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Originally Posted by Trumpet guy  OK, I've seen so much discussion about the effects of the bell, leadpipe, tuning slded, etc. but what about the valve body. How does the valve block affect the sound (apart from weight differences)? |
There were experiments in Germany many years ago to prove if the rotary or piston valves were better. Identical horns except for the valves were built and tested with little or no difference noted when playing long tones. The more positive action of the rotary valves was deemed "better" when playing fast passages and the blow of the pistons was deemed more consistent.
I think this would be almost an impossible test to fairly conduct. There are simply too many differences in valve construction: sprung vs. unsprung weight, distance between the ports (results in a different slide radius), materials, bore consistency..................
The players in the know know where the best valves are, but even those with pro horns without state of the art are getting the job done.
My favorite valve block ever was the Selmer Radial 2 degrees. That made perfect technological sense!