I feel like you should have my back-story so I can tell you what I'm looking for. I played euphonium through junior high, high school, and a semester in college. I quit playing after that because I no longer had an instrument, plus life got in the way. Did the marriage thing, the kid thing, etc. Fast forward almost 20 years later. I'd been wanting to play again for many years, but still didn't have an instrument. Christmas of 2016, my daughter and husband gifted me a new euphonium. It's a Mendini, off of Amazon. My husband doesn't know much at all about music and even less about euphoniums. For the price, it's a not a bad horn, really, especially for a beginner. I have a hard time getting it in tune though and I'm not wild about the valves. They're pretty clunky. So I've started looking into getting something else, upgrading a bit. I'm in community college and have started playing in my school's chamber ensemble. (It's a challenge - orchestra scores never include parts for the euphonium.) I'm not looking to go professional or anything, but I've thought about joining a local symphonic band as well, plus I play in the local Tuba Christmas. I just play for fun, but I still want to improve my range and my skills.
First issue is financial. I can't afford something super expensive. I'm thinking $3k - $4k range.
Next issue - I'm a small person with crappy lungs. (Seriously, my left lung isn't fully developed. I wish I was kidding. I also have mild asthma, because an underdeveloped lung wasn't enough of a challenge.) So something that's easy to blow and more suited to someone with less air would be great. I'm guessing that the lack of air support is probably part of my issue tuning the Mendini.
I've done tons of research but am now completely overwhelmed. Every time I think I've settled on a horn, I see another review saying not to choose that.
I had settled on the King Legend Soloist, but now I'm reading bad things about the trigger mechanism. Plus it's non-compensating, and I've read what you really want is compensating. The cheapest compensating I've found is the Jupiter JEP 1120, but Jupiter reviews aren't great, plus it looks like it has a wider bore than the King Soloist. If my research is correct, I want a smaller bore because I have less air?
TL;DR - I need a horn between $3-$4k that's easy on the lungs and doesn't have clunky valves. I'd like to be able to play for fun with my local community bands, and be able to improve my skills without breaking the bank.
PS - If a particular mouthpiece would help, feel free to throw that in there as well. And recommendations of where to buy would also be welcome!
Thanks a bunch!