Entry Level Professional Flutes Under $5,000

[michaelnguyen94]

I'm currently saving up and shopping around for an entry level professional flute. Right now I'm playing on a Yamaha 684, with a Powell Aurumite 9K headjoint, and I'd like to upgrade the body to something more handmade with a C# trill (and I might even switch to offset G if I like the feel).

Right now, my top contenders are:
Miyazawa 202
Sankyo 201
Burkart Resona 300

Mechanically, how does the Resona compare to the sub-$5K Japanese handmade flutes?

I'll probably keep my Powell headjoint since I got it recently and I think it has a lot of potential. So my main focus here is a smoother, reliable mechanism with a C# trill.

I don't foresee much of an acoustical difference between solid silver tubing vs. plated -- but from a repair standpoint, is solid preferable?

[SylvreKat]

I can't really give you any advice on your choices, but I'll say that when I called my repairman before getting my Yami, I asked him about it being "only" silver-plated whereas my Armstrong is solid. He said that's not going to make any difference and not to worry about it.

>'Kat