Wide Wrap Trumpet Showdown! Adams A6 vs Conn Connstellation 36B Comparison at Austin Custom Brass

The Conn has a velvety, stuffy warmth that is very appealing to me.

The to me the Conn sounds better, seems to have more core and warmth but of course it can scream if needed. I’m sure the Adams probably feels better to play but the extra effort put into playing the Conn is well worth it. Anyway Trent always sounds great on anything he plays. So in the end it’s a matter of personal taste and ability.

Conn 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽. My father had 4 at Home in the 80s . MAN THOSE Big Big Connstellstions. My cousin stole one and sold for pennies , my fatter hated him for the rest of life .

Always fascinated how listeners like and hear different things. Which is great! For me, the Conn sounds much better, but they have a similar sound profile.

I enjoy your convivial, generous, competent video's. You really bring the horns into life, describing and sharing the beautiful instruments they are. Thank you.

Like so many I have had a love/hate relationship with the Connstellation over the years. The Conn has a core and warmth to the sound that is unmatched, but then is pretty exhausting to play on a long gig !! (maybe easier with a small mouthpiece), and the intonation can be very funky. I can see why Adams made some changes, and I think the Adams would be a great modern choice for that style of horn (that is so unique). I heard Dontae on his live in Australia in an intimate duo gig and he sounded beautiful on it. Full spectrum of colors. There is something about the ease of blow and centre you get from smaller bore horns with a bigish bell that is very appealing!!!

Oh, I just now saw that you loaded this video up. Thank you so much, Sir! Supercool! 👍🙂

They both sound great!!

Thank you for this Trent. Theysound great but I like the Conn sound which just has a slightly hard edge for me.

Trent, they sounded so similar to me, at least while using my iMac speakers. Thanks for doing this comparison. One thing that I learned from it? I'm glad I kept my 1964 Connstellation 38B after all these years, especially after I had Bob Reeves perform a precision valve alignment on it - made a huge difference in slotting and clarity and fullness of sound. Thanks again, Trent! You rock, man!

I think I agree with most of the comments here that the conn has that really great, sweet, old timey kind of sound. The A6 is close, but not exactly the same. However, the A6 has more brilliance and in my opinion sounds night and day better in articulated passages. I honestly think it really depends on the player, what kind of music they regularly play, and what they’re ultimately going to use the horn for. I could see the argument for having both in a collection.

I thought the Conn was instantly discernable with having a classic "vintage" sound. The more you played, the more both sounded alike. How they felt to you I don't know, although, in this clip, you were a bit more accurate on the Conn. For what it's worth, I feel one should play the horn that feels the best behind the horn, because you're going to sound like YOU regardless. Thanks Trent, your videos are great and so is your playing!

Perfect. Wow. I really liked the sound of the Constellation. Thanks, teacher 🎼🎶✔✔👏😃

A fun comparison! To my ears the Adams has a more focused sound.

I LOVE Connstellations. I have a 1961 38B. I quite enjoyed trying the Adams A6 as well when you brought it to J Landress Brass.

I'm partial to the Connstellation as I have one with the 1st valve trigger. I like my Manchester too. I've played the Monette too.

To me it was close in sound. The Adams seemed to slot better in faster runs. Of course, it is all individual . How the horn feels and plays and sounds like internally. As far as the demonstration I choose Adams.

Hey Trent ! How have you been ! Fine I hope ! Great comparison as usual . Both horns are great ! Like comparing Freddie Hubbard to Lee Morgan with some Woody Shaw on the side ! All n All. Great Horns !

Cat Anderson gave a concert/master class at my college back in '79. He was a Conn Performing Artist at the time. In plugging the Connstellation, he remarked that for such a wide wrap (though he just said "big horn") with such a small bore (again, he said "thin pipe"), it was remarkably easy to blow. But I guess he could have blown a golf ball through that proverbial garden hose, he had so much power.

The Adams A6 seems to be brighter, fuller, and more enjoyable in sound and registers. The silver Conn seems darker. I like the sound profile of the Adams A6 MUCH MUCH BETTER!! I could listen to it all day.