Aulos 703W Haka Soprano/Descant Recorder

This is a great recorder. I bought this one essentially seeking out the highest quality plastic recorder I could find and this one delivered. To beat this with a wooden one you would have to get up into at least the medium range of recorders. I bought Yamahas for my wife and son so I could teach them and the tone is night and day. I will say it’s a little harder to play, but not by much, and the tone is worth it. That said, for a total beginner with no experience on any wind instrument whatsoever, it might be a little trickier. But if you have any experience with wind instruments then it really should not be any issue whatsoever. With proper diaphragm support the low C comes out very clear, albeit obviously not a loud as the upper register. There is a narrow range for the thumb when you hit the high A, hence it being a little tricky, but you can quickly get used to it.The faux wood finish…. Well, my other hobby is fine woodworking so to ME it looks a little silly. But the matte finish is very comfortable and I prefer it over a glossy finish. To the lay person you could probably fool them into thinking it’s a wooden recorder from two feet away. I don’t know how long the finish will last, but I suspect eventually it will start to show signs of wear after many years of use. But at about $30, so what, just buy another if cosmetics are a concern. The wood finish to my eye looks better than the Yamaha 312.The case is really surprisingly very nice given the price point. For a soft, unpadded case, you can’t really do any better. It’s a fairly convincing fake leather that is very soft and pliable. It doesn’t feel “cheap” it actually feels quite nice – and it just plain looks good. It also comes with a cleaning stick (supply your own rag), thumb rest (never touched it), and a tiny fingering chart printed on orange paper just to make it harder to read(!).The body fits together very precisely. It did not come with any cork grease, but you can use chapstick or almost anything since it’s plastic. Once put together it’s easy to rotate sections for a preferred finger position, particularly with the bottom third. Once adjusted, it doesn’t slip positions. There is absolutely no leaking to speak of. The overall fit and finish is very good – I saw no blemishes in the paint and I could feel no seams anywhere.

I like this recorder because the tone is good for a reasonablay priced instrument. The lowest register is easy to reach. The more closely spaced fingering holes are more comfortable for my smaller hands to reach than some other brands. I choose an Aulos after trying two different models of resin instruments borrowed from friends. The Aulos model I liked is no longer made, but this one seems a close substitute. I was a little disappponted in the woodtone finish not being as wood-like as I hoped, but it is still an acceptalbe compromise from a shiney plastic finish. My main reason for choosing this instrument to alternate with my older wooden one was its not being subject to damage by extreme temperataures changes in either winter or summer when I occasionally play at events which mirror life in the 18th century.

misleading product

I ordered 23 Feb, got it today. It is a white recorder. It has no faux leather case. It is descrived in the reading as an Aulos Haka. The number at the top says it's not. The top number is right. It was too good to be true. Originally it said the usual price was in the 30's. The long cardboard shipping box was bashed in at one end. This is not a Haka. At least it's an Aulos. False, false advertising. Caveat emptor this seller.

After reading the reviews, I settled on this recorder. I am disappointed in the sound quality. It seals and squeals just like my 7$ one. there isn't much of a difference between the two when it comes to sound quality either. It almost feels as if I invested in a pretty expensive beginners instrument. This is definitely not what I was expecting after the reviews. Who knows? ... maybe I ended up with the "sour apple" out of the bunch????

The Aulos 703W Haka Soprano Descant Recorder is exactly what I hoped for when I placed the order. Its 3 component parts allow me to adjust the foot; now I can easily reach the high notes with the little finger. (My previous instrument is a 2-component pear wood, non-adjustable foot, and the fingering was not only difficult but caused cramping with the extreme stretch.) The low cost of the recorder belies its tone, which is mellow, round, and full. Obviously, breath control is critical, but I doubt that my breath control and pressure has changed significantly with the Aulos 703W. My point being, that previously the pear wood emitted "tight" notes - and I hear a more pleasant sound with the Aulos 703W. For my purpose of playing solo for my own pleasure and occasionally in duet with a violin, I am delighted with the fingering, and the overall quality of the instrument. The Aulos 703W is a rewarding instrument to practice, and gives me confidence as I progress in the sophistication of music performance.

I’ve been playing woodwinds (sax, flute, oboe, clarinet) for many years, but am new to recorders. I recently has request to play a recorder on a simple piece as a double. My old recorder was, basically, a beginner model. This was a huge step up. The body looks and feels like wood, and has nice cleanly cut tone holes. It is tunable, which is needed if playing other than solo. The upper register is sweet, and intonation really good. It projects. The low F is a little stuffy, but thats about it. I read some review that this plays out of tune. It does not, using the right fingerings. I am a bit partial toYamaha saxes and flutes, but am very happy with this. I am sure there are much better ones if you want to go custom and spend hundreds, but this it really nice for the price.