Wessex Sinfonico - Dave Werden Review

[davewerden]

I am now ready to share my thoughts (and videos!) regarding the Sinfonico. You can find my full review on the blog, here:

http://www.dwerden.com/forum/entry.p...nico-Euphonium

In that you will find links to 3 videos. The first is my doing A/B comparisons of the Adams (for reference) and Sinfonico. There are 12 total excerpts, counting the lead-in, and I reverse the order of instruments in each one so neither horn is always first or last. The 2nd video is just me showing some features, the bell size (I find that especially interesting), etc. And the 3rd (new) video is a closer look at the mouthpiece receiver bits that come standard with the Wessex (this one contains something you want to know if you plan to use them).

I have added the Sinfonico's measurements to the Valve Spacing Charts:

http://www.dwerden.com/forum/showthr...-Spacing-Chart

And I modified the intonations chart pages to now show the Sinfonico, replacing the original prototype. For your reference, here is the prototype and the Sinfonico overlaid:



At least some of these differences may be due to the longer tuning slide I used on the new one. That changes the nodes a bit, I suppose, and could affect more than just the overall tuning.

[davewerden]

Thanks to the forum moderators for helping me with the format of the A/B video!

Only when I had it all "put to bed" did I realize I did not include a slow-melody excerpt - sorry about that! However, I did include some pretty stuff, including the waltz theme of Beautiful Colorado, Voi Che Sapete, and the ending of the 1st movement of the Arpeggione Sonata. Otherwise I have a pretty wide variety of musical styles.

I confess that I do prefer play testing with pieces that move about and have articulations, especially with accents (either written or added for expression). That helps me determine the dynamic liveliness of the horn (how quickly and how well it responds when I emphasize a note).

I covered a range from C below the bass clef staff to a high C, and tried to cover all dynamic levels.

[Rodgeman]

Thanks for taking the time to review. I enjoy them and the details you put in.

[RickF]

What a great review Dave! Really excellent! It compares fairly well against your Adams — which is probably three times as expensive. The presence in sound or projection is better with the Adams but the Sinfonico sounds really good!

Thanks for all the time you spent in putting this review together.

[John Morgan]

Nicely done review, Dave! I think the Sinfonico has proven to be a really nice horn. I like the many samples of A/B playing on the Sinfonico and Adams, more is better in my opinion. It really gives the listener a lot of music to hear and compare. Wessex has done a fine job with this horn, and it makes an excellent and affordable choice for many players.

[MichaelSchott]

Congrats to Wessex for creating the Sinfonico which must take a fair amount of hand labor making the price an absolute bargain. My quick impressions upon hearing Dave's comparisons are the Sinfonico is a bit brighter with the Adams taking less effort to play.

[Richard III]

Splendid playing. You have convinced me that the Sinfonico is the way to go. Some of the excerpts it sounded as good as the Adams. Some I actually liked it better. Very well done review.

[euph97]

Thanks for the review.
Dave wrote in his review: "I found most notes on the horn were centered and responsive. I did have some trouble on the upper G concert, which did not seem to have a "happy place" that I could find..... "
2 years ago Matonizz experienced the same and described this note as" Stuffy".
I am also having problems with this note. However I am a hobby player.
Is that issue acceptable?
Thanks in advance.
Euph97

[davewerden]

Thanks for the review.
Dave wrote in his review: "I found most notes on the horn were centered and responsive. I did have some trouble on the upper G concert, which did not seem to have a "happy place" that I could find..... "
2 years ago Matonizz experienced the same and described this note as" Stuffy".
I am also having problems with this note. However I am a hobby player.
Is that issue acceptable?
Thanks in advance.
Euph97

I would not give it a second thought. Every horn has "things" about it. In casual playing one might not even notice the "G thing." In my playing I try to be very subtle with expression - often I will give a note the very minimum amount of attack necessary, and that can trip me up even on my Adams. But I chose to mention it because I think it is somewhat different from most notes on the horn. If you bought a Sinfonico you may not experience any problem with the G. In my case if I chose to play a Sinfonico full time, I would just practice a little more on & around that note to adjust to what it needs from me.

So if a Sinfonico (or any other horn you own/buy) seems to have a note that is a little off, very often a simple adjustment in your practice routine can help you deal with it.

[euph97]

Thanks for your reply.
Practicing definetly will help👍

[Jharris]

Glad the Sinfonico gets another positive review, I am getting real what if I had bought something else thoughts, so I have got to ask…. What makes the Adams “better” I understand the level of customisation makes it fit the owner better, and I bet that alone makes the price difference worth it, but beyond that are their fundamental things that define it clearer?

Different and personal preferences are understandable.

Once upon a time I just had to work with what I was given, all the blame for shortcomings on tunings articulation tone quality etc was squarely aimed at me…. Now I am a buyer and more knowledgeable about equipment design compromises, I would like to know what is missing, if I were to throw more money at an instrument what elements am I improving?

What would you say to someone to persuade them to make a more expensive choice?

PS not a sales person, just thirsty for knowledge, or to know what compromises I am happy to live with, or deal with while saving up for the next step up, however it might end up.

PPS the Sinfonico is settling in my ensemble environment very well, tuning between me and my seat mate has improved we seem to be naturally finding the balance, conductor has commented nicely about the overall euphonium sound we are outputting…

[davewerden]

The Adams is built to a different standard (hence the different price). Customizations are nice, of course, but Adams also offers their "Selected" choice, which is still an expensive horn. That one has a preset configuration that most people will like, and can therefore be cheaper than the Custom series.

Anyway, when playing the 2 horns in the same room, the Adams is a bit easier and more consistent to play. It feels smoother. Its range of expression is also greater. Both those factors are subtle. But on the Adams I have an easier time playing to the standard I want (not to mention the standard I'm trying to re-achieve after years of day-job work), and I can play it with more confidence. They can take more time during assembly, which helps things a bit. The man who builds most of the euphoniums is actually a euphonium player, and I have to think that helps as well.

Adams is getting frequent feedback from top players in Europe on their whole brass line, and they implement changes when the see a need. That has driven the quality so far and continues to do so. A horn like Wessex, as good as it is, simply won't have the numbers of top players using it (because the appreciate even subtle differences), and that brings more quality feedback for Adams. (In a sense a pro brand will have a somewhat "unfair" advantage in that regard.)

When I was doing the A/B excerpts I appreciated the Sinfonico's ease of response, which in some ways seemed even easier that the Adams. But I came to realize that the little difference brings to the Adams extra smoothness and consistency. Maybe; just my theory. In any case it feels better when I'm being picky with the way I want a phrase to come out.

I was hesitant to talk too much about the Adams difference because A) it is expected, and B) it is not really relevant to someone trying to find their best horn in the <$5k price range. I own a top-of-the-line Subaru and I love it. I know darned well that if I drove a similar model of Mercedes (to name just one example) I would see what I'm missing. But nothing about the Mercedes diminishes what I like about my own car. Not unlike the horn ranges, there are cars for about half the price of mine out there, and they are also good cars. I simply bought what I thought was the best car for what I want, while being within my budget.

If I had only $3k to spend I'd buy the Sinfonico. Or if you want, for about 3x that price you can have one just like mine!

[DEF1]

Thank you for the review Dave. Very comprehensive as usual. Some lovely playing and hard at times to pick out any difference between the two Euphoniums.
It will be interesting to see how well the Sinfonica Euphoniums cope with wear and tear, this seems to be one of the main things that put some people off.

[Jharris]

Ok, thanks for that comprehensive response Dave, sounds like the extra level of customisation is what really takes it up a notch and is worth the investment if it’s financially available.

I guess that this not being a clone model that makes the R&D and feedback loop important for targeting future improvements, and that is unavoidably passed onto the consumer…

DEF1, I notice that you have a Dolce, how long have you had it and how has it survived? That could be a fairly good indicator for the Sinfonico and Wessex in general.

[DEF1]

Ok, thanks for that comprehensive response Dave, sounds like the extra level of customisation is what really takes it up a notch and is worth the investment if it’s financially available.

I guess that this not being a clone model that makes the R&D and feedback loop important for targeting future improvements, and that is unavoidably passed onto the consumer…

DEF1, I notice that you have a Dolce, how long have you had it and how has it survived? That could be a fairly good indicator for the Sinfonico and Wessex in general.

I’ve only had the Dolce for 3 months so not long enough to comment on wear and tear yet.

I did go back and forth between the Dolce and Sinfonica when looking to buy but not being in a band at the moment decided that the Dolce would more than serve its purpose. I know that the Dolce’s are improving all the time and the build quality now is better than the originals. I was happy to pay the price of the Dolce but would want a to be sure of a better quality if paying double.