I know you want answers, but I have to be honest, I would not choose any of them. I guess if I had no choice in the matter and HAD to choose one, I would choose the Miyazawa, but only in a heavy wall.
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Of course I only say this because I would choose a Gemeinhardt.
uhhhh I hate gemeinhardt. I need upgrade my current flute cuz I will be in grade 10 soon. And mine holds me back, the old one. Well... I will try a bunch of them and I'll choose the best one. I like Miyazawa only with the MZ headjoint I have to try Altus though too.
You NEED to upgrade because you will be in grade 10 soon? I'm sorry, but why again do you NEED a handmade professional flute at the age of 16? It sounds as though you don't even know what you want.
The best indicator that you should upgrade your flute (and even professionals can sound great on a student flute in GOOD REPAIR!!!!) is the type of literature you're playing. What etudes and pieces have you played? How many years of private lessons have you had? Band sectionals are not lessons. Are you going to be majoring in music performance at a major university?
If the answer is "I don't know" or "no" or "what's an etude?", then you don't need a flute with all the bells and whistles. Many times high schoolers think they need an upgrade, when really their current flute needs an adjustment or is in disrepair, and that's the issue. Now if you WANT an upgrade, that's totally different, but it may be completely unwarranted.
Most of these mid-range flutes are just not the quality of the upper end pro(hand made) models any more, and a used top-end model can often be had for the price of the mid-range stuff new.
(your list includes some ~$4K flutes which is why I did a double-take and suggested a like-new condition used true pro model)
I honestly know of not one person who doesn't love their Powell flute. And Sankyo are probably the best of the Japanese designs.
http://www.brannenflutes.com/flutes.html
Probably the best of all(IMO) - but very expensive. Landell and a few other small makers are above this of course, but 4K or so should get you an astounding flute used.
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EDIT - this is of course provided, as others have also said, that you need a real flute to make a possible living with or major with. Otherwise, a Yamaha or Pearl for $1500-$1800 is more than you'll ever need to survive at age 16.
Shoot, I managed to be 2nd chair as a senior with a miserable basic Gemeinhardt due to skill and tenacity.
but if you DO need such a flute, it pays to jump past the middle-range stuff and just buy a good used pro model and never have to trade up again.(at least not for a decade or two until the thing starts falling apart due to age)
I remember way back at the beginning of time when I was in highschool...
All of the flute section with the exception of me had Gemeinhardt flutes. I was the only person who didn't have a Gemeinhardt. I had an old Armstrong 80 flute.
We had a really good band. We played level 5 music.
Now I hear of all the stories about kids in highschool getting Haynes and Muramatsu flutes and trashing them. I am not saying that just because you are in highschool, that you aren't going to take care of your flute. Some people are crazy about taking good care of their flute and I respect that in a young person.
I am absoloutely astounded that parent feel the need to buy a highschool kid a very expensive flute.:O
I had a woman try to sell me a solid silver used flute for pretty cheap, but it was so completely trashed, I had to turn it down because it still would have been some very expensive used parts. And the only salvageable parts were a couple of keys.
I wish that my mother could have bought me a really nice flute. I would probably still have it today. I still wish that I hadn't sold my old Armstrong 80. It was fantastic!
I need to upgrade to a 14 or 18K gold flute as I have out grown my silver Powell. Maybe I should go for platinum? What do you guys think? What brand should I buy?
I would also like to upgrade my car. It still gets me from point A to B fine, but I NEED a mustang! lolololol!!!!!!
Guys u misunderstood me. I'd say to Allieon that when u were asking those questions I already had the answer right away in my mind and kept reading your sentences and my answer is: I play lots of etudes, gariboldi, koehler, andersen, etc... I build my etudes skills and fingering skills i do double-tounging... I am not 16 y/o. middle of 20's U can't see my picture next to my name? That's me LOL. I take private lessons as well. My student flute holds me back... I need something better now... with a very good respond, nice sound.
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Some people are crazy about taking good care of their flute and I respect that in a young person.
that's me. I have a YFL285SII student flute and it loks very nice cosmetically and is in very good condition however it's like 10 y/o now and still looks like 2 years old... I work hard for that money though to get a new flute so I really will take care of my new flute:)))
You said that you were going into grade 10?? There is no picture in your avatar, it didn't load. I can't see it. Sorry for the misunderstanding, we get a lot of kids on this board that post this kind of stuff all the time. That is why I sort of went off. My apologies.
I do hope you guys all know that I was just joking!
If I spent that much for my flute, I'd tell people I loved it...
There are many other brands that are just as expensive and people will say they don't care for them. I suppose not too many people are going to say they don't like the brand they play. Especially if it is a handmade flute. After all, they play it and must like it since they chose it. I can find fault with a Powell flute or any other flute. I think they are too heavy.
No-one can really suggest a flute to anyone other than what they enjoy playing on - if you seriously need a new flute, then you need to start playing and testing different ones to find one that reallly matches with your playing style. And consider a new headjoint rather than a whole new flute. A well made flute body from a good brand doesn't need to be solid silver, platinum or crystal - the headjoint makes the majority of difference, and so does the player.
I don't play professionally now, so I can't indulge myself with an upgrade to a gold flute* until I win the lottery. My needs don't justify it. But I have a headjoint I love (a powell) and a good quality flute body - and I don't think I'd get much better sound out of something more expensive right now. I love playing it - and that's the quality you should look for in a new flute.
* it would have to be white gold, since I don't like the colour of gold... and so then what would be the point?? No-one would know it was gold! I'd have to put a big white flag on it to make sure everyone knew how fancy it was!
searching...
U can't see my picture next to my name? That's me LOL. I take private lessons as well. My student flute holds me back... I need something better now... with a very good respond, nice sound. 
