The real answer:
You need to start attending tuba conferences. Play these horns and listen to lots of other folks play them. You will discover that 90% of the opinions on here are worth exactly what you paid for them and that the only one that matters is your own. Given 5-10 years of that you will discover that 80% of the opinions you used to hold are also completely defunct.
People make musical decisions based on their VALUES. What they care about in their own playing. You are looking for cut and dry answers where none will ever be found.
Values can change for LOTS of reasons, but those reasons all boil down to experience. When reading the opinions on this site take into consideration the source.
When you listen to other folks around you at school comment on another person's playing take note of how much more their opinion says about their own values and playing than it does the person they are commenting on.
The vast vast majority of the folks on this site are either college wannabes or amateur hobbyists that like to geek out. They are in transition somewhere along the journey with varying goals, experiences, and types of groups they play in.
ALSO, as you meet lots of professionals that I presume you would like to emulate I believe you will be surprised by the dramatically different values many of them bring to the craft and how notably different values can all lead to an enjoyable aesthetic experience. As you take lessons with those people take note of how even the seemingly different concepts being taught or emphasized are all really leading in the same basic direction. To quote a Chinese metaphor, when someone points at the moon don't just stare at their finger.
My advice: Look for the commonalities that make all of those people successful and learn to enjoy those things. Much is made of how different Jacob's and Bobo's playing are but what do they have in common? Hints: they are in tune, in time, even sound top to bottom, TONS of energy in their sound, and have clarity to spare. (sidenote: it's funny how if you really go to the trouble of mastering those aspects how little thought is ever needed to play musically and also how little/rarely technique will ever be a limitation in pursuit of that musicality)
Anything outside of those commonalities is just like adding a little extra spice to an already delicious soup. YUM!
The answer I think you were actually looking for:
People like the YFB 822 because of how it plays. It makes for a very even clear sound with very little effort. Intonation can be off but is managable by those that take the time to learn it. The ISSUE with these horns, ironically, is that the very even clear sound is also rather boring when MOST people play it. I think that the people that have chosen the 822 have either learned to produce a much more energetic sound OR learned to love the sound as it is OR eventually moved on to something that better matches their values.
Good luck!
