I'm using these on three different violins. The sound quality is comparable to other pickups and microphones I use or have used: Schertler, DPA, Headway, ... and to pickups on solid-body instruments e.g., Bose&Harmonie. The DPA mic is probably the best, but only if the sound is going through a really good and expertly operated board, with an all-acoustic band and quiet audience. (I do a lot of folk and western swing club gigs, and the nuance of a fine violin tends to be lost somewhere between the time the sound leaves my fiddle, goes through the sound system, and reaches the audience.)

No feedback problems, enduring heavy honky-tonk monitors while standing next to steel guitar with loud Fender amp.

So, with the gypsy jazz group in a large church or quiet club, I'd use the DPA, otherwise, The Realist.

The output is fine for driving my AER60, or for going through the Red-Eye preamp or the Fishman Aura Spectrum straight to Mr. Soundman, who will then have his (or her) way with my tone.

Durability is fine if you keep a stable bridge. If you tend to slide the bridge over the Realist, you can cause some wear on the fabric. Some fiddle players are always changing strings or having a peg slip, and this can make the bridge slide. I have a couple of extra cables, but the original wires that came with the pickups are still working fine (2 to 7 years use). I coil them carefully after each use.

If installed properly, this pick up works better than any other pickup my wife has attempted to use. She has been playing the violin for 19 years and experimenting with pickups for the past 5. We were hesitant to try another pick-up. But after hearing a couple violinists play using the same pickup both with and without it plugged up, we forked up the money.

We don't regret it one bit.