I've had a play of the Selmer Soloist D (modern) and the AL5 on my Yany AWO10:
AL5 - Lovely subdued, warm & mellow tone. Minimum resistance and good across the range of the horn. For me it was too subdued; perfect for blending, but this piece isn't going to stand out in a crowd. I also had to push it to the very end of the cork to get it in tune which wasn't ideal. Not for me, though I can see it being a perfect fit for many. It's gone back.
Selmer Soloist - Loved the tone, dark and warm with the focus I was looking for and certainly living up to it's name. This piece can take centre stage if you want it to. It looked and felt well-made, and I tried a variety of reeds but struggled to get a good tone at the very low end (low C, B, Bb). This was the deal breaker, I had to work too hard for the low notes. It was also very tight on my cork. Not an issue if it was my main piece but my Meyer wasn't happy when I switched MPs.
I've sent both back but I'm still tempted by the D. I think I'll try several more D's and maybe hit on 'The One'.
Would a refacer be able to help the lower notes speak better by increasing the facing length and widening the shank a tiny amount (if that's doable)? I don't want to go much larger in tip opening, certainly not an E.
Alex