Just wondering what everyone’s sound preference is. While I know tone is a complex thing, the whistler makes all the difference as well. Also, what is your favorite whistle or group of whistles that you own to match your preference?
Me, I like both in a way but my preference is chiffy.
I like it right in the middle. My favourite is an Abell whistle. His C whistles is the best whistle that I have ever played.
I’m partial to clear and sweet.
Yeah. I keep coming back to the sweeter, clearer whistles: Burkes, O’Briens, Freemans, Sweetheart Mellow-Pro, good Gens, and home-tweaked cheapies. I can’t get comfortable with Clarkes, Shaws, or other breathy/chiffy ones. It’s all subjective, but that’s what floats my boat.
I like pure and sweet too. The only breathy sound that I like is that sound that comes from bamboo whisltes and flutes.
We’re getting into a murkiness of terms here. For many of us, chiff does not equal breathiness, but are instead two different characteristics.
i have to admit that my dixon trad and my Gen Bb are my two favorites when it comes to the sound… and right after that are my feadog’s… i have susatos and a vambrace… but… at the end of the day, the whistle i grab is my dixon trad…
be well,
jim
True. I see it as: There’s pure, then there’s chiffy, then there’s breathy. I favor the upper 66.6%.
The truth is, my favorite whistle is the one I’m playing when I happen to be hitting on all cylinders. Lots of variables at play there. 
As a recorder player, I like a pure, rich tone. It took me a while to get used to whistles, which are generally much breathier than any recorder. But it also depends on what I’m playing. For slow airs I like to use my Rose whistle, which has quite a recorder-like tone. For dance music I prefer a breathier whistle you can push harder. BTW - the breathiness you hear may not be audible to your audience, especially if you’re playing with other instruments.
Chiff doesn’t really suit dance music very much, imo, but works well with airs or - for instance - van Eyck’s early baroque sets of variations on popular tunes and songs. I see cuts and strikes primarily as a way of inducing a brief “chiff” sound at the start of a note.
I’d go along with that. 
Most of the time I like it sweet with a little bit of chirp if you tap firmly or lift fast when changing notes while blowing moderately hard. My DX203 sounds like that to me. However, I sometimes like a bit more air, breathiness, like one of my Clarke originals and to a lesser extent like my Chieftain NR Bb.
Good day.
Depends on what I’m playing and with whom. I like the sweet tone of my Sindt A for ballads. My JF tweaked Bb for reels and jigs. My Dixon low G for group sessions. The list can go on and on and on, as Mrs Doyle said
Horses for courses I guess.
The best whistle is the one you are currently playing.
I like them all, really.
And the whistle I play is dependent on where and when.
The Susato is carried and played at work, a very rugged, dirty, and noisey industrial plant.
The Hoover White Head is for home use early mornings or late nights.
I have whistles for both cars, and various corners.
The Mellow Dog is still the Whistle of Choice if I have my druthers.
I will say that I love the sound of the untweaked Feadogs and Generations, but I don’t play them very well.
I’m sort of in line with crookedtune. Horses for courses if you take my meaning. I like certain whistles for certain tunes. So for me it’s not about one particular universal tonal quality but more dependent on the tune and the mood I’m feeling.
ecohawk
I like pure, sweet-sounding whistles…when I’m ten feet away! Otherwise, they’re too hard on my sensitive ears.
But besides that, I love the sound of a breathy whistle, like my Clarke original or Kelpie. To me this is just the best!
My all time favorite would be the Silver Copeland. It is bright and sweet and is probably best described as extremely responsive. I have Brass Copeland too but it is not nearly as responsive. It is still bright and sweet though.
A.