Comparing Evah and Evah Gold, how is the average string response? Do Golds degrade faster? Which do you use and prefer, Rhiannon?
Yes, sadly Evah Gold strings (yellow-orange winding) tend to lose their peak sound when they are played a lot and by a stronger, professional player who demands more and really pulls the sound from the instrument.
I personally enjoy the BIG, robust sound of Evah Golds the most, but in my experience they only perform at their peak for about 2-3 months of heavy (usually symphonic for me) playing then start to lose their crispness and colour, dulling subtly with time.
They are also heavier, thus (imperceptibly for most players) slightly slower to respond especially on the lower strings, but I work around that, knowing I play less on G than the other strings, even when I am playing Violin 2 orchestral parts. For me it's worth it to have the bigger sound, even if the response time is very slightly delayed.
That said, during my off times from symphony I sometimes use regular Evah strings (green winding), saving the more costly Golds for the big concerts. To me the response does feel quicker, less “heavy” on the regular Evahs and they keep their round, big sound longer. Hence, for the average player, I think there is more value in the Evahs price-wise.
