I need a new flute so which one?

[raspberry]

Hey! I have been playing flute for two years now and I'm pretty good for my age (going into 8th grade). Anyway, over the summer I plan on buying a new flute, I'm currently looking at Yamaha 600 series and Powell Sonare 705.
My budget is about 3500.(my dad isn't too happy about that so if its cheaper that would be great) I think I will end up buying the flute from fluteworld.com. What do you think of my choices and what do you think I should get of those three and do you recommend any other brands?
I am hoping this flute will last me through college in which at the very least i hope to be a flute major or even get a higher degree. The yamaha and the sonare both have almost identical features but I know that powell is the better brand and is of better quality. What is the best flute I can get with my budget?

[raspberry]

I think I am going to get the powell sonare 601 since the only differences between the 601 and 705 are the appointed key arms, white gold springs, and a $400 more price tag. If I was able to get the Aurumite 9K Gold Headjoint would it really actually make a difference in sound quality or should I just wait a few years.

[SylvreKat]

Ok, first off I only see two flutes listed (Yami 600 and Sonare 700).

As for which one of two identically-featured flutes is better, the answer is, whichever feels and plays best for you.

I love my Yami 584, but others don't care for the Yamis. My old Armstrong worked great for me, through college and past. The only "repair" it needed was my choice to have the springs and keys adjusted after playing a brand new Gemi Anniversary whatever it was flute (yeah, I wanted my 20-year-old $1000 flute to play like a new $3500 flute, ha) Yet there's some who despise Armstrong flutes. They tell folks never buy an intermediate Armstrong as it's junk.

It really does depend so much on each individual player. Sure, any good flutist can play any flute. But why decide on the Sonare because it's supposedly better quality, if the Yami (which btb is NOT poor quality!) plays better for your specific style and technique?

Play on them both. Have someone go with you to listen. Better yet, if you have a flute teacher or flutist friend, have them go and also play so you can hear any differences yourself. But mostly, you play them. Play the some music on each. Play loud, play soft. High and low. Fast runs and long held notes.

>'Kat

[raspberry]

The third flute was a Miyazawa 102, but I took it off because it docent have a solid silver body and foot joint,just silver head.

You see, I was asking this because I am buying it online as there are NO decent Music stores within 1000 miles of my house in which I can go and try a bunch of flutes.

But I will try to find ways in which I can try out some flutes. We have this one music store that sells nothing but yamaha flutes( and other instruments, of course) but last year whenn I went to them to talk about Yamaha intermediate flutes they only had one model and they didn't even clarify which one. So for a while I thought there were only three different Yamaha flutes. Student, Intermediate, professional.

Thanks for your reply tho
~~~raspberry~~~

[SylvreKat]

Here's a thought.

See if your local store will order in the Yami. If so, then have WWBW (or your online store of choice) send you out the Sonare. Take it with you to the store and play them both there, one against the other.

Please keep us posted how this goes for you.

>'Kat

[raspberry]

Thank You! That is quite smart, I would have never thought to do that, Thank you for the suggestion I think I will try to use it. The thing is since the Powell Sonare has more solid silver for almost 1500$ less i don't think I can justify buying the Yamaha, especially since it seems that Powell sooner flute would be better made. There than the price though, what is the difference between Powell Flutes and Powell Sonare Flutes?

[laurenkaye1995]

Powell Sonare flutes use a Powell headjoint and a cheaper made body. They really do not play like true Powells much at all. With this, I would say that the Yamaha 600 series would be a better purchase than a Powell Sonare due to body construction, however I'm not a huge fan of either.

You say you took the Miyazawa off because it is not full silver? The material of the flute hardly matters when comparing the models. A fully silver-plated Miyazawa or Muramatsu will play far and above a full silver Sonare or Yamaha. Miyazawa, Muramatsu, Altus, Haynes, and other makers have flutes in the $2500 to $3000 range that are higher quality than the "hybrid" intermediate flutes out there. Others you may want to consider are Di Zhao, Azumi, Avanti (these are associated with Brannen flutes and have been discontinued, but are incredible for the price and there are usually a few on eBay), Lyric, Dean Yang, and North Bridge just to name a few. All found on FluteWorld. I would highly recommend looking into one of the silver plated handmade flutes over a solid silver intermediate flute, especially if you are hoping to use this flute in college.

[fluteguy18]

Powell Sonare flutes use a Powell headjoint and a cheaper made body. They really do not play like true Powells much at all. With this, I would say that the Yamaha 600 series would be a better purchase than a Powell Sonare due to body construction, however I'm not a huge fan of either.

You say you took the Miyazawa off because it is not full silver? The material of the flute hardly matters when comparing the models. A fully silver-plated Miyazawa or Muramatsu will play far and above a full silver Sonare or Yamaha. Miyazawa, Muramatsu, Altus, Haynes, and other makers have flutes in the $2500 to $3000 range that are higher quality than the "hybrid" intermediate flutes out there. Others you may want to consider are Di Zhao, Azumi, Avanti (these are associated with Brannen flutes and have been discontinued, but are incredible for the price and there are usually a few on eBay), Lyric, Dean Yang, and North Bridge just to name a few. All found on FluteWorld. I would highly recommend looking into one of the silver plated handmade flutes over a solid silver intermediate flute, especially if you are hoping to use this flute in college.

Thank you. A fully 'handmade' flute of high craftsmanship will always play circles around a 'production' instrument. Material is irrelevant if you do not account for design and manufacturing beforehand. The Yamaha 600 series have the Straubinger Phoenix pads which require more precision to install than the felt pads in the Sonare. The Powell Signature headjoints are also quickly finished and not always to the standard that has been historically associated with Powell. Perhaps that's part of why they were bought out by Buffet Group Int. last April. The Yamaha 600 series are very nice. And the Miyazawa is very nice. The Miyazawa has better construction with 'lower grade' pads and materials, though that's a subjective topic for later. But the engineering is as good or better than the Yamaha. Some Sonare flutes are very nice. Some are not. You have to try them all. Every Flute, Every Brand. But from a technician's perspective, I would opt for either the Yamaha or the Miyazawa based on construction and design alone.

[Phineas]

I will not say hybrid flutes totally suck. However, I do not prefer them at all. You can get a good quality flute with decent playability and a good headjoint for what some of these hybrid flutes go for and get a complete package that is up to par. What is the use of having a hand cut headjoint but the action is mediocre. For example a Jupiter 711 will play circles around a Powell Sonare and for hundreds of dollars cheaper!

Also, do not believe the hype about material. I agree with what has already been stated. Between 2 quality brands of instruments, design will will almost always beat out materials.

Sonare, Avanti, Amadeus, Brio, etc.... have their market. But none of those will play better than a Pearl, Jupiter, Yamaha 500, Altus, Miyazama, Sankyo, or almost anything else in the same price range. These hybrid brand are setup to lead you into their hand crafted lines...Powel, Haynes, Altus, etc....
Likely, all that happens most of the time is you wind up with something completely different as your needs change from a playability stand point.

[Z legs]

Phineas, what is your take on C Foot joints vs B ? ...playability, response, transitional challenges etc. Been looking at the Pearl Quantz line,
closed hole.....(flute is a secondary instrument for me using it in an acustic 1st set for melodic lines and orchestration notes with guitar and bass)

[Alejobambu]

Powell Sonare flutes use a Powell headjoint and a cheaper made body. They really do not play like true Powells much at all. With this, I would say that the Yamaha 600 series would be a better purchase than a Powell Sonare due to body construction, however I'm not a huge fan of either.

You say you took the Miyazawa off because it is not full silver? The material of the flute hardly matters when comparing the models. A fully silver-plated Miyazawa or Muramatsu will play far and above a full silver Sonare or Yamaha. Miyazawa, Muramatsu, Altus, Haynes, and other makers have flutes in the $2500 to $3000 range that are higher quality than the "hybrid" intermediate flutes out there. Others you may want to consider are Di Zhao, Azumi, Avanti (these are associated with Brannen flutes and have been discontinued, but are incredible for the price and there are usually a few on eBay), Lyric, Dean Yang, and North Bridge just to name a few. All found on FluteWorld. I would highly recommend looking into one of the silver plated handmade flutes over a solid silver intermediate flute, especially if you are hoping to use this flute in college.

Thank you. A fully 'handmade' flute of high craftsmanship will always play circles around a 'production' instrument. Material is irrelevant if you do not account for design and manufacturing beforehand. The Yamaha 600 series have the Straubinger Phoenix pads which require more precision to install than the felt pads in the Sonare. The Powell Signature headjoints are also quickly finished and not always to the standard that has been historically associated with Powell. Perhaps that's part of why they were bought out by Buffet Group Int. last April. The Yamaha 600 series are very nice. And the Miyazawa is very nice. The Miyazawa has better construction with 'lower grade' pads and materials, though that's a subjective topic for later. But the engineering is as good or better than the Yamaha. Some Sonare flutes are very nice. Some are not. You have to try them all. Every Flute, Every Brand. But from a technician's perspective, I would opt for either the Yamaha or the Miyazawa based on construction and design alone.

Excellent contribution, according to the user.