So I went down to Sterling and had a blow on some instruments on Thursday. It was a bit like meeting your idols for me as ever since I started playing Euphonium (after switching from cornet) the Virtuoso was my dream instrument. Putting aside the actual instrument testing I enjoyed just being there, seeing how the instruments were put together and listening to Glyn Williams and another well known player (not sure if his presence there was common knowledge so i'll keep his name to myself) testing instruments prior to myself.
Quite a few of you on here have far more experience playing on a Sterling Virtuoso than me, and can supplement, clarify or even just point out where i've got it wrong if you like. This is written from the perspective of a average player.
My reference point is my own York Eminence 4052. I could of tried to compare to the Genevas I tested recently but that wouldn't be fair to either Sterling or Geneva without a side by side test. I should mention that I tried 3 different instruments that were all initially the same/similar spec (heavy bell, with and without the heavy 4th valve cap) and the consistancy between them was very good (more consistent than I was managing to play them) each had their own subtle difference in sound but all three were great instruments.
Virtuoso with heavy bell (with rose brass flare) and heavy 4th valve cap
The notes centred really nicely, instruments blew freely and very consistently whether below, in or above the stave (treble clef). My big concern prior to trying them was that the high range would be inaccessible to me but it was definitely a little easier than on my Eminence and I loved the sound up there, really full and warm. In fact the sound I got throughout my range was as close to what I consider a classic Euphonium sound as I think i've ever produced.
You do need to put a decent amount of air in to produce the notes, on my Eminence I can get away with being quite lazy and still produce a good sound if in the stave, this wouldn't work on the Virtuoso (not sure thats a bad thing in my case - making me support the air flow properly).
Tuning for me was very very good even when not using the trigger, certainly much better than my Eminence (I have to admit I didn't use a tuner but for all my weaknesses I've a decent ear for tuning), purely to save on weight I could even be tempted to forgo the trigger if I decided I needed to.
Ergonomically everything was in the right place for me, the valves felt wider apart than I'm used to but I had no issue with either their placement or response, I didn't find them overly heavy. Trigger and 4th valve placement was nice but i'm not a fan of the paddle shape, no where near as comfortable to use as the one on my Eminence.
I know this is known as a heavy Euph but with the trigger, HVC and heavy bell these Euphoniums are way heavier than my Eminence. They are, however, a little more comfortable to hold than my Eminence (couldn't put my finger on why).
Virtuoso with standard bell
So, Ideally I'm looking for an instrument thats a lot easier to play above the scale than my eminence without losing too much of the sound I like (try to get the instrument to make up for my deficiencies). With that in mind Sterling swapped over one of the heavy bells for a standard bell while I was waiting. I was hoping for a big difference in how easy it was to play in the higher range while not losing too much of that lovely tone. What I got was a small change it how easy it was to play above the stave and a noticeable change in tone - it wasn't bad just a bit brighter, but I preferred the heavy bell.
With some help (and patience) from Glyn we found a combination of options that worked and sounded best for me and I could quite easily of bought one there and then but I'd made a promised to myself (and my wife) that I would test all the "possible" Euphoniums on my list before I decided on one and the weight is something I need to really think about (I have back problems which have required some surgery in the past and my Eminence is too heavy really so getting an even heavier instrument - not sure it's a good idea).