Aulos 205A Descant Recorder – THE School Recorder for Beginners, Made in Japan – 3-Piece Soprano with Case & Cleaning Rod – Strong, Clear Sound – Trusted by Teachers.

Really good quality recorder. Comes with a case and cleaning item which is very useful. Lovely sound too.

This is the brown and cream version of the Aulos 511B E Symphony Recorder, and I think it does look nicer than the black and white version that I borrowed to try before buying. I bought this at a sale price which was a lucky bargain, as I'd already decided on this model. This is as good as plastic/resin tenor recorders ever get. It even out performs many wooden tenor recorders, and you would have to pay many times the price to get a wooden one that matched its performance. It has a very balanced, solid and quality feel to it and produces a beautiful tone right through the range. The recorder is a 3 piece model and comes in a nice leatherette case with a cleaning rod, joint grease, clip on thumb rest and fingering chart/care instruction sheet. The centre section also has end caps for storage. The foot section has easy reachable levers for the low C and C#, which still produce a strong sound unlike many tenor recorders, and the tone is pleasant and easy to play right through into the high range. The precision build quality is apparent as soon as you start to assemble the recorder, with the joints fitting together perfectly. Only need very lightly greasing. If only all recorders were built to such exact tolerances! The finger spacing is typical of most modern tenors and as this is not my first tenor recorder, I found the spacing very comfortable. The tuning is spot on right through the range too, unlike my old tenor which was a cheaper brand and had serious uncorrectable tuning flaws. That has now gone to the charity shop! Aulos are not the cheapest of the plastic/resin recorders but this model is the best I've played. I'm usually a Yamaha fan, but after borrowing a Yamaha tenor and one of this model, I think the Aulos just has the edge on performance and sound. This makes it worth the extra few pounds to get the best. I can't find a single negative to say against it. 5***** for Aulos!

Considering the price, this is a lot of musical instrument for one's money. Because it is keyless, this tenor is actually easier to hold and finger than the keyed tenors I have tried. The hole spacings for the lower holes are comparable to those of an alto recorder, and the lack of a key means the lower notes can be played faster and with less strain on one's little finger. Despite this design feature, the recorder still feels sizable and relatively heavy. I would have thought they could have made it much lighter, but at least it comes with a detachable and fully adjustable thumbrest that does help alleviate the weight. The sound, though not very complex or interesting, is nice and mellow, and blends rather well with other instruments. It lacks the personality to stand out as a solo instrument, but then that is seldom the role of a tenor recorder, solos usually being preserved for the higher voices. The first time playing it, I found the lowest notes a bit weak - or at least they require care in playing not to overblow them, but usually when they are weak, that means the upper register is strong, and it is - if not very interesting sounding - easily accessible, even on the first go I easily hit the A above stave, usually the highest note I play. I also, a bit surprised to be honest, found the instrument to play rather well in pitch too. Not a given for any plastic instrument, though I have come to learn that going for the top range plastic instruments from Yamaha or Aulos usually offers good intonation. I'd recommend this instrument to a beginner on tenor recorder, someone who just wants a cheap tenor in addition to more frequently played altos or sopranos, or as an extra practice instrument along with a wooden one for someone who focuses more on the tenor than the other sizes.

I'd never tried a tenor recorder before, though I've played descant (soprano) and treble (alto) recorders for very many years, and and I bought this for fun, to see what it was like. It's good. A nice warm tone and is fairly easy to play, though the fingers do have to be well splayed apart to cover the holes, and those with small hands would find great difficulty. This model is actually slightly smaller than others, and I picked it after doing a good bit of googling and research on Amazon itself. My problems stem from having somewhat arthritic fingers and wrists which tire much more quickly than on a smaller recorder, but I reckon the exercise is probably doing some good, so I'm persevering. It's excellent quality, comes in a nice case, and overall I am very happy to recommend this instrument.

Excellent quality control from Aulos means even their cheap, basic, plastic, instruments are excellent.

This is a very good quality plastic sopranino recorder from a respected manufacturer. It is well made and has a good tone. It comes with a cleaning stick and a fingeting chart, all in a sturdy soft plastic case. English fingering.

Bought for my 7 yo daughter for school recorder lessons. Great recorder and nice quality but disappointed that it didn’t come in the corduroy bag - which would make it feel even more like the one I once used many moons ago.

All as described

Very well presented. Very nice tone. Sounds very pleasant and in tune. It is indeed easier to play compared to other plastic tenors like the Aulos Symphony or the Yamaha. I have small hands and I can tell the difference quite clearly, it is a dream for me.

Muito bom! Melhor que isso, só uma flauta de madeira profissional.

Ich besitze bereits eine Tenorholzflöte und habe mir diese sozusagen als "Backup fürs Grobe" gekauft. Außerdem sollte man eine Holzflöte ja wegen der Feuchtigkeit nicht stundenlang spielen, da lohnt sich ein Zweitinstrument auf jeden Fall. Von allen Kunststoffflöten, die ich habe, würde ich diese als (im Vergleich zum Holzpendant) beste bezeichnen. Die Flöte klingt warm und voll, nicht schrill in den Höhen und trotzdem definiert. Die Tiefen sind gut, vor allem da die kurzmensurigen Holz-Standard-Tenöre in den tiefen Lagen auch nicht viel besser klingen. Die Flöte ist weich genug, um im Ensemble mitzutragen, aber auch fürs Solospiel ausreichend geeignet. Ich würde den Klang irgendwo bei Palisander verordnen. Es ist ja nicht das Holz das schwingt, sondern die Rauheit des Flöteninneren, die durch Verwirbelnden den Klang beeinflusst (daher werden Kunststoffflöten eher unterschätzt, weil viele Laien analog zu einer Plastikgeige denken, die vom Schwingungsverhalten physikalisch nicht gut klingen kann, was bei Flöten aber gar keine Rolle spielt.) Durch den größeren Windkanal im Vergleich zu Alt und Sopran macht auch das Kondenswasser geringere Probleme, ein bisschen Spülwasser, und das Problem ist gelöst. Wie in einer anderen Rezension beschrieben, finden sich bei genauerem Hinsehen tatsächlich bei jedem Loch feine Nähte in der Kunststoffoberfläche. Es sind aber keine Risse, sondern kommt wohl vom Guss- bzw. Pressvorgang, wo der Kunststoff unterhalb des Loches wieder zusammenläuft. Vermutlich lässt sich das fertigungstechnisch nicht verhindern. Ich habe mich für eine Flöte ohne Klappen entschieden, weil hier überhaupt die meisten Probleme bei Kunststoffflöten auftreten. Einziger Kritikpunkt wäre die Nachhaltigkeit der Flöte. Während eine Birnenholzflöte nach ein paar Jahren verblasen ist und kompostiert werden kann, hält diese wahrscheinlich irgendwo eingegraben für 27000 Jahre ...

Excellente flûte à bec Tenor. Elle m'a réconcilié avec les ténors du fait de sa facilité de jeu, de son et de souffle. L'écart des doigts est à peine (1cm en moyenne même pas) plus grand que celui d'une alto. C'est quand même exceptionelle de la part de Aulos d'avoir réussi ce coup de maître sans changer la tonalité de l'instrument.

I just started fooling around with recorders again after I haven't touched one for 53 years (the 4th grade). Irish whistles too. Wood ones from iVolga are really nice sounding. Anyway, I recently purchased a Yamaha YRN-302B II, a Yamaha 402 B Ecodear, and a Woodnote Garklein, which I think is total garbage, and probably a cheapo counterfeit somebody switched that I unfortunately ended up with. Anyway, the Yamaha recorders are legitimate and are quite nice, and I especially like the Ecodear alto, but this Aulos 211A tenor is really, I think, a bit nicer looking, simply because it has a unique design with subtle differences that make it stand out as far as looks go. It's not overly done with white (ivory colored) accents like most Yamaha recorders are. Very subtle, very classy looking. It also has a nice mellow tone, but I really could not judge against a Yamaha tenor, because I do not own one. Because of it's size, it's going to take a bit of time to get my breath control in order, but I am making progress fairly quickly. Just don't expect to come directly from another size and dive right in. It is a bit of a curve as far as breath control goes. It's much trickier transitioning between octaves and right now, I'm getting a bunch of squealing. That's totally on me. It just takes time, practice, and very, very subtle changes in breath. I'm sorted at how little breath this recorder requires as compared to the others I've been playing with in the last few weeks. I'm sure an intermediate player would have no problem whatsoever. As far as fingering goes, I'm 6'2" and have the necessary finger reach for such an instrument. This one seems no more difficult to transition from than going from a Soprano to an alto did for me. I rather like the fact that there are no moving parts on this one. I really hate moving parts like keys, because, guess what? Moving parts wear, they make a bit of noise, and moving parts can break! I'm not sure, but would imagine the keys on other recorders have some kind of felt sealing pad on them too that will need replacement. Without keys, this recorder will truly last a lifetime with no maintenance other than keeping it clean. I would highly recommend this recorder. As a novice to the tenor, I feel it's something you can easily grow into, provided you have the necessary finger reach. It seems to be very well made and is also very classy looking. It comes with a snap-on thumb rest should you require one, and also a cleaning rod and joint lube. The zipper pouch is quite nice too. One thing I wish it came with is a plug that holds the mouthpiece and the end bell together in the bag as Yamahas do, however it does have end caps for the main body tube. There is a felt divider for mouthpiece and the bell sewn into the pouch.