Do you want reviews only on Sankyo headjoints? I can tell you that I like the Nagahara 50 times better then the other Sankyo NRS1 head I used to play on. It is much fuller and more flexible for me. Just more my style, I guess. Lopatin, Sheridan and Williams just to name a few all make wonderful headjoints also.

this is one good reason to attend a convention or trade show, most of those headjoint makers are usually there. You get some that fit your flute, get away from the din and the name droppers and over-blowers, and retreat to the comfort of your hotel room to try them out

>>I can tell you that I like the Nagahara 50 times better then the other Sankyo NRS1 head I used to play on. <<

I tried a fairly "inexpensive" Nagahara head today (in the $1800 range--read that "inexpensive for Nagahara" ). O-M-G. I think that I am in love. I didn't get to play much, because I didn't have a lot of time, but I plan to try them again at the New England Flute Fair later this month (plus, it was a bit disconcerting to be the only one playing in a room--the flute fair will be a little busier and noisier). I will say that I've been having trouble with low C on my flute, and, with the Nagahara head, it spoke when I barely breathed on it. So, apparently it is neither me nor the body (which I figured, anyway, since I just had it serviced). Does anyone think it would be at all ridiculous to put a Nagahara head on an Armstrong 80B? I have no problem with the flute body at this point, so I'm thinking that this might be a good way to upgrade.

Nothing's ridiculous if it makes you happy. If the pairing of a Nagahara head and your Armstrong body is what you want, go for it. True, they are from very different levels of production, but many people put a pro head on a lower level body before (or in substitute of) buying a full flute at the professional level. It's economical (or more so than buying a whole flute), and can make you sound like you're playing an entirely different instrument. Eventually if the mechanism or scale or something body related starts to bother you, then you can change the Armstrong out for something else, but until then, I see no reason to spend multiple thousands of dollars on something you don't really feel the need for.

As for ridiculous, no.
My good headjoints fit both of my flutes, a Yamaha handmade with soldered toneholes, and a Pearl 501E that I paid $400 for. The Pearl was rented to a student who played it maybe 12 times, and it was expertly serviced and guaranteed.

Anyway, when our Symphony principal was flute-shopping, I loaned her the Pearl with my Powell wood headjoint. She had it for a week, and used it for the local hoity-toity music festival orchestra. She loved having it. The music festival draws section principals from all over the country; she was happy to be playing the 'cheap' Pearl (C-foot, closed hole) with the Powell headjoint. The tone comes from the headjoint, the intonation comes from the flute body.

So all in all, no, not ridiculous, especially if the Armstrong is in very good mechanical condition and has good intonation. Probably a much better buy than, say, spending $1700 on a Yamaha 461 that comes with a machine-made CY cut silver headjoint. I'd rather have the Nagahara/Armstrong for the money.

In terms of reviews and trying out headjoints, you will not know how you will like a headjoint until you play it. Most descriptions are merely marketing/advertising copy provided by the manufacturer.

When you try out a headjoint, it may be a few days (or even weeks) before you really find out what you can do with it. Trying new headjoints (and flutes) seems to be a hobby of some good flutists. It would NOT hurt to go to the music store in Singapore and play some of the intermediate headjoints- if only to realize and learn some of the different things that you will need to do to make a headjoint sound good. By the time you try a pro-level headjoint, you will have a better idea of both the learning process, and the increase in possibilities that a good pro-level headjoint gives you.

>>spending $1700 on a Yamaha 461 that comes with a machine-made CY cut silver headjoint. I'd rather have the Nagahara/Armstrong for the money.
<<

Right, that's pretty much where I am. Not even quite ready for that, yet, but I can comfortably shop at that level, while waiting for the chance to buy. I figure that I can look at flute parts at around the level of what my husband would spend for a new computer. My flute is good enough that I'd be in the $2500-3000 range to do any better, and that would be with a stock headjoint.

<---looking forward to the flute fair

Not that i don't wanna try them out, i very much do. Thing is, we only have a couple of shops that bring in headjoints...and they don't really have a wide variety to try out.

Will go down to the shops again when i get the chance...

Any reccommendations of headjoints which arent too expensive?preferably less then 500 US bucks. And brand wise we only have miya,altus,sankyo,yamaha,trevor,powell

Try anything and everything you can get your hands on (and that fits into your budget). Since your options are somewhat limited anyway, play as many headjoints as possible from the brands you can get, as there is no telling what you might like. Headjoints are a very personal thing, and what works for one player may not for another.

Any reccommendations of headjoints which arent too expensive?preferably less then 500 US bucks. And brand wise we only have miya,altus,sankyo,yamaha,trevor,powell

If you are looking for a headjoint that is going to cost less than $500 then you will definitely have to stick to a used one. The Yamaha heads new are even more then that unfortunately. Usually you can find the brands you mentioned used for $700 USD and up. Unless you find a good deal on ebay, it is going to be very hard to find a good quality headjoint in the less than $500 range.