Let me begin by saying that I'm a far cry from a technician, and can only provide a review from the standpoint of a player. However, I've always considered player reviews (depending on the reviewer) to be an interesting read.

I decided that I'd like to have an all composite piccolo so I wouldn't have to deal with the cracking issue. I ordered the Sonare and Pearl piccolos from FluteWorld. Here are my opinions:

Body material:
Sonare - The Odyssey Polymer has a smooth, glossy finish which I found to be slippery not only in my hands but under my lip (and that's with chin stubble). It seemed durable and hard enough.
Pearl - Had a textured finish which eliminated the slippage and resembled real wood. It's lighter in weight than the Sonare and also seemed durable. I preferred the Pearl body material.

Key layout:
Sonare - The keys are very ergonomically placed with a very pronounced offset G and a G# spatula further away from the body. It allowed my fingers to be less crowded and move more freely. I preferred the Sonare Key layout.
Pearl - The right hand keys were fine, but I felt the G# spatula was a bit close to the body. This could definitely be adjusted to, however.

Tone:
Sonare - Very responsive and bright. Extremely easy to produce a good tone, but a tad harder to play softly, especially up high. The embouchure hole is more rectangular and large.
Pearl - I found its tone to be sweeter, easier to control and more focused. It has a particularly strong lower register and I was able to easily adjust the third octave dynamics in tune with a good sound. The embouchure hole is more oval. I preferred the Pearl's tone.

Intonation:
A tie - I played chromatically up and down and a few etudes on both piccolos. I never noticed any noteworthy intonation discrepancies. Both had a high B.

Finishing -
Sonare - Smooth silver plating with only a couple of minor blemishes. However, there were harsh cuts in the silver plating near the screws that hold the mechanism to the body. Several of the keys had "play" if moved from left to right. It also didn't come with a cleaning rod, but that may have been a mistake of FluteWorld's.
Pearl - The silver plating had a few more blemishes than the Sonare (unven coating, bumpy areas). The mechanism was tighter and I didn't notice any damage from the assembly of the mechanism like on the Sonare. The case is much larger and can fit two headjoints, although it only comes with one.

Overall, I'd have to say the Pearl wins. That may be why it's double the price of the Sonare. I was really counting on the liking the Sonare because I don't have the money for the Pearl at this time, but it appears I'll be returning both of them and saving up for a Pearl.

Thanks for the review Tim. I have heard rave reviews on the the Pearl, but not much on the Sonare. I have not tried either one, but would like to. Thanks again!

Thanks, Tim. Now I want to try them, too.
I have a really nice Zentner picc with a Burkart headjoint. My outside picc is an old model <CSS> Gemeinhardt, solid silver with sterling keywork and mechanism. It is a little harsh for my taste, and I liked the Sonare that I played (briefly) at the music store, I'll have to look into the Pearl, too.

Sorry to bring this thread up again, I know it is older but...
Tim, did you end up getting the Pearl piccolo? I need to start shopping around for a good plastic piccolo because my wood one does NOT do good in very warm or humid environment, that and I don't want to take it outside. That is kind of hard when I am the only one that can play the Stars and stripes solo in the band and we have outside concerts so....

I have heard wonderful things about the Sonare piccolo. I would rather go with that one since it is cheaper but from the way Tim described it, the Pearl sound like it would fit me better. I had tried the Powell Signature series piccolo and wasn't too sure about liking the cut of headjoint that was on it. I prefer more oval myself like I have on my Burkart. So if anyone has anymore reviews on them, please let know.

Thanks!

ive tried both when i went piccolo shopping last month (ended up deciding i didnt know what i wanted, am going back on my birthday next month). even though i only "tested" both ( i wasnt interested in a plastic piccolo but a wood one, rather), i found the sonare more to my liking. but the headjoint is cut very similar to the powell signature and if you didnt like the cut on that, chances are you wont like the cut on the sonare. i like the pearl cut more, but that was about it. i found the mechanism to not, er, fit me the way i wouldve liked. i thought the material (brushed vs. slick? i dont know...) wasnt a determining factor in the instrument. the pearl mechanism will probably hold up longer than the sonare if its anything like their flutes. but if youre looking for budget, i dont see why the sonare wouldnt be a better choice than the pearl. it is, after all, a $700 piccolo. youre only going to get so much out of it.

I found out that the Pearl only comes with a wave headjoint and I don't like them at all, so I have just decided to try the Sonare. If my wood head off of my Burkart fit the Sonare body, I may just to that combination. If you will be playing outside at all and you are shopping for a piccolo then I would advice against a wood one. If you want wood and do have to play outside then in is inevitable that you will have to by a silver or plastic for a backup.

I actually ended up running across one of those old plastic Armstrong piccolos with a bubble style headjoint. I think I private messaged you about it. The intonation isn't as good as the Sonare or Pearl but I saved a few hundred dollars.

I personally didn't care for the Sonare because of the embouchure cut. I like a rectangle cut on a flute, but not on a piccolo. If I hadn't found the Armstrong, I'd have saved up for the Pearl rather than get stuck with a piccolo with a cut I don't like. But if you're only going to be using it occasionally outdoors, the Sonare may be a better choice.

Did you ever find a new headjoint?

i have an older yamaha piccolo.. the ypc-32 model. i use that one outdoors and i play on a wood emerson (the ep-6 i believe) indoors. i feel its time to upgrade my wood piccolo, since its not mine and im tired of borrowing it. i know the rules of not playing a wood piccolo outside, as youre setting yourself up for either a ruined piccolo or a heckuva repair bill. humidity (especially in michigan during the summer) is ahuge determining factor. have you tried looking around for a used headjoint? maybe you can find a halfway decent one for a low price instead of using your good one.

Tim I did find a great headjoint. I bought a Sheridan with a 14K gold riser.

Mbrown, I am sure you are very aware about not taking a wood piccolo outside. I was just telling you this more on behalf of what happens when you try to play it outside. The wood expands and contracts in high humidity making the tuning wacky and the third register is almost imposible to get out. I was worried that this was just in my head but after speaking with several professional piccoloists they all comfirmed that they have this same problem. I have had a few different wood pics and that all did the same thing. But yeah.. of course I am sure that it isn't good to take it outside either because of cracking and such. I have never had a problem with that, thank God! I don't have a problem using my good wood head on it outside on the Sonare. I am sure that I will adapt to the Sonare head though. It most likely would be better then the wave one that comes on the Pearl anyway. Me and wave heads don't get along well. I will be getting a Sonare tommorrow from Phil. I will let you guys know what I think. It is not like I have many more options anyway. I do like the all plastic Armsrong piccolos and at least they have better intonation then the Yamahas piccs, so that may be another option. I used to own one of them before switching to wood. I am sure the Sonare will be fine for the few times that I need it though. *Crossses fingers*

i wish you the best of luck and let us know how things work out

:-)

<Added>

and i did know someone who had a cracking problem. i remember at interlochen a while back someone brought their brand new powell piccolo to show off to everyone and to prove themself a better musician (people like that deserve to be shot in the knee). she bragged and bragged and bragged. not more than a week into the session and guess who was playing their piccolo in the rain? oh yes, she was. sucked to be her, especially since i offered my POS yamaha... but she kept telling me how she was too good to play on plastic. next day she opened her case to find herself a nice new crack in the headjoint. hate to say it, but i laughed and i laughed hard.

Lol! Good story! I do kind of feel sorry for the girl for not being bright enought NOT to take a Powell piccolo in the rain. I have nightmares about opening my case and finding my Burkart cracked. I would so cry!!!

well she didnt learn much from it because the next week she was sent a new piccolo (not just the headjoint, the entire piccolo) in the mail from her parents. i tell you, these rich kids nowadays...

What kind of flute did she play on or should I dare ask? It is pretty sad when nice things are handed to kids and then they don't care for them like they should simply because they are not the ones that had to work hard and pay for it. Not all are like this of course, but sad when you do see it.

she had a gold burkart. its sad that she had a $15k flute... especially as 16yrs old. im sorry, but im a firm believer students "moving on up" with flutes. and whats sad: she wasnt even that great of a player. dont get me wrong, she was good, but she wasnt at all near the level of most of the kids there. i think maybe her parents bought her way in... wouldnt surprise me one bit.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think rain alone can cause a piccolo to crack. Yes, it's bad for the pads and mechanism, but from my understanding just getting it wet won't cause it to crack.

I'm guessing there was foul play afoot! Where's Sherlock Holmes when you need him?