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Hi all,
I am very pleased to be the third person on the list to evaluate the Wessex EP-600 “Sinfonico” euphonium. Each of us so far have taken a somewhat different route through this evaluation since we are just now performing in ensembles again. Thus we have held on to the horn for 2-3 weeks each and used it in practice, rehearsal, and performance.
In this review, I have specifically compared the Sinfonico (with long tuning slide) with my 2009 Sterling Virtuoso 1065HGS. In both cases, I used the same Wick 4AL. This comparison is more appropriate than with my Adams based on the bell sizes. The Sinfonico has an 11” bell while the Sterling has a 300mm (11 5/8”). My Adams is just over 12” with an extremely large throat section and produces a substantially different sound from the other two.
This review is divided into 6 sections, Mechanical, Ergonomics, Intonation, Response, Tone, and Video samples. At the end of this write-up, I provide a YouTube link so that you can see some of my comments visually and hear a few clips for comparison purposes.
Mechanical
When I received the horn, it was in need of a thorough cleaning. It was not fresh out of the box, having arrived from the prior reviewer as well as having been used in the Wessex showroom in Chicago and had a number of 10’s of hours of playing time. After a thorough cleaning and some mild polishing, I was prepared to experience that “fresh out of the box” experience.
The Sinfonico is a striking instrument with its polished silver and lacquered copper finish. The valve action is quite good with a solid feel. I was using the long tuning slide that comes with the horn (it ships with two) and also used both the large shank and the tenor shank receivers (it ships with three). All of these pieces fit well, though the slides were all fairly tight, requiring careful attention with my Hetman’s #7. In addition to two tuning slides and three screw-in receivers, the Sinfonico comes with an extra set of valve springs and valve guides. The usual assortment of valve oil and cleaning/polishing cloths are also included.
I had two issues I that I consider need fixing with the mechanical quality of the horn. The first is the tab that holds the 4th valve closed when you put the horn in the case. It stops movement in a fairly precarious position that makes it possible to get accidentally bumped and stop the 4th valve from working properly. The second issue was the lacquer finish on the 4th valve tuning slide. It had already worn off to the extent that the copper finish on that slide became quite tarnished. This is a pure manufacturing issue on the finishing of that slide. See the video for a visual explanation of this.
The valve caps threaded ok, but were a bit fiddly as the threads are very new. Also. none of the bottom caps had nipples for fitment of a water gutter.
Ergonomics
While I did not weigh it, the Sinfonico is lighter than my 10 lb, 8 oz Sterling, but probably just a bit heavier than my 9 lb 5 oz Adams E3. It definitely is lighter than the ACB Doubler that I evaluated last year.
The horn “feels” smaller than my Sterling, but I can verify that the distance from the outer branch to the bell throat (width of the horn) as well as the height (from bottom bow to top of bell) is nearly the same as my Adams and my Sterling. I used the same settings on my K&G euphonium stands. The biggest difference is the length and placement of the leadpipe. The leadpipe does not project as far away from the bell on the Sinfonico as it does on either of my other horns, so your face is closer to the bell when playing the horn. Also, I think the receiver sits lower on the bell (nearer the bottom bow) much as it does on a Yamaha 842S. This makes the horn feel “smaller” when in reality it is not.
The valve action and location of the “false piece” is really very good. My hand position was quite comfortable and I could put my thumb under the false piece with the tip against the 1st valve casing and comfortably reach all three valves. Valve action was smooth with no issues due to any residue from manufacture (remember it received a very thorough cleaning when I received it). I could use Blue Juice and that seemed to last for at least 2 practice sessions of 1-2 hrs each.
Intonation
Keeping in mind that I used the Sinfonico in personal practice as well as ensemble playing, the really excellent intonation of the horn is mostly a blessing, but also a bit of a curse. The only alternate fingering that I used was 3rd valve instead of 1-2 on middle concert G. All other notes used conventional fingerings and seemed to play “right down the middle”. The 6th partial Eb, E, and F are exceptionally in tune.
As another forum member noted just yesterday, this may be an issue when playing in a section with performers that have uncorrected sharp 6th partials. I found my seatmate is unable to bring his Yamaha YEP-641 down to pitch and I wore myself out trying to lip up to him. I have a similar problem with the Adams E3, though my Adams is sharp enough on the open F to be able to match with just a little work. With my Sterling, I can either trigger the notes into pitch, or play them sharp w/o trigger to match the section (generally better than dueling pitches!). This alone would keep me from using the Sinfonico in this particular ensemble.
In all of my playing, I used the long tuning slide and had all the valve slides pushed all the way in. While I did not create pitch charts, I used a tuner during my daily routine. This routine includes warmup, melodic, flexibility, and technical exercises from pedal concert Cb to concert D over four octaves above. I did not notice any distinct pitch issues whatsoever. On balance, I would say the Sinfonico (in the configuration I used) is just about the most “in tune” horn I have ever played.
Response
Overall the Sinfonico has very good response, most likely better than the ACB Doubler that I tested last year since I didn’t get as tired playing the Sinfonico as the Doubler. Perhaps the biggest difference between the Sinfonico and my Sterling is what I call “overall response”. The dynamic response (volume low to high) was nearly as good as the Sterling and better than the ACB, but I found technical response (getting notes to drop in during difficult technical passages or odd intervals) to be easier on the Sterling. The effect is to give the Sterling a smoother sound which I think shows up in the recordings.
Tone
I consider intonation and tone to be key strengths of this horn. As soon as I started playing it, I noticed that the Sinfonico was a darned nice sounding horn. With its 11” bell, the Sinfonico definitely has a more focused sound than the Sterling or my Adams E3. From behind the bell, I think the differences are more noticeable than when listening in front of the horn. Having said that, I did an awful lot of “#1 or #2?” blind testing with my wife as captive listener. Most of the time, she heard very little difference and did not prefer one over the other. I wish I still had my 11” Besson 2051 to compare to the Sinfonico. The effect of bell size would be more easily isolated with a comparable horn.
Listen for yourselves in the video clips linked below and see if you can hear a difference.
Video Reference
Below is a link to my video of the Wessex EP-600 Sinfonico.
https://youtu.be/TK-a1-Jue4g
It begins with me talking about and showing you the horn, including the two mechanical issues I discussed above. Following that are A/B performances of three musical snippets with the Sinfonico first followed by the Sterling. These were all recorded in the same session, in the order presented, and I would put the Sinfonico down, pick up the Sterling and play the same piece before going on to the next. The three musical phrases are:
Summary
I am comfortable saying that the Wessex EP-600 is a very good instrument without regard to price. For just over $3K it provides many of the characteristics of a much more expensive horn, with excellent tone, great intonation, and good response. It represents good value for money, and is an attractive handmade instrument that needs just a bit more mechanical polish and refinement to bring it to the quality of some of the better professional instruments that are priced at 2x to 3x more.
I am very pleased to be the third person on the list to evaluate the Wessex EP-600 “Sinfonico” euphonium. Each of us so far have taken a somewhat different route through this evaluation since we are just now performing in ensembles again. Thus we have held on to the horn for 2-3 weeks each and used it in practice, rehearsal, and performance.
In this review, I have specifically compared the Sinfonico (with long tuning slide) with my 2009 Sterling Virtuoso 1065HGS. In both cases, I used the same Wick 4AL. This comparison is more appropriate than with my Adams based on the bell sizes. The Sinfonico has an 11” bell while the Sterling has a 300mm (11 5/8”). My Adams is just over 12” with an extremely large throat section and produces a substantially different sound from the other two.
This review is divided into 6 sections, Mechanical, Ergonomics, Intonation, Response, Tone, and Video samples. At the end of this write-up, I provide a YouTube link so that you can see some of my comments visually and hear a few clips for comparison purposes.
Mechanical
When I received the horn, it was in need of a thorough cleaning. It was not fresh out of the box, having arrived from the prior reviewer as well as having been used in the Wessex showroom in Chicago and had a number of 10’s of hours of playing time. After a thorough cleaning and some mild polishing, I was prepared to experience that “fresh out of the box” experience.
The Sinfonico is a striking instrument with its polished silver and lacquered copper finish. The valve action is quite good with a solid feel. I was using the long tuning slide that comes with the horn (it ships with two) and also used both the large shank and the tenor shank receivers (it ships with three). All of these pieces fit well, though the slides were all fairly tight, requiring careful attention with my Hetman’s #7. In addition to two tuning slides and three screw-in receivers, the Sinfonico comes with an extra set of valve springs and valve guides. The usual assortment of valve oil and cleaning/polishing cloths are also included.
I had two issues I that I consider need fixing with the mechanical quality of the horn. The first is the tab that holds the 4th valve closed when you put the horn in the case. It stops movement in a fairly precarious position that makes it possible to get accidentally bumped and stop the 4th valve from working properly. The second issue was the lacquer finish on the 4th valve tuning slide. It had already worn off to the extent that the copper finish on that slide became quite tarnished. This is a pure manufacturing issue on the finishing of that slide. See the video for a visual explanation of this.
The valve caps threaded ok, but were a bit fiddly as the threads are very new. Also. none of the bottom caps had nipples for fitment of a water gutter.
Ergonomics
While I did not weigh it, the Sinfonico is lighter than my 10 lb, 8 oz Sterling, but probably just a bit heavier than my 9 lb 5 oz Adams E3. It definitely is lighter than the ACB Doubler that I evaluated last year.
The horn “feels” smaller than my Sterling, but I can verify that the distance from the outer branch to the bell throat (width of the horn) as well as the height (from bottom bow to top of bell) is nearly the same as my Adams and my Sterling. I used the same settings on my K&G euphonium stands. The biggest difference is the length and placement of the leadpipe. The leadpipe does not project as far away from the bell on the Sinfonico as it does on either of my other horns, so your face is closer to the bell when playing the horn. Also, I think the receiver sits lower on the bell (nearer the bottom bow) much as it does on a Yamaha 842S. This makes the horn feel “smaller” when in reality it is not.
The valve action and location of the “false piece” is really very good. My hand position was quite comfortable and I could put my thumb under the false piece with the tip against the 1st valve casing and comfortably reach all three valves. Valve action was smooth with no issues due to any residue from manufacture (remember it received a very thorough cleaning when I received it). I could use Blue Juice and that seemed to last for at least 2 practice sessions of 1-2 hrs each.
Intonation
Keeping in mind that I used the Sinfonico in personal practice as well as ensemble playing, the really excellent intonation of the horn is mostly a blessing, but also a bit of a curse. The only alternate fingering that I used was 3rd valve instead of 1-2 on middle concert G. All other notes used conventional fingerings and seemed to play “right down the middle”. The 6th partial Eb, E, and F are exceptionally in tune.
As another forum member noted just yesterday, this may be an issue when playing in a section with performers that have uncorrected sharp 6th partials. I found my seatmate is unable to bring his Yamaha YEP-641 down to pitch and I wore myself out trying to lip up to him. I have a similar problem with the Adams E3, though my Adams is sharp enough on the open F to be able to match with just a little work. With my Sterling, I can either trigger the notes into pitch, or play them sharp w/o trigger to match the section (generally better than dueling pitches!). This alone would keep me from using the Sinfonico in this particular ensemble.
In all of my playing, I used the long tuning slide and had all the valve slides pushed all the way in. While I did not create pitch charts, I used a tuner during my daily routine. This routine includes warmup, melodic, flexibility, and technical exercises from pedal concert Cb to concert D over four octaves above. I did not notice any distinct pitch issues whatsoever. On balance, I would say the Sinfonico (in the configuration I used) is just about the most “in tune” horn I have ever played.
Response
Overall the Sinfonico has very good response, most likely better than the ACB Doubler that I tested last year since I didn’t get as tired playing the Sinfonico as the Doubler. Perhaps the biggest difference between the Sinfonico and my Sterling is what I call “overall response”. The dynamic response (volume low to high) was nearly as good as the Sterling and better than the ACB, but I found technical response (getting notes to drop in during difficult technical passages or odd intervals) to be easier on the Sterling. The effect is to give the Sterling a smoother sound which I think shows up in the recordings.
Tone
I consider intonation and tone to be key strengths of this horn. As soon as I started playing it, I noticed that the Sinfonico was a darned nice sounding horn. With its 11” bell, the Sinfonico definitely has a more focused sound than the Sterling or my Adams E3. From behind the bell, I think the differences are more noticeable than when listening in front of the horn. Having said that, I did an awful lot of “#1 or #2?” blind testing with my wife as captive listener. Most of the time, she heard very little difference and did not prefer one over the other. I wish I still had my 11” Besson 2051 to compare to the Sinfonico. The effect of bell size would be more easily isolated with a comparable horn.
Listen for yourselves in the video clips linked below and see if you can hear a difference.
Video Reference
Below is a link to my video of the Wessex EP-600 Sinfonico.
https://youtu.be/TK-a1-Jue4g
It begins with me talking about and showing you the horn, including the two mechanical issues I discussed above. Following that are A/B performances of three musical snippets with the Sinfonico first followed by the Sterling. These were all recorded in the same session, in the order presented, and I would put the Sinfonico down, pick up the Sterling and play the same piece before going on to the next. The three musical phrases are:
- Bydlo from the Eric Leidzen arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition (no longer in print due to copyright restrictions from the Ravel estate). This band version of Bydlo is in key of Bb and a full step lower than the orchestral version.
- First section of Nessun Dorma aria from Puccini’s Turandot. Arranged for trombone.
- Characteristic Study #2 from Arban. First 8 bars up to key change.
Summary
I am comfortable saying that the Wessex EP-600 is a very good instrument without regard to price. For just over $3K it provides many of the characteristics of a much more expensive horn, with excellent tone, great intonation, and good response. It represents good value for money, and is an attractive handmade instrument that needs just a bit more mechanical polish and refinement to bring it to the quality of some of the better professional instruments that are priced at 2x to 3x more.
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