Call it insecurity, but I was afraid that if I just did another “I love my Burke” post, no one would read what I wanted to say. 
Actually, I started posting hear to tell everyone how much I loved my new Sweetheart Professional, but just yesterday I received a new Burke D brass narrow bore–DBN. I thought I was set for life with the Sweetheart, but I kept hearing such good things about Burkes that I finally took the WhOA plunge. And I have to say I don’t regret it. So, for anyone who’s interested in how I think Sweethearts and Burkes stack up, or who are otherwise lacking in a real life, here are my observations.
Bottom line: these are both real quality whistles. They are similar in that they both have a rather pure sound, are quite responsive, and are very accurately tuned, but there are subtle differences.
In terms of tone, the Sweetheart has a somewhat bigger, more substantial sound–my wife says “more mellow.” In that respect you could say it has a bit of a woody sound, even though the wood laminate material is essentially a plastic. It’s also definitely louder than the Burke, throughout its range. However, the difference is not that great–the Burke is very sweet sounding and pleasing to my ear, and its volume is well balanced in both registers.
Playability: here the Burke has the edge–but, again, not a big edge at all, and not in all respects. The Burke is wonderfully responsive, quick and light, easily controlled throughout its range. The Sweetheart is equally responsive throughout most but not all of its range–you have to pay some attention to what you’re doing to work with high B and above, whereas the Burke is no sweat even at its top end. Also, shifting between registers requires a little more attention for the bigger shifts on the Sweetheart–it’s not normally a big deal, but it’s no deal at all on the Burke.
Both whistles give many good options for C natural, which I really appreciate. An interesting benefit on the Sweetheart is ease of half holing, including Eb (on a D whistle): because the holes on the Sweetheart are quite large, it’s quite practical to accurately hit Eb by retracting R3. That’s not needed too often, but I have a rather favorite tune (Finnish Wood) that requires frequent use of F natural and Eb, and it works very nicely on the Sweetheart. Also, the Sweetheart low G# xxoxxx is quite acceptable, whereas on the Burke you really don’t have much choice but to half hole.
Breath requirements: very reasonable for both, but the Burke is more consistent and more moderate. The Sweetheart definitely needs more at the top end, but except in special circumstances its not an issue–certainly not compared with something like a Susato.
My conclusion: I like them both extremely well, and which one I use at any given time will probably depend on the effect I’m looking for on a particular tune.
