20$ vs 100$ Violin Strings

_
The strings I compared are from Daddario: Kaplan Vivo and Prelude.
_
_
Connect with me:
-

[estherabrami]

Hey guys, I am not going to be using the set of Prelude strings that I tried in this video anymore (and they basically new) so I thought I could send it over to one of you! If you're interested just leave a comment under this message and I will pick one of you :) Also if you're interested in joining my Patreon Community, here is the link: www.patreon.com/estherabrami

[adibothman]

Woah. Just started playing a year ago. Never thought I would hear the difference as clear as day. Wonderful video. Prelude sounds more dull compared to kaplan. And much less sensitive to tone change which is suitable for beginner and less stressful for a starter 😂.

[christophergouveia]

To me it sounds like with the preludes you hear more of the strings, and less of the tone of the actual violin, its also less dynamic range it feels like. Very straightforward tone, but less depth, and not as full and complex as the kaplan vivos. Even in the recording theres a defined difference in the projection, and how it would cut through an orchestra as a soloist in its tonal characteristic. I'll have to give the Kaplans a try sometime soon! Going to my local violin shop as they are letting me try a bunch on my violin for free.

[ocaveira]

If I played like that it wouldn't matter the string ;)

[twoblink]

The more expensive one sounds smoother; with more depth; but less about the strings and more about the player! Have fun in Beijing! You are as beautiful as your playing.

[JoelMFlor]

There's a difference on the brightness, with the prelude the sound looks more stuck without projection.

[lunarbutterfly]

Wow the difference was night and day. Thank you for taking the time to share! I personally use Dominants with a silver D and a Pirastro Gold E for my E string. I’ve not felt the need to change.

[ilovejapanesemusic]

I'm just starting to learn violin, so I appreciate you making this video about prelude strings since they're the ones I went and bought as a newbie, I really can't hear a difference. You sound amazing throughout the video! 😊

[okidok]

Either strings give me eargasm!!! You are sooo good!!!

[Atem_S.]

The 100$ one the sound is more intense. It's on the higher octave at the top! The 20$ one is lower resonating at the top! More suited for a dramatic effect that you do not want to overpower! Don't know if that came out right!

[stephaniehoran]

Any strings sounds amazing because you are playing it😊.You are perfect Esther you are amazing❤

[katherinejones]

Preludes are a great cheap student string and they don't sound overly metallic.

[hellen]

This 20$ set of string is really expensive where I live... ;-; The 100$ one I don't even want to imagine how much it costs here (Brazil) :c

[sniff]

I own the prelude strings. they do just fine as i'm learning right now. sound good for what i'm doing. the prelude set produces a warmer tone. the kaplan strings i feel produce a crisper sharper tone. at that point i feel its personal preference on how you want your strings to amplify those sounds from the violin.

[benho]

Great video and much appreciated. I like prelude much for the value. This is a go-to-strings for students' violins as it is stable and last forever. By the way, when you use the kaplan, the damper was still in the violin When you used the prelude, the damper was taken away. This probably have narrowed down their gap.

[NigeHaines]

I was surprised how good the Prelude strings sounded. They are surprisingly good value. A very useful and detailed video for the violinist and good practical advice for the novice. I bet your room in Beijing is much larger than your room in Birmingham. Thanks for sharing.

[oMaRW]

As usual your playing is wonderful, Thanks for sharing .

[LS-Violin]

I currently use Peter Infeld strings combined with the Kaplan Vivo e string and I love it! It has such a clear and brilliant sound and really brings out the volume of my violin 😍

[denysmcnair]

The Kaplan Stringer's definitely sound richer with a wider dynamic range. Personally I use Thomastick Titanium solo and very happy with them, they project really well and they maintain the quality of their sound up to 3 months on daily playing. I used to use Eva Pirazzi's but they don't last as long.

[marco]

Hi, thank you very much for sharing your experiences! Thank to you I am trying to play with no shoulder rest, gradually. The result for now is that I lowered my shoulder rest while I use it, also because my chin rest has the right height from my collarbone to my chin. I feel less tension now in this way, so thank you! However, without shoulder rest shifting requires more training and there is the risk to develop tensions in the left hand, so one should be careful.

As an amateur player from about five years, I recently started to search a good set of strings because I also changed my violin. It would make no sense to use a 100$ set of strings on a 400$ instrument, so I was using thomastik dominant, and they were doing their job. My new instrument really adds color by itself to the sound, so I am substituting my strings one by one with Larsen virtuoso. I am satisfied with them, I will see how much they last. I watched some good reviews also for the thomastik PI and for the larsen il cannone. They really seem to give a punch in the projection of the sound with richness of harmonics, but they're too expensive for my purposes, since I mainly practice with scales and sudies.