Euphonium mutes - impressions

[MStarke]

Dear all,

I would like to share some brief impressions on euphonium mutes.

Background: Primary a (semi-professional) trombonist, enjoying to play the euphonium, but not too many opportunities to play outside my own home.
Playing a Besson BE 7065 non-compensating euphonium.

I was looking for a practice mute on the one hand (the majority of my practice time is muted due to practicing in late evenings with little kids at home) and also wanted to have a straight mute, just in case it is needed.
Key criteria for me: Not too big or heavy - especially the travel mute, not too expensive - especially the straight as it's not very likely to be used, and of course an okay intonation, good response/not too much resistance and a good sound.

First observation when looking at euphonium mutes: These things are expensive... Feels like in average almost double the price than the trombone equivalents. On the other hand for trombone I have practice mutes, straights, cups, wahwah etc. and some of them for alto/tenor/bass.

After some consideration I decided against a real testing, but went only by recommendations and online reviews.

So I bought the Denis Wick travel mute and the Dem-Bro straight as they seemed to be a good fit to my criteria.

The Denis Wick is nice and light and obviously also fits completely inside the bell. Response and resistance are fine and to me it also has a relatively pleasant sound which is important to me. The real downside for me is intonation in the lower register, more or less C in the staff and downwards. For me that's okay, but especially if someone wants to play more in the low register this is really not good.
The Dem-Bro only got maybe 10 minutes of playing until now. Response, intonation etc. seem good to me and I personally like the sound. However it's not as "brassy" as a straight mute could be. Again okay for me, especially at the price which was the lowest I could find.

Which mutes do you prefer, especially if you have maybe higher needs than I do?

[euphdude]

I have both Wick practice mutes - the regular (the large black one) may be slightly better in tune, but it isn't as easy to blow, and it isn't that quiet. The Steven Mead travel mute is much more free blowing and quieter than the large mute, however at the upper and lower registers, it has a tendency to be sharp. For me the low register isn't a problem until you start hitting low F concert with the 4th valve and lower. For its compact size, free blowing characteristics, and sound reduction, I do prefer the Mead-Wick mute over the standard large one.

[iMav]

I have the Mead/Wick travel mute and am quite happy with it. I ALSO have the Yamaha "Silent Brass" system which is a ton of fun to play around with...arguably has been more of a toy than a serious practice tool (it certainly CAN be...but I normally don't need to be muted when not traveling).