PV Audio's Playtest Thread

[Up&comer]

I know what you're talking about. I've always preferred my backhand, as I can consistently make that cannon sound off my backhand while my forehand only does it when I really rip it.

[mctennis]

Let us know how long this string combination ( Baseline/Gosen OGMSM) lasts before it goes dead or you cut it out.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by Up&comer

I know what you're talking about. I've always preferred my backhand, as I can consistently make that cannon sound off my backhand while my forehand only does it when I really rip it.

I've never had that with my 1H. When I really step into it (which, might I say, is exactly what you advised me to do ), it just seems like the power comes so easily.

Originally Posted by mctennis

Let us know how long this string combination ( Baseline/Gosen OGMSM) lasts before it goes dead or you cut it out.

Indeed I will. I don't know if I can do a full proper review of it, because it's just baseline good (no pun intended). No frills. I hit with the Lux/Yonex yesterday (truly only got about 20 mins), and the difference was startling. The Baseline/OGSM forces your technique. With the Lux mains, I was getting more spin on my shots, so they would land in if I didn't get enough RHS. With the Baseline/OGSM, it was more "not so fast!" because the same shot would sail long which told me my technique wasn't optimal. Technique improvement setup vs. improves your game setup

[pvaudio]

And what in the world is OGMSM?

[Up&comer]

Originally Posted by pvaudio

I've never had that with my 1H. When I really step into it (which, might I say, is exactly what you advised me to do ), it just seems like the power comes so easily.

You're welcome . Take a look at that thread about your backhand. I left something else I noticed.

Originally Posted by pvaudio

And what in the world is OGMSM?

OG micro sheep micro?

[rdis10093]

there is four different stages to that setup imo

1.break in stage (not so good of a setup)
2. god like stage (great setup)
3. drop in tension and playability (not so good due to tension change)
4. eventually levels out (decent once one adjust to the constant)

[rdis10093]

1. about half an hour
2. 4 hour window
3. dont know , just felt right at some point
4. till string breaks

in conclusion you have a four hour window of greatness. even after that though it is still very playable. So I guess this is kind of a higher end budget setup in my books.

forgot to mention though strings do start to move alot which does get old fast.

[neesun]

pvaudio 2 questions.

1. Which performaxx natural gut do you like the most?

2. Which performaxx natural gut would compare with Babolat VS Team 17?

[pvaudio]

WhisperTouch Pro is my personal favorite (uncoated). Having not tried the new classic ones, I cannot say if one of them is closest, but from what I have tried, WT Pro is closest. It's truly nothing similar, however. It's far lower powered and stiffer feeling.

[pvaudio]

Long story short: I am in love with Baseline/OGSM. It's preposterous. It's the cheapest string I've ever used, and yet, it just sings in this frame. It makes every ball just so much better. Why? It's the crispiest setup I've ever had.

[mixedmedia]

Originally Posted by neesun

pvaudio 2 questions.

1. Which performaxx natural gut do you like the most?

2. Which performaxx natural gut would compare with Babolat VS Team 17?

Though not pvaudio, for me I'd say (for 1 and 2, though I'll probably try WT again) the Classic Premier, but they only have 16g right now. I haven't heard back when a thinner guage may be in. Perhaps you'll have more success getting a response.

[pvaudio]

Isospeed Baseline Spin 1.20mm / Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17g Natural





Stringing: Here's to me hoping that this setup is really good. No, just good enough would suffice.Why? This is the easiest setup I have ever strung, and if the playability is sufficient for my game, I'll switch to it just out of stringing ease and cost. It took two entire minutes less than anything else I've strung. Two minutes is a lot when I average around 20mins for full poly, and about a minute less for poly mains or full synthetic. I have never encountered a poly that is easier to handle than Isospeed Baseline. Honestly, Gamma Live Wire is more difficult to deal with. There is zero coil memory, it's floppy, supple in the hand, knots like butter and just zooms through grommets. OGSM already is one of the easiest crosses out there, but it's not the easiest (I think Maxim Touch is easier). I'd say top 5 easiest cross with the easiest poly I've ever handled, and you've got something that's actually enjoyable to string. Strung 51.5/55lbs.

Groundstrokes: As I've been harping on recently about this stuff, I guess it's fair to say that I rather like it. This is difficult for me to review, and frankly, odd. I believe it was fgs that warned me that this would happen. This stuff is amazing. I mean, for me, super amazing. There is no other word for it: it's my favorite string setup of all time. First, a note or two.

Although I'm not sure if I've said it too often, crispness is my most desired attribute in a string setup. It's why I loved Scorpion/gut and Tornado/Xcel so much. They offer a responsiveness that's unlike anything else. Note that they are not the highest rated in this thread, because the purpose of this is for me to try to use my limited amount of skill to provide an objective account of the string's performance. It's that clash that causes some misconceptions about the results of these playtests and in particular what caused the blowup about the L-Tec. In that review, I included my objective and then subjective ratings. In this review, I will do the same.

I am not going to say that this is the BEST string setup in this thread. That would be ridiculous what with all of the natural gut being tested. But for me, this is it. The main reason is because it offers two things that I look for most. First, it is incredibly crisp. It has a response unlike anything else but a few other strings, two of which I mentioned above. It's also why I like Genesis SpinX so much, but do realize that it's not objectively that good. For me, however, I've yet to find something that matches what I've been looking for, and while I call it crispness, some call it responsiveness, and others by different names. Regardless, this hits the spot.

Secondly, it is incredibly neutral. Why is that important? Well, this thread has a multitude of setups whose string cost alone would be over $20 (see Cyber Twirl / VS Team aka the WORST waste of my money I've ever been stupid enough to do willingly) because they're meant to enhance certain aspects of your game. That's wonderful, and that's usually exactly what you want from a string setup. I do fully appreciate that obviously. However, what I appreciate more is seeing that I've hit a great shot, or that my ball is causing my opponent trouble. When it's my technique that's resulting in such situations, that trumps fancy string setup enhancements every time. This neutrality is why I am an enormous fan of WC Silverstring. It does not let you do anything you cannot already do. It also will not detract anything from your game that you can already do. It just takes your skill, and transfers it to the ball. If that's into the net or into the fence, so be it. Improve your technique. If that's a winner, then that's the best feeling ever. The Baseline/OGSM falls into that realm.

Given that I'm reconstructing my backhand, having neutral feedback on what sort of ball is coming off of my racquet is very valuable. It also means something else: you can never blame the racquet or the strings, so all you can do is play tennis. I probably talked my hitting partner's ear off about this because it's just so good to have something reliable with no frills. It's like my Honda: built superbly with everything you need, and nothing you don't. No excess, and yet no rough spots. For this latter criterion, Baseline/OGSM also takes the cake.
Obj. Overall: 8.5/10

Serves: I think I pretty well covered this string in the novel written above. There is nothing special here aside from a tasty cannon sound that only a couple strings can make consistently (RPM Blast, Tour Bite and Alien are others)
Obj. Overall: 8.5/10

Volleys: Very nice feel up at the net. The neutrality lets you guide the ball pretty well, but there's nothing stopping you from hitting it out. Overheads are relatively straight forward as well.
Obj. Overall: 8.5/10

Durability: I think I have 2-3 hours total on it so far, and while the OGSM is the color of ball fuzz, the poly is still snapping back fine. Truth be told, at this price and given how easy it is to string, if it lasts 6 hours for me, then that's gold. Add in the fact that I have 3-4 racquets and it's a non-issue.
Obj. Overall: 9/10

I think I covered my thoughts on this nicely in the groundstrokes section, so I won't waste any more of your time. From an overall standpoint, this is just a good string setup. It's just like any other string setup I've got in here that's had a high 8 rating. It just does things nicely all around. However, for me personally, I just found what I've been looking for. It's the crispness of NRG2 and the poly feel of WC Silverstring all in one nice package. A nice package that costs $2 a frame, and for that reason, I find it's second to none.

Some of you at this point probably think that I'm out of my mind for calling the cheapest string setup I've ever tried as the best that I've ever tried. Here, money plays no part. It's just extra icing on the cake that the value is tremendous. When/if TW gets Baseline Spin back in stock, I'm scooping up at least two reels. So while I would say GO TRY IT, IT'S AMAZING! much like I have done with some of the natural gut reviews in here, I can't honestly do that. It's because I know that this is just what I personally have been looking for in doing this thread. I'm open minded enough to see that not everyone would feel the same way, so I give an objective assessment of a great value stringbed with no-frills playability.


Obj. Overall: 8.75/10

My Overall: GOAT

[mikeler]

I think your objective ratings are subjective. Just kidding, don't want to argue semantics.

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by mikeler

I think your objective ratings are subjective. Just kidding, don't want to argue semantics.

Haha I know, that's the problem! I can't give a fully objective review, but I try my best. I try not to give super-subjective reviews unless I state otherwise, hence, I hope people are taking these opinions with a container of salt.

[arche3]

Interesting you like spin x. What tension do you string it at? I used to use genesis spin x silver 17 a lot. But I found it too stiff. But I was also stringing it at 62lbs... in my apd cortex. I still have most of a reel of it left. Have you tried spin x at a low tension? Say 50lbs?

[pvaudio]

Originally Posted by arche3

Interesting you like spin x. What tension do you string it at? I used to use genesis spin x silver 17 a lot. But I found it too stiff. But I was also stringing it at 62lbs... in my apd cortex. I still have most of a reel of it left. Have you tried spin x at a low tension? Say 50lbs?

I used SpinX red at 55lbs when I did full, and then I also used it as a cross with VS mains at the same tension. SpinX though tends to have a plasticky sort of feel and turns into a rocket launcher when it dies.

[pvaudio]

Hmm, not sure if I should put up a full review of the Lux/850. rdis10093 assures me that it's set to turn into "god mode", so I guess I'll wait and see. Besides, I think I may have 1 hour total on it so far since I've been playing with the Baseline the majority of the time.

[rdis10093]

Just saying man, we are not the same. The strings that I like, you may not like. We play pretty different games. I grew up on clay. I like to wait for my shots and not force anything unless I am pretty sure of the shot. For example, I think blackcode is sick, and if I remember correctly you not so much. Was not thrilled with head stuff, but it’s cool if you like it. (Can’t remember what it was called stuff that went with the M2.) If you think the string is crap, by all means then say it is not good. Don’t hold back tear it up. If it does not merit a review in your books, then that is your call. When I gave you the strings, I was just interested in your thoughts since you have played with more strings than I have. In the end the only thing I am sure of is that it is a good string for me and I like it.

Cheers,
rdis10093

p.s.

I am on the road to redemption in my current classes. Your advice helped.

[pvaudio]

Lol it's not crap at all. It's good. I only said I would wait because you said it changes depending on how long its been hit with. With only one hour on it, I don't think it's fair to call a judgment (regardless of how long it's been in the frame)

And that's good to hear about the classes

[pvaudio]

Hmm, the baseline's not looking good. Moving around a lot, and I can see the OGSM is getting thinner and thinner. I think we're at 3-4 hours total and I can definitely feel a drop in playability too. It's losing its crisp feel, and the poly is certainly dying. Still, if you get half the playtime for 1/4 the cost, that's still a deal in my book. And considering it takes zero effort to string, win! Perhaps I will use some OGSM 18 instead next time to see if I can't get the crosses to break just as the poly goes completely dead. I anticipate that to be about 4-5 hours then.