Posted by Joseph Felton on January 23, 2000 at 17:01:52:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Looking for a large ensemble horn. posted by Tim Jackson on January 22, 2000 at 20:44:30:
It is my understanding that the Nirschl is a more accurate recreation of the original York. Hirsbrunner, on the other hand, has tweeked the design slightly over the years in an attempt to correct intonation issues and the like. If you compare the stats that float around I believe that the Hirsbrunner has a slightly large bore at the valve set than the Nirschl. If I'm not mistaken I believe that the Nirschl is more 'hand made'. They only start producing one once you have made a down payment. Being more 'hand made' implies that they use thinner brass and it is my understanding that the Nirschl is noticably lighter than the Hirsbrunner. Hirsbrunner is known for producing horns that are built to extremely tight tollerances and it would be presumed that they are more likely to be consistent from horn to horn. The fact that it is so difficult to go out and play more than one Nirschl side by side and then pick one to buy severely tilts the tables in favor of purchasing a Hirsbrunner in my opinion.
I've never actually played either of these horns so I have no opinion of my own. I would imagine that both horns are essentially the same and that the devil is in the details. Seeing as the York is already a well established proven design I would imagine that whatever tweeking Hirsbrunner has made simply traded one compromise for another. I'm merely passing along the random facts that I've picked up along the way. If someone finds any of this to be inacurate please let us all know!
cheers!
joseph