at home, I realized that Dominants are very different. I like them too, and I wouldn't necessarily trade them for Vision Solos; but, those are some very nice strings (those Vision Solos). The tone of that violin is going to haunt me.
I was assured that the violin at the shop had been strung with the Vision Solos for a month or two, so they were broken in. Overall, I think they have a slightly (just slightly) metallic ring to them. They seem to help a violin resonate quite well. All in all, these strings are very different from Dominants. Dominants are still good, but these strings are just totally different. Very sweet, very lovely to play on - but in the end, the choice is really about taste.
I would imagine that Dominants are better for orchestral playing. These Vision Solos (as they name clearly states) will probably pierce through an ensemble a bit too much. They seem to be bright and cheery and penetrating. They feel good under the fingers, and the response is very very good.
Final Assessment:
Good strings, these Vision Solos; but, not a replacement for Dominants or your favorite Pirastro. You *can* get these strings cheaper than Pirastro's Synthetics, though, so I'm told (and have seen). That's interesting.
It's going to be about taste in the end. What you like is what you like. They are just very different from Dominants - and I suppose that it good.
I just switched back from a set of Peter Infelds and wanted to share with everyone my favourite E string with Vision Solos. You owe it to yourself to match the Vision Solos with a Goldbrokat E (the 0.27 gauge one.. ) It is an excellent match, withstands a whole lot more bow pressure than the usual Goldbrokat (med), and warms up the GDA of the Visions Solo set. It makes the set warmer, thicker and louder. On my violin it's like Evahs without the cost and without the high tension feeling.
Oh, no! This is HORRIBLE!!!!
I like the Vision strings, but based on the posts here, I need to try the solo!
I have one fiddle that the Vision strings didn't like, and even then it was better than most other strings. So, now I have to put Solo strings on both, just to see. And I just changed strings a week ago!
I am really really sorry for digging out such old posts. But I recently tried the vision solos. I have them now for a week on my violin. I expected much of them and they surpassed my expectations. I thought it was a generally very bright string, but I found it very well rounded. Also the tension doesn't feel too much and the playability in the left hand is very good. They have a nice core to the sound at the same time and the high string noises are very little.
I played many student violins with visions or vision solos on and I always looked at the instrument surprised about its quality. They seem to get out very much of the best of the instrument. Amazing string so far! I now play it with the original sets E string, but will try the jargar medium E soon.
I don't really want another discussion about strings. Just for you to know: I am coming from Evahs, wich had a nice core but too much tension, wich made my wofl note worse. Then I tested the Larsen Virtuoso, wich are nice at first impression, easy to play but not very well rounded in sound. The visions to me seem to be a very very good string. I notice the sound changing a lot during the one week (it gets even warmer) but it doesn't get as muddy as the PI got on my violin. Actually I plan to try the PI again sometimes and let the luthier change my soundpost position a little.
I found the vision solo strings to have a better sound than the regular visions overall but not too different-just a lot more expensive.
what do you mean with "better"? I still like my set although the strings do not sound very complex. At least they sound good all the time. But I have trouble with the a string upper register. it doesn't feel very smooth. D and G are quite good aswell as in sound and in playability.
But the A-String seems to be a problem of my violin anyways...
I replaced the E-String with Jargar middle and I must say that the Vision Solo Set E-String was somehow better, but it has some tension, wich I do not like so much. Still the Jargar works good.
having them on now for about a month I must say they don't last very well. D and G string sound very dull already..
I like the Vision strings, especially for their low tension. Playing the violin is more enjoyable!
Warm, singing tone as well (not really bright as per label)
I'm surprised they are one of the cheapest brand around.
WOW! What a zombie thread!!
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June 26, 2009 at 04:47 PM ·
I can't compare the two vision sets because I've only tried vision solos, but I love the vision solos! They give my violin a full, sweet singing tone. While they stay in tune almost immediately it takes a few days for them to settle in tonally. I was using dominants before, and these strings are similar, but maybe louder and even sweeter? I also have tried obligatos, which were nice on my violin, but not very loud, and evah pirazzis, which were nice on the D and G but i think the tension might have been too much. I may try pirazzis again and compare them to the vision solos, but I really like the vision solos right now so maybe I'll stick with those.