Charm - For-Tune Spotlight Review

Charm strings are manufactured by the Chinese Company For-Tune and are distributed in Europe and Latin America by Sergi Strings.  They also make Charm Kids (which is essentially the same string but designed for smaller instruments), Charm for cello, Charm for bass, and a viola string called Opal.

Charm strings have a nylon core and a steel E string.  The strings have a very low tension.  They feel even softer than Dominants under the fingers.

Manufacture notes:

• Charm violin strings combine the gut string rich sound with the synthetic string playing comfort.
  With Charm strings you obtain a light and colourful sound quality responding with high sensitivity to every nuance.

Tone
Charm strings are on the warmer end of the spectrum.  Previously I was testing the Kaplan strings with a metal A from Warchal.  Going from the power of those strings to Charm was an extreme leap.  Initially I was worried after putting the strings on.  They sounded quite dead and lacked any resonance.  After a few days of settling in the strings perked up.  The G and D are both quite dark.  Possibly more so than Obligato strings and fairly close to sounding like gut strings.  The A makes a bit of a jump being a tad brighter, and the E-string even more so.  The strings are not completely even straight across tonally, but does a nice job at achieving deep tones on the low end, and clarity in the upper register.

Complexity
Charm strings are not the ultimate replacement for gut.  The notes are not quite as full as some of the more expensive  synthetic strings like Obligato and Tzigane.  With that said they do deliver a nice focused/warm sound which is hard to find these days and which many people are looking for.

Projection
Charm strings would work well in an orchestra setting.  They seem to give a natural sound to the violin; not muting the instrument but not amplifying it either.  

Warm (Tone)

Clean (Complexity)

Neutral (Projection)

Conclusion
Charm strings could be a good contender in the string market.  With their low tension and VERY low price it seems that these would be perfect for any orchestra student or even a professional looking for a warm but focused sound.  Once settled in they deliver rich dark tones on the G and D-strings and nice bright singing tones on the A and E-strings.