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If you are looking for a big (but not too big) CC tuba that has a great sound, check our Will's or DP's post in the For Sale section - either of these horns might be what you are looking for.

I own a Daryl Smith and it's a pretty good horn for the amount of money you pay for it. It's not going to be as good as some of the more expensive models out there, but you could probably expect that. If you decide to buy one, go used. They are significantly less expensive that way. Perhaps a couple $1000 less than a new one at Tuba Exchange. I wish I would have done that.

I think the horn might be better if they would alter the design to make it more like the BBb Daryl Smith where the main tuning slide is on the top.

Don't know much about the Yamaha...except that it is supposed to be "the best rotary CC" (out of one) that Yamaha makes.

Hope this helps!

I own a Kalison DS, here are some thoughts:

After reading many posts here, and my experiance with my Kalison, it seems that the precision is not very good. By precision, I mean that if you buy a Kalison DS, you don't always know what you're going to get. Some people love them, some people hate them. I read about one person whho took a DS over a HB 21. You must try out a few before buying. If the first one is a dud, you'll thank me.
I agree with Paul in that it doesn't sound as "tuba" as, say a MW (but this most likely a fault in my playing) or others, but the tone emmitted isn't bad. The response is a slightly slower than some of the MWs I have tried, but not so much as to create a problum. For the price, you cannot find a better (new) tuba. Size wise it is bigger than a MW 2145, but smaller than a 2155. It serves as a great small-middle sized ensemble horn that is good for solo works as well. The high register speaks very well until you go past E above the staff. The F and above gets real squirmy for me.

Do a search on Kalison DS, there was a topic about them a little while ago...