Zyex (D'Addario)
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Reviews
S. Moorhead (3/21/17)
I recently put these strings as the lower three (CGD) on my 16in student viola (I used the long scale heavy tension). Compared to the preludes that were on the instrument...wow. I find these strings to very rich and the respond very well to my vibrato, more so than any string I've tried on my violin (the viola is a recent endeavor). However, I made the mistake of ordering the heavy tension strings and man are they loud. I was playing in a symphony group with only a few other violas and so I thought the higher tension would be good to be loud... however these are so much so that I can feel my instrument shake when I play certain notes. My only other complaint is that the long scale seem to be a little too long for my instrument (such that some of the metal string is around the peg), however this shouldn't be an issue if you're putting them on your violin. If you're looking for a wide dynamic range these are NOT the strings for you, however if you don't mind only playing from loud to louder these strings sound really really great and I highly recommend.
D. Tessier (12/20/16)
I was really hesitant to buy these strings because I've had so much trouble with D'Addario strings in the past. I have been using Warshal Ambers & they are incredible strings.But I'd heard zyex had changed there formula& were getting good reviews.Sure enough,same problem;strings unwinding especially the G.They sounded unbalanced and harsh on my 12 year old Hungarian Kallo Bartok violin.I just don't get what's happening with D'A ddario's winding process.I took them off & examined the string closely & noticed that the windings are no where near as tight as on the Warchals.If you run your finger nail lightly along the g,d &a,youcan feel a rough catching;Not perfectly smooth which is what you need for good position shifts.Be wary of these if you decide to try them.
M. Epps (7/25/17)
My violins (one a Strad copy and the other a Guarneri copy) both seem to love Zyex strings!
I have tried several other strings on them but keep coming back to Zyex. The tone is between neutral to bright. They are not very complex, and for me they improve projection considerably without being blaring or aggressive. They feel like they allow the violin to speak more freely with its own voice. They last a tremendously long time (going on 6 months now on a set), have incredibly short break-in time, and they stay in tune like no other strings I've tried other than steel-core ones! I personally have been in love with Zyex and recommend them to anyone wanting a synthetic-core string that's reasonable in price.
My only complaint is that the G doesn't seem very powerful or as responsive as the rest.
I give them 5-stars because the price and quality is hard to beat, and I have never ever had problems with them!
I have tried several other strings on them but keep coming back to Zyex. The tone is between neutral to bright. They are not very complex, and for me they improve projection considerably without being blaring or aggressive. They feel like they allow the violin to speak more freely with its own voice. They last a tremendously long time (going on 6 months now on a set), have incredibly short break-in time, and they stay in tune like no other strings I've tried other than steel-core ones! I personally have been in love with Zyex and recommend them to anyone wanting a synthetic-core string that's reasonable in price.
My only complaint is that the G doesn't seem very powerful or as responsive as the rest.
I give them 5-stars because the price and quality is hard to beat, and I have never ever had problems with them!
C. Wilcox (3/20/16)
This is a pretty good set of strings. They are rich, warm, and can definitely pump up the volume of your instrument.
M. Azhar (2/25/15)
I've had the Zyex strings on my viola for about a month now, and I absolutely love it. I've tried the previous formulation Zyex before, and didn't think much about it. But these new ones, really blow my mind.
The C string is sounds very deep and warm, so deep that my 15.5" viola couldn't take the vibration coming out from it. The G is just as nice as the C string. I don't really like the D string, as it didn't work very well with my viola. It sounded a bit shrill to me. But the A string is brilliant. It is very warm and rich sounding that it is a pleasure for me everytime I pick up my viola.
The C string is sounds very deep and warm, so deep that my 15.5" viola couldn't take the vibration coming out from it. The G is just as nice as the C string. I don't really like the D string, as it didn't work very well with my viola. It sounded a bit shrill to me. But the A string is brilliant. It is very warm and rich sounding that it is a pleasure for me everytime I pick up my viola.
C. Wilson (4/10/14)
A very nice set of strings. They used to be really bright until they remade the formula. Very responsive and a short break-in period. Would recommend these strings to someone who likes resonant strings.
R. Kozanek (4/7/14)
Very disappointed. Overall complexity is not 'clean' as review option offers but rather *poor* as opposite of rich
E string: Ordinary, normal worth any 2 USD string.
A string: The good one baby from the set. Nice sounded, soft. Good projecting.
D silver string: Robust sound, quiet good projecting. In high neck positions tendency to be dull. Poor color of sound lacking richness.
G string: Robust sound with tendency chocked effect. Much Jumpy effect as perlon made strings have. Poor color of sound, lacking richness. In high positions of the neck dull almost deaf. Poor winding.
I would not definitely compare them to any.
If needed as for comparison they are worth max 15 USD and Quality of sound is only 50% of Dominants for better imagination.
In that status who cares about "Short break-in time" and that they "Do not go out of tune easily".
Definitely a marketing baby the most probably the material is not convenient for violin strings. If yes then for some cheapo violin, however why to pay so much in this case..
E string: Ordinary, normal worth any 2 USD string.
A string: The good one baby from the set. Nice sounded, soft. Good projecting.
D silver string: Robust sound, quiet good projecting. In high neck positions tendency to be dull. Poor color of sound lacking richness.
G string: Robust sound with tendency chocked effect. Much Jumpy effect as perlon made strings have. Poor color of sound, lacking richness. In high positions of the neck dull almost deaf. Poor winding.
I would not definitely compare them to any.
If needed as for comparison they are worth max 15 USD and Quality of sound is only 50% of Dominants for better imagination.
In that status who cares about "Short break-in time" and that they "Do not go out of tune easily".
Definitely a marketing baby the most probably the material is not convenient for violin strings. If yes then for some cheapo violin, however why to pay so much in this case..
R. McDonnell (3/30/14)
I can not honestly say that I like these strings. It has been some time since I have tried them, but what really stood out to me was the lack of dynamic range with these strings. No matter what, they are always forte. Response is nothing special, and neither is tone. Again, neither are bad, just a tad generic. The string windings are a little rough for my liking as well. On the upside, they last forever and do not go out of tune. If you are on a budget and want a string with these characteristics, Zyex is your best bet.
C. First (3/27/14)
I tried Zyex on one of my violins, and I thought they were pretty good. They had plenty of power, and were pretty warm sounding, but they also seemed a bit scratchy and somehow a bit too "high octane", not what I was looking for. So I tried something else on that violin instead after a couple of weeks.
A few months back I was looking for something to mount up on another violin I had. I had a brandy new set of the Zyexs on hand, so I gave them a whirl.
Wow! These are THE strings for this violin! No scratchiness, plenty of power and depth, warm, just great strings for this particular violin. I've had them on now for 2-3 months and they are still going strong.
The G and D are deep and robust. If I had to give them names, they would have big beefy names like "Ivan" and "Vladimir", and they would be big, burly, vodka drinking guys with beards and broad chests who slap you on the back with a deep laugh and give you a handshake that you don't soon forget.
The A is of course brighter, and a different character, but it also has plenty of body as well.
The E is clear and well matched to the set. It's no Superstar, folks won't be ditching their Goldbrokats or Jargar Es for the Zyex. But it holds its' own on your fiddle with the rest of the Zyex set.
Zyex are about middle of the pack as far as tension goes. Easy response, and seem to have a good range. Dig in, and Ivan, Vladimir and friends respond in kind. Plenty of resonance and power without being strident and loud.But also can be played with a light touch due to the easy response.
I recently put a set on a brand new violin and had similar results. Strong and resonant, great on that violin as well.
So, I'm 2 out of 3 for Zyexs on different violins. And on violin number 1 it wasn't like they were bad by any means. That violin just tends to accentuate any mistakes in bowing, and the Zyexs on that violin made me more aware of that than I care to admit. Ivan and Vladimir mocked my every mistake: "HA! You mizzed dat note right zere, comrade!"....
On the other two violins the Zyexs give me strength and confidence. Ivan and Vlad have my back on those violins.
Great strings that can usually be found at really excellent prices if you take a look around EBay. I heartily recommend these strings if you are looking to add some "oomph" to your violin in a good way.
Reports say they last a long time. I haven't had the length of experience with them as of yet to comment on that aspect.
A few months back I was looking for something to mount up on another violin I had. I had a brandy new set of the Zyexs on hand, so I gave them a whirl.
Wow! These are THE strings for this violin! No scratchiness, plenty of power and depth, warm, just great strings for this particular violin. I've had them on now for 2-3 months and they are still going strong.
The G and D are deep and robust. If I had to give them names, they would have big beefy names like "Ivan" and "Vladimir", and they would be big, burly, vodka drinking guys with beards and broad chests who slap you on the back with a deep laugh and give you a handshake that you don't soon forget.
The A is of course brighter, and a different character, but it also has plenty of body as well.
The E is clear and well matched to the set. It's no Superstar, folks won't be ditching their Goldbrokats or Jargar Es for the Zyex. But it holds its' own on your fiddle with the rest of the Zyex set.
Zyex are about middle of the pack as far as tension goes. Easy response, and seem to have a good range. Dig in, and Ivan, Vladimir and friends respond in kind. Plenty of resonance and power without being strident and loud.But also can be played with a light touch due to the easy response.
I recently put a set on a brand new violin and had similar results. Strong and resonant, great on that violin as well.
So, I'm 2 out of 3 for Zyexs on different violins. And on violin number 1 it wasn't like they were bad by any means. That violin just tends to accentuate any mistakes in bowing, and the Zyexs on that violin made me more aware of that than I care to admit. Ivan and Vladimir mocked my every mistake: "HA! You mizzed dat note right zere, comrade!"....
On the other two violins the Zyexs give me strength and confidence. Ivan and Vlad have my back on those violins.
Great strings that can usually be found at really excellent prices if you take a look around EBay. I heartily recommend these strings if you are looking to add some "oomph" to your violin in a good way.
Reports say they last a long time. I haven't had the length of experience with them as of yet to comment on that aspect.
T. Anzlovar (10/17/13)
I have a 22 year old instrument, that ages gracefully and is very well balanced with somewhat pronounced throaty / chesty sound (quite opposite of nasal sound).
Of the bat: Best bang for buck. Loud, complex, precise, can be pushed, withstand ridiculous level of humidity.
E: The weakest of the pack. Would pass if it didn't whistle. It whistles less than say Pirastro Evah Gold, but projects less and is just plain and ordinary.
A: Sweet, mellow, but nicely projecting. A joy.
D: Thunderous, warm, embracing, projecting.
G: Similar to D. Deep, stable.
G and D strings can be pushed beyond the line of duty and still preform admirably. A is slightly more delicate. E is (unfortunately) just generic and forgettable.
For the price - I think I found my strings. I hope they last more than 3 months, then they could get a 5 star review. Don't know about E string though... If you have money to spend, go for something sweeter and louder.
Of the bat: Best bang for buck. Loud, complex, precise, can be pushed, withstand ridiculous level of humidity.
E: The weakest of the pack. Would pass if it didn't whistle. It whistles less than say Pirastro Evah Gold, but projects less and is just plain and ordinary.
A: Sweet, mellow, but nicely projecting. A joy.
D: Thunderous, warm, embracing, projecting.
G: Similar to D. Deep, stable.
G and D strings can be pushed beyond the line of duty and still preform admirably. A is slightly more delicate. E is (unfortunately) just generic and forgettable.
For the price - I think I found my strings. I hope they last more than 3 months, then they could get a 5 star review. Don't know about E string though... If you have money to spend, go for something sweeter and louder.
P.K. Yong (5/12/13)
I have only tried steel strings, dominant, and zyex. I'm comparing dominant (with Pirasto gold label E) and zyex violin (aluminum D) strings with medium tension.
IN GENERAL:
I like zyex strings because they are pretty much balance and you don't have to mix brand like I did with dominant strings (suggested by a professional violinist). I felt my violin sings sweetly and smoothly than when I use dominant strings (it could also because I am getting better at playing; I am a beginner -- have only played violin on and off for 1.5 years).
PROS:
Clean sound:
When I used Dominant strings, the sound was not clean, it sounded sandy no matter how much I tried to clean the rosin off the strings. My D A E strings sound smooth, sweet, and pleasing to my ears.
Short break-in time:
Zyex strings sound clean on my violins. they break in within a day, unlike dominant that took more or less a week to break in. Zyex strings pretty much stay in tune after a day or so.
CONS:
winding thread too thick for fractional size:
I have no problem with the full size strings but when I put fractional size strings on my daughter's 1/4 violin, the winding thread was very thick near the ball ends. Therefore I had to force them in the groves of fine tuners.
G string:
I never had problem with Dominant G, but zyex G sometimes sounds funny on my violin, as if it's choking. It could be because I didn't use the right force or the string was too heavy (or too light) for my violins. The choking sound does go away when I use right force.
FUTURE:
I may try a light tension G zyex string on my violin in the future to see if the choking sound would go away.
IN GENERAL:
I like zyex strings because they are pretty much balance and you don't have to mix brand like I did with dominant strings (suggested by a professional violinist). I felt my violin sings sweetly and smoothly than when I use dominant strings (it could also because I am getting better at playing; I am a beginner -- have only played violin on and off for 1.5 years).
PROS:
Clean sound:
When I used Dominant strings, the sound was not clean, it sounded sandy no matter how much I tried to clean the rosin off the strings. My D A E strings sound smooth, sweet, and pleasing to my ears.
Short break-in time:
Zyex strings sound clean on my violins. they break in within a day, unlike dominant that took more or less a week to break in. Zyex strings pretty much stay in tune after a day or so.
CONS:
winding thread too thick for fractional size:
I have no problem with the full size strings but when I put fractional size strings on my daughter's 1/4 violin, the winding thread was very thick near the ball ends. Therefore I had to force them in the groves of fine tuners.
G string:
I never had problem with Dominant G, but zyex G sometimes sounds funny on my violin, as if it's choking. It could be because I didn't use the right force or the string was too heavy (or too light) for my violins. The choking sound does go away when I use right force.
FUTURE:
I may try a light tension G zyex string on my violin in the future to see if the choking sound would go away.
J. Penfound (4/24/13)
I recently decided to try these on my instrument and am feeling pretty neutral about them. They settled in to my instrument very quickly and have a pretty good sound for the price. They are not as loud as I would prefer but they aren't too quiet either. One complaint that I have is that the A string started to buzz a bit about a week or two after I put them on my violin. Overall these were a decent alternative for the time being since I was on a budget and decided against my go-to strings (Pirazzis)
S. Welling (4/3/2013)
These are my backup to Dominant strings. They do not have the richness that I like out of nylon strings, but come very close with a very low price (comparably). These are a good in-between strings for those that do not want metal strings, but don't want to pay the high price of other synthetic strings.
D. Blackmon (4/2/2013)
Nice strings that settle in quickly. Sometimes I feel like they tend to lose their zing a little too quickly. They are very reasonably priced and the quality is high.