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Kara
(2897 points)
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I promised a few people that I would let them know what I thought of this flute, so I am re posting it as a main topic.
I received a Haynes Amadeus flute on Tuesday. The model I have is a AF900. For those whom are not familiar with this model the specs are as follows.
Solid silver head, body, foot and plated keys
Pointed key arms
B foot
C# trill key (that is an extra which fortunately came on mine)
I really like it a lot. The mechanism is so light and smooth. I did have to re oil it and adjust the spring tension to my liking and then it just took off. It plays with a dark lyrical tone. I am not sure if the headjoint quite fits me all that well, but after I had a good warm up on it, it was pretty good and I adjusted to it. The key design on the cups are very similiar to the Burkart/Phelan flutes as the whole is more flat. Sorry, that is the only way I know how to describe it. I can take a picture if anyone would like.
The only downfall is that the silver plated keys are rather soft and I found out that they bend pretty easily and I think that it could have been finished off better. It is still up for debate as far as quality goes on this particular flute. I will have to see in time how it holds up. It should be fine for durability for me as I will only be using it as a backup. The rest of it rocks and sounds very similar to the newer Haynes out today.
I hope this review helps out anyone that may be in the market for a new flute. This is just my two cents.
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Micron
(1408 points)
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Thanks for the review, Kara.
Re "The only downfall is that the silver plated keys are rather soft and I found out that they bend pretty easily"
Of course there are acceptable limits to anything, but I actually prefer keys that can be bent as appropriate for adjustment purposes.
I like the key cup arms to be a little less rigid than the key cups themselves, so that if I attempt to adjust the alignment of the key cups with the tone holes, I can easily make the adjustment in the key cup arm rather than run risks of distorting the key cup itself.
I also like the stops to be a little less rigid than the key cup arms and pivot tubes, so that venting can easily be adjusted without risking altering alignment of key cups over tone holes, or jamming pivot tubes.
All within reason. There is no way that any part should bend during normal and careful playing, handling, and cleaning.
If a flute has an accident, I would prefer that the above parts became bent, rather than other, more difficult-to-correct parts.
Some Powell models are made with such admirably robust, rigid key cup arms, that no 'tweaking' of alignment is possible, so all adjustment must be done with shims. This takes far, far longer, and I am not sure anything is really gained in the long run. I imagine that if the flute were knocked, there would be more chance of posts being knocked out of alignment, or the body bent, on account of the rigidity of the keys.
Would you say that the softness of the keys on this Haynes are on the OK side of things, or the TOO-soft side?
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Flutist06
(1545 points)
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Don't buy the flute purely on Kara's review. She is very knowledgable, but the fact that she liked the flute does not guarantee that you will. Unless you have play tested the flute against others that might fit your needs and budget to determine if it's the right instrument for you, it's best to wait a little bit and go through that process. It's a good bit of money to spend on an instrument sight unseen, and it could very well turn out that the Amadeus' don't suit you.
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whateverittakes
(6 points)
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Thanks for that advice. I dont know if you knew this or not, but I'd already asked about that flute in another post, because I've already tried it and thought it was the best choice for me. I just wanted to know what other people thought of it, and Kara said she was going to get one, so I wanted to see what she thought of it. 
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Kara
(2897 points)
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I should write that I still prefer Yamaha as a backup flute. Yamaha and Powell seem to be the best two brands that work for me. While the Amadeus is very nice with a dark mellow sound, it is a tad too dark for my taste. So, yes do try many different brands. I most likely will sell the Amadeus and try and get my hands on a Yamaha 600 series flute. I will miss the C# trill though 
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AltoOrganistFlut
ist
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You're like me..I am a Powell and Yamaha person. Though, I am a musician and don't have the $$$ to buy a new backup flute. Mine is a Yamaha 461 I played in high school
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Kara
(2897 points)
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Thats cool I ended up selling the Amadeus and purchased a used Yamaha 561. It is the sweetest sounding Yamaha I have played yet, I love it! I put my Nagahara headjoint on it and it is sad because I spent tons of money on my Powell and I sound better and play better on this used Yamaha that I got for only $1,600.00. It is way lighter than my Powell too! Brands aren't everything. I would love to get a Julius Baker model. I can't understand why Yamaha is looked down upon in the professional world for the life of me. Maybe because they make student line flutes too?
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Flutist06
(1545 points)
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It's a good bet, but it could also be that they are relatively new on the scene (as compared with Powell, Haynes, and others), and have their hands in other things besides flutes. I also think they make some great instruments, but if you have a corporation making anything from motorcycles to flutes, and one that's specialized in flutes, without any knowledge to the contrary, chances are you would believe the flute specialists make better instruments.
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