Kerry Optima Review

[O'Briant]

Okay, I know there are plenty of streams on here about the Optima..... but I wanted to start one on the basis of a pure review without diving into muddied waters about price ranges, comparisons to other whistles, and/or tangents about what notable player used to play what whistle and subjective opinions about what whistles are supposed to play/sound like. I want, here, to give a pure review about the Optima and it's qualities and nothing else. Please keep this in mind when responding and/or adding your own perspectives. So......

Straight away I was zipping up and down on some finger exercises of mine with the greatest of ease. The clarity and responsiveness is well above average. The second thing I notice is how full it sounds. . . . Personally, I like harder blowing whistles as I feel like I can really lean into them when I want. . . . surprisingly find the Optima to be a pleasure to play. . . . You can blow quite gently and get a full, beautiful tone throughout the range of notes with great ease. . . . it lends to a mellow, soothing tonal quality (not quiet, just mellow sounding). . . . the whistle likes to be blown gently and has a warm, mellow tone. . . . I don't even need to blow it out and, in fact, the moisture build up seems to lend itself to making an even warmer tone! . . . It's a beautiful looking whistle . . . . Overall, I would rate the Optima as a very, very high quality whistle. Different players have their own tastes on how they want a whistle to play and so therefore opinions are always going to be subjective. My assessment of the Optima (outside of my general preferences of whistles), is that is plays with extreme ease and responsiveness, has little air requirements, a unique and very pleasing tone, spot on intonation, and is made with a high level of quality and detail.

4.5 out of 5 stars!!!

Okay, so maybe your review was just a "little" subjective too. Which, of course, is fine -- the point of the boards is to elicit and express opinion from a range of user input. While like you I subjectively liked the sound and look of the optima, and thought it was responsive and played well through a little moisture, I have to agree with Richard and Peter's objective observation that the second octave's tuning was an issue with the optima I owned (a dark purple head) and ultimately led to our parting of ways. But what I've mostly learned from this thread is to be very careful when I respond to Airgead and Lempriere -- their requirements for what constitutes an adequate response are demanding.

[Peter Duggan]

I have to agree with Richard and Peter's objective observation that the second octave's tuning was an issue

While it might well be on all Optimas (Ds and Ebs too), it was a huge issue (surely worse than the others or nobody would be buying them!) on the E nat I tried. It took precisely one scale up and down to know it was going back, and that's a whistle I'd just gleefully snapped up at some super-cheap sale price. While it had other attributes I liked, it was both objectively useless to me without a playable normal range and clear that (not for the first time with Phil's whistles) it suffered from problems that should have been addressed before going into production. And, yes, I'd seen (and been impressed by) Orlaith McAuliffe's videos, where the D sounds OK and the Eb perhaps only just starting to hint at problems, but nothing remotely on the scale which completely killed the E nat.

[Lempriere]

I remember the D of course and the Eb but I didn't know there was an E. I was actually intending to buy an Eb depending on what I thought of the D, the tuning was pretty decent on my D but the fragility of the bottom two notes was a big issue.

When the Optima was first launched I recall a promo clip where Phil Hardy stated that alto keys would follow the lows, I wonder why this never came about?

[Lempriere]

But what I've mostly learned from this thread is to be very careful when I respond to Airgead and Lempriere -- their requirements for what constitutes an adequate response are demanding

[Mikethebook]

Sorry, but I share O'Briant's feelings. Be a little more gracious . . . or people won't want to reply to you.

[Lempriere]

Okay, I'll try to be more 'gracious' if you keep your responses relevant to the questions asked

[Mikethebook]

You miss the point completely! People are trying to help in the best way they can think of e.g. by example. If it misses the mark, graciousness on your part means accepting it with grace and not shooting it down in flames or using sarcasm. You're new to the forum and there are a lot of well-meaning people here willing to help even if they don't always do it in a way you would like. Be gracious, whatever people write or will quickly lose friends.

[Lempriere]

Look Mike you seem to have an issue with me and my posting 'style', fine I can live with that (can't say I'm impressed with yours either) BUT if you wish to continue venting your spleen it may best to do it by PM rather than clogging up this thread with your rants ?

[Lempriere]

Anyway back on topic, has anyone ever played the non tuneable Optima?

[Mikethebook]

Thanks okay. I've made my point. And yes, I owned a non-tuneable Optima. What is it you want to know?

[Tunborough]

No matter how hard or soft I blow, it stays in tune really well!

Sorry, but the physics of whistles makes this impossible. The harder you blow, the sharper it gets. Any whistle, any note.