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I've play tested two of these horns, the now discontinued Conn 19I (exact twin) and a silver plated 2280. On the plus side: 1)the horn has nice sound, 2)is good for taller players, 3) has large shank mouthpiece receiver 4)has water keys on the 1st and 3rd valve tubing (hard to find in a non- autocompensated horn) and 5)has excellent valve action. On the minus side: 1)the spring slide tuner that Mr. Rowe mentioned is on the 3rd valve (I would rather see it on the 4th valve tubing) and has no adjustable home position, the 4th valve tubing does however have upper and lower slides which could be helpful for intonation 2)the main water key is directly over the base of the horn, 3)horn will tip over if it is set down inverted.

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I have personally played this instrument for two years after it was purchased for me by my school music program. The horn has an unusually rich and full sound. It has a sharply responsive attack when pushed and easily kept in tune on the 4th valve thanks to the spring slide tuner. Although it may not have the professional edge, this horn is highly recommended and was a pleasure to play.

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I have owned a King 2280 for the last five years. In the last year I moved to a compensating euphonium; however, I will never get rid of my King. In fact, I continue to use my King on occasion. The King euphonium offers a very rich, big sound in all its registers, something many other euphoniums struggle to achieve. The player experiences a sense of openness in all its registers, making playing in the higher tessitura just as easy as playing low. Even though it is not a compensating system, this is a horn you can truly keep forever, it is suited for the advanced high school musician up through the studying college student and beyond.

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Definitely prefer the valve action on the King (compared to the Yamaha's sometimes sticky valve action). The horn also plays more freely than the 321, especially in the upper range. Great tone & intonation like everyone else is saying. The only negative is the position of the spit valves over the bottom bend (empties out onto the horn). Not a really big deal - definitely happy with the horn.

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What can I say, this horn is amazing. I purchased it in December of 2002, and haven't regretted it for a minute. To begin with, it is gorgeous. The tone quality is excellent, and it has great intonation. As soon as I played it, I felt like I could play higher and better. Just the feel of it gives me more confidence. The valves move very well, and spring back up instantly after you let them go. The slides are like butter, and it even has a spring loaded trigger. I spent about a year debating whether to buy this horn and shopping around, and now I wish I had bought it right away. If you're not sure, I say go for it and you won't be disappointed.