the yani or yamaha. NOT THE EXCALIBUR!!!

No vote here, but I will say that I think there's no substitute for actually playing any horn you're considering. For that kind of money it's a little crazy to go by brand alone...

Strangely enough, I was left in the position of picking between a Yas-52 or a Yanagisawa A880 about fifteen years ago. The Yamaha was good considering I had never played anything but a Bundy or Bundy II for six years. I then blew one note on the A880 and nearly dropped it in shock, this just after opening the case in awe to it's gleaming, sculpted form with it's salmon lacquered buttons and gleaming golden finish. I don't know what horn you'll like, but I know which one I would take. Keep in mind, however, that mechanical state is very important when purchasing a new instrument. The origin is only a crutch in trying to guess it's mechanical fitness, and recent improvements in Asian manufacturers have made this metric less usefull than just a few years ago. The brand, along with condition, determine what you could resell it for, and what you should for it. I could be choosing between a student Yamaha and a 5-digit mark VI and like the Yamaha much better, but there's no way I'd pay multi-thousands of dollars for it as you would for even a mediocre vintage Selmer.