The sound is quite good and soft, but not as precise as the Vandoren Blue. Each reed requires additional polishing with high-grit sandpaper (2000). Although the reed is declared as 3.5 hardness, it is comparable to between the Vandoren Classic Blue 2.0 and 2.5. It softens very quickly, but tolerates slight shortening of the tip quite well. It is significantly better than the orange Rico reeds.