Pearl standard headjoint is a little bigger and rounder than Yamaha's which is more rectangular. People says it's quite "free-blowing", I succeded to do a full 3 octave c major scale at the first try !
But I'm not experimented enough to say if this headjoint can produce several tone colours or not. I just know how to do a soft or dull sound in the first octave, but this can be done on all flutes...

I'll get to test the Pearl flutes, as the Yamaha flutes next week, and I'm waiting for it a lot! I read somewhere, don't remember where, that Pearl flutes have a little bit different kind of blow-holes? Is this true?

Not really, It a pretty standard cut on all the quantz series. Blow-holes are as different as there are manufacturers out there. There is nothing a little bit "different" with the Pearl Quantz headjoint.

The only way for you to know which one you like is to play them. A headjoint doesn't create a particular sound, the player does. Different headjoints are just more comfortable for doing what you want them to do for different players. Just like different shoes. If it suits you, it suits you!

Joe B

The only way for you to know which one you like is to play them. A headjoint doesn't create a particular sound, the player does.

That´s just it! Thanks Joe!

I play on a Pearl 765CODA, with a Forza headjoint. I don't like the standard headjoint, but the Forza is really great. The mechanism on my flute could be smoother, but the sound it makes definitely makes up for it.

I have now tried Yamahas as well Pearls and I have made my decision: I'll by Yamaha. I'll buy 371, which has silver head-joint, if I can, and if I can't I'll buy 271 or 261, depending on, if I want E-mechanism or not. 371 has richer sound than 271, but it is also a bit heavier and costs more.

I also tried Pearl 525 and 695 (?). I wanted to try 665, but they didn't have it in the store. When I played 525, I noticed a weird extra sound, when I played the lowest octave. It reminded me of something like a really quiet foghorn. I tried another Pearl flute, which was 695 with silver head-joint, I think, and it had the same problem. Also the two persons with me said, they heard the same sound. I couldn't test more Pearls, so I don't know if all Pearl flutes have this extra sound.

by "foghorn sound" do you mean a sound with a different pitch than the note played ? or it's just the word you found to describe the tone colour?

Foghorn just describes it. It was like something resonated in the flute, but I didn't see anything. I took the flute apart and checked it but I couldn't see anything that could make that sound. Because the 695 in the store had the same problem, it can be with other Pearl flutes too, but I can't be sure. Maybe it something that they make on purpose and I just don't like the sound, maybe it was a one time problem with those flutes, maybe I blew the wrong way or something(this is unlikely, because other flutes that I tried, didn't have the problem).