Originally Posted by
Vito
I played for 4 years on a Sterling Virtuoso (with Bauerfeind valves) and also had a brief stint on a Yamaha 842.
These two euphoniums are indeed not similar at all, so choosing one of the two will certainly be a personal choice.
The Yamaha, as already noted by Dave, has a very bright tone compared to the Sterling Virtuoso. This might suit you better in smaller ensembles, wind band and solo playing if that is your cup of tea. The Sterling on the other hand is made to sound as dark as possible. The Sterling is noticeably heavier than the Yamaha. In my experience, the Yamaha is generally easier to play than the Sterling. While intonation is certainly not perfect, I find it to be one of the few horns that can be managed without a trigger next to the Adams euphoniums. Responsiveness is great and I prefered the valves of the Yamaha since they are more compact. What really was a bummer for me was that the Yamaha did not have a waterkey on the first valve slide.If you were to choose purely on the build quality of these horns, Yamaha should come out on top.
I had a lot of trouble with the valves on the Sterling, but since Sterling has changed their valve sets a couple of times I can't speak for all of their euphoniums.
To your comments on the position of the leadpipe: I find the leadpipe angle on the Sterling more awkward than the Yamaha. The Yamaha features a more traditional wrap around the bell like, for example, the Besson Sovereign. The Sterling's leadpipe is straighter. Everyone is different so again, your mileage may vary.
To sum it all up: The Yamaha is brighter, lighter, easier to play, equally in tune as the Sterling that is darker, heavier, requires a lot of practice/strenght. I would personally choose the Yamaha since they seem to hold their value longer and I do not mind the brighter tone.