Скачать или смотреть Three Clarinets: Which is the Best?

I briefly tested three student clarinet models, and here are my experiences:

The Yamaha YCL-650E offers easy response, excellent balance across all octaves, and high-quality mechanics and pads. The tone is brighter and a bit simpler, but the intonation is outstanding. Additionally, it is nearly €500 cheaper than the other models, offering great value for money.

The Selmer Prologue II has a more refined tone and features an adjustable thumb rest, which can be moved horizontally and vertically to the right. This design reduces wrist pressure and adds comfort. Initially, there was an intonation problem with B in the first octave, but it improved after adjusting the set screw on the A key.

The RZ Conservatory offers a unique tone color and high-quality craftsmanship. However, it is very sensitive to changes in mouthpieces and barrels. With my current mouthpiece, I had significant intonation issues. Only after replacing the original barrel with my Zoom barrel did the intonation improve slightly, though it is still not ideal. Apart from the tone color and craftsmanship, it didn’t win me over. It is also the most expensive of the three.

This is, of course, my subjective opinion. Since everyone is different, with unique anatomical features and individual hearing perception, I recommend testing the instruments yourself with your own accessories to form your own opinion.

Below is a link to a short sound test. For the best sound comparison, I recommend listening to the clarinets with headphones.