Since there is so much biased info about the Alto flutes.,I´d love any comments any of you have on any Alto flute models you have tried..
http://mclements.net/Mike/mrc-flutereview-alto.html

Pearl Alto - Silver Plated, Silver Head - Great player for the money to me! It has to be taken to a trusted repair tech first, though...not always set to go right out of the case...but for 1200 bucks, you really can't go wrong in trying it.

Trevor James - Silver plated,Silver Head - Not bad...I found the headjoint on the one that I tried to be a bit unresponsive, though. I used this one in a concert of Maslanka and I was alternating C flute with Alto...I found that after tuning and sitting it on the stand, I couldn't warm it up quick enough to keep it from going sharp.

Armstrong - Silver plated everything - This one was just plain old. I can't offer a good personal view as it was not in good repair.

I haven't tried the more expensive ones, yet. They are up there in price, and I think the Pearl will suit me just fine next year.

-Dennis

Thanks.,I´m just concerned about the whole sonare spectrum of flute instruments due to the many comments I have read about the Sonare mechanism on their piccolos,Altos and flutes.,being made in China dosen´t help either as it makes me think there can be some reason for the feedback I often get from people trying or owning these models,I´m not saying they are all right though.Also,many a times It´s difficult to discern between honest dealers and not so honest ones,It´s why I believe the best thing to do is to blind test the flutes as it has been recommended here more than once to avoid any kind preconcieved ideas we might have previous to buying the flute.I´ll never be a good dealer myself because of my ethics,I´d have to fully believe in what I was selling.Sharing our experiences here is absolutely great as we can more or less get unbiased opinions which are more than welcome for someone like me.
Thanks.Having said all this I´m about to buy a Sonare Alto af-60.,once I try the flute I´ll tell you what I honestly think about these flutes.

try the jupiter or Demedici alto, I am not just saying that cause I do some work for them...

http://www.sawoodwind.co.za/sonare_af_60_alto_flute_adsl
I found this,It´s an interesting link.It dosen´t sound bad at all.

i agree with patrick. i would try the dimedici alto. a teacher of mine back in middle school had one that i played on religiously (that and a yamaha bass flute which i LOVED but were onto alto flutes here, not bass flutes). i thought it sounded great, especially in the 3rd octave. she had 2 students who ended up buying altos as well, one bought a trevor james and the other bought a dean yang. of course, al lthe other students got to play on their new toys to form our own opinions on them... i didnt like the trevor james, but i liked the dean yang.

and dennis, i cant say i really liked the pearl alto... i thought it was too difficult to get out the high register

Just recently tried a number of alto flutes and ended up with the deMedici 1200 series with a straight head...wish that I had bought both heads as I'm currently shopping for a curved head to understand the ergonomic implications. It's taking a while to build up playing time before fatigue sets in with the straight head, and I feel like the curved head makes playing it more like a soprano...

Well, I'm just a student but anyway here's my impression of a couple of flutes I have played:

Last January I decided to purchase an alto flute and tried out several at Fluteworld. It's been too long ago to remember in detail my impression of each model I tried, but I do remember that there seemed to be a bigger difference in the key mechanisms between different alto flutes than there is between standard C flutes. The keywork on some models put my right hand in an awkward and uncomfortable position, while some models it was my left hand that didn't seem to fit, so naturally it was easy to eliminate those models from further consideration. Two models felt good in my hands and played the best for me - the Jupiter 517S and the Trevor J James TJ-AFP. Surprisingly, (and happily!) these two models are relatively inexpensive. I decided on the Trevor James. It's a gorgeous instrument with an excellent mechanism and a beautiful, flawless finish. My instructor played it and she loved it too.