Single-string trials: if the cost of the trial is less than $49, a $7 shipping fee applies if you return the string without purchasing it. Return shipping is always free.

The Larsen Sovereign is Larsen's most soloistic cello set, and you don't have to buy it blind: SoundBox Strings offers the full set as a 14-day home trial for $99 — play it on your own cello, and if you keep it, the $99 comes off the purchase price. Single strings are also available to trial (A $25, D $30, G $35, C $40).

Philo's take (from his first-impressions review, on his 2005 Grubaugh Seifert cello): "The upper strings are the immediate win. They're warm and resonant with this sweet, singing quality that honestly makes the instrument sound more expensive than it is." On the G and C: they start "a little raw, a little blunt, a lot of power" — like Spirocore tungsten — "but here's the thing: they break in fast." "The biggest surprise isn't any one string — it's what the set does to the cello as a whole. The entire instrument rings more. There's noticeably more resonance and more color across all four strings." His read: if you want warmth and sweetness on top with real authority on the bottom, the Sovereigns deserve a serious look — and if you're a mixer, start with the G and C.

Read the full first-impressions review

Sovereign for Cello is Larsen’s most soloistic string set — created to empower your sound and give you infinite freedom of expression. Developed in close collaboration with Larsen artists, it delivers a sound that is immediate, precise and rich in colour, moving effortlessly from dark, growling intensity to lyrical warmth and the lightest pianissimo.

Exceptionally defined voices with strong projection

Wide tonal spectrum from edgy darkness to lyrical warmth and lightness

Effortless playability with fast and precise response

Immediate reacting C string with depth, growl and focused power

Sovereign is about control and definition: the sound speaks immediately and clearly, reacting quickly under the bow — especially in fast passages and short strokes where clarity is essential. At its heart is a strong, resonant core, from the dark growl of the multi-stranded, double-tungsten-wound C string to the glowing clarity of the solid steel core A. Offered in carefully calibrated true medium tension, it gives advanced and solo-performing cellists the clarity, control and depth to shape every note with intent.

Product description courtesy of Glasser Bows