Horn Reviews: The Yamaha YHR872

boydsbrass
6 days ago
2 min read

The YHR872ND (left) next to an essentially new YHR871. Regretfully I did not take any more photos of the YHR872ND.

On January 1, 2026 I published a review video of Yamaha's new YHR872ND. While I think the video is certainly worth a watch, I also want to record my thoughts in writing. My goal is to be as brief and concise as I can in these review articles.

Overview

My overall impression of this horn is positive. The horn plays well in all registers, has a beautiful sound, and seems to be well made. It has a brighter sound than the 8D did, but it is not the sound of a yellow brass geyer horn. It is certainly a large-throat nickel silver horn, but delivers a bit more punch than the 8D I played.

I reviewed this horn playing a Houser SF 14-0-2 mouthpiece with an 18mm Houghton rim (my standard setup). I also played the horn with the stock Yamaha mouthpiece (the 32D4) but I highly preferred my mouthpiece to this one.

The Pros

No bad notes, solid response, and strong low register with excellent intonation in all registers.
Notes slot easily - it feels very exact - like most Yamahas I've seen and played.
Coming from an Engelbert Schmid, it's not quite as responsive as that (few horns are), but it's still very capable in this area.

The Cons

I prefer smoother, less slotty response; slurs feel a bit less fluid than I'd like (purely player preference).
The valves are exceptionally tight. You can hear a slight click when using them, which I don't love. This is possibly from being brand new, and the valves will certainly 'break in' with use.
Major drawback: Yamaha's proprietary screw bell ring limits compatibility to Yamaha-specific bells (or custom-cut ones). Testing aftermarket bells isn't an option, which is a shame given how much a new bell can transform a horn's sound."

The Case

I do love Yamaha's high-end cases. Albeit a bit heavy, the screw bell case that came with this horn is beautiful and classy. I sadly did not take a photo of it, but you can see it in my YouTube review.

Final thoughts

This is a great Kruspe-style horn with outstanding build quality and playability. The only significant downside for me is the slotty feel (again, personal preference). There is certainly much to love about this horn; it is certainly worth trying if you're in the market for a modern large-throat nickel-silver double horn.

Thanks to Karen in the Phoenix area for loaning this nearly new YHR-872ND (and her NexGen Conn 8D) for review.