20 Best Cymbal Pack For The Money (2023 Updated)

I had this cymbal for 15 years. I have a set with Zildian, Sabian, and Paiste. Paiste is by far the best cymbal made and this their best series. I read other reviews that say this cymbal cracks but mine has lasted for years and I am a pretty hard hitter.

Finnish has stood the test of time too! I like a bright cymbal with medium sustain and this crash fits the roll; I have an 18 in. Too many drummers hit the edges and any cymbal will eventually crack hitting it like that.

Cymbal angle is something that most drummers don’t understand. Yes, you do hit the edge for accents but not always. I use Promark 707n sticks and the sound is cutting and clean. Paiste has superior Bronze chemistry which is what you are paying for here.

I use a Sabian Dry ride for the ping vs. pong sound and I have several Zildian crashes. Old school Avidas, and ZBT. I like the different sounds on my kit but the Paste I have, have the best sound. I also use their 2002 series which is a sound very close to these but at a little better price.

Price dictates what I use and if I could I would have these signatures for all my crashes. I am a pro that plays several times a week and tried them all. My best advise to anyone though, is never buy cymbals by mail.

Great cymbals with the old school manufacturing that make these sound so good means every cymbal will sound slightly different. Zildian with their sheet cymbals and computerized lathing like the ZBTs have a more uniform sound amongst them, are cheaper, but then again.

they simply are not Paiste Signatures !!!!! You DO get what you pay for !!!.

Not too bright, not too warm. Not too pingy, not too washy. Not too quiet, not too loud. The perfect all-purpose ride that is juuuuuuust right. Musical at all volumes and all situations. It’s a bit heavier and brighter than your typical Zildjian K, but the clearly defined ping is not harsh or overly bright.

The bell is solid and cutting but won’t damage any eardrums. The wash is easily controlled and you can crash it as well (or crash ride it like Keith Moon). My band plays modern rock covers and this ride has never sounded weak or out of place.

This ride takes everything you throw at it and offers so many different sounds and textures. Well worth the price tag and should last for many years.

Out of the box, this thing is beautiful. The reflective surface makes the cymbal just shine in the light, and you can see your reflection in it. The hammering is very even on this cymbal and the indents are noticeable, but not too deep giving it a very clean shimmery sound, and a longer sustain.

This cymbal is very full bodied, and it always makes its presence known. I use this cymbal as my main cymbal on the set. It has the dynamic capability to play softly, but if you want to lay into it, it is more than capable of handling the most intense heavy metal situation.

For how heavy and sturdy this cymbal is, I am not afraid the lay into it and really beat that tone out. It has a very pronounced bell with a high pitched ding. The cymbal and bell have silvery high pitched tone with an under laying deepness to it that makes the cymbal full sounding.

This cymbal is very full and has fairly long sustain, so when you are laying into it, it is very washy, but the weight keeps it from getting out of control. It is just washy enough to completely fill the sound spectrum, but heavy enough to make the crashes pronounced and articulate.

It washes very well, but isn’t too washed out, and it is very crashy without being dead sounding. This cymbal is excellent. I would suggest this cymbal to anyone under any circumstance. This is one of the best cymbals I have played, and will ever play.

Get one right away.

Cymbal is thin -exploding with darkness, warmth and rich tonality. With dazzling, sparkle and shimmer due to its brilliant reflective surface. I would recommend for Jazz, Country or Alternative Rock.

A bit thin for Hard Rock or heavy Metal Music.

This is. maybe the best crash cymbal I’ve played in 25 some years. Not harsh at all, washy but still somewhat shimmery but enough darkness to give warmth. It’s exactly what you think it should be thinking of a K cymbal with the A-Zildjian Sweet modifier.

Very accepting of being hit, if that makes sense. Just a beautiful all around crash. The 19″ works great as a rock crash during big choruses where you want to crash-ride on it, but also opens up beautifully when struck lightly.

Just super pleasing in every way.

Been playing 56 years and never heard or played this particular hi-hat cymbal before. I’m using it over a heavy 1489g Wuhan hi-hat bottom. Poo-poo if you want but it sounds really good. The top I got is 1010g.

I just switched back to all Zildjian A series cymbals (except the hi-hat bottom) after years of others. I was playing As in 1968 and had thought of them as too old-fashioned. And I have had A Customs, Ks, K Constantinople and others.

But I have found the As to be my favorite Zildjians. And this hi-hat cymbal sounds and plays great for most any genre. For louder playing, Paiste 2002 Sound Edge is fantastic. I don’t think this New Beat can meet the high volume test nearly as well.

But that’s not what I needed any more.

The New Beat High Hat is a compromise. And sometimes, the compromise really works. The New Beat series is basically the. 30-06 of the high-hat world; it doesn’t specialize in any one particular application.

rather, it simply does everything well. The harmonics aren’t overpowering, as with A Zildjian cymbals generally, which makes them great for acoustic applications. But when you ask the New Beats to cut through loud or other music with strong harmonics, they can do that as well.

I haven’t yet found a style of music to which the New Beats don’t lend themselves. They’re good in rock (including heavy metal), techno, classical, country/western, and yes, jazz. Louie Bellson came up with a winner here with this design, and there’s a reason why Zildjian sells so darn many of these.

They really are versatile, and they just plain sound good.

Zildjian A new beat high hats, are a standard I can alway count on. The stick , the chick or open or closed. The new beat high hats for me are the gold standard. I use others, like the S Rock high hats effect ( great for vintage tunes) or throw some edge in.

However The A new beat high hats I find, excel in any situation, be it, live studio, rock jazz , funk. Hey they were there to user in the likes of Beethoven to the Beatles and on. Avedis would be proud.

I bought this set of cymbals and paired them with my REMO brand silent style drumheads. I put them on my little cafe type drum set in my small practice room at the end of the hallway. With this pairing, I can “go at it” like I’m at a full on gig with a rock band and not disturb anybody! Using 7A size sticks with nylon tips, I can just put everything I want into my playing, with no holding back.

Yet the volume is still low enough to where you can easily talk over it! Nice tonality, and great response! Probably the only “downside” is that because they ARE so quiet, you may have to put a little extra effort into making sure your hardware is solid on your set, as you will now hear all the squeaks and rattling normally drowned out by the normal volume of a regular drum set up.

They are great for quiet acoustic gigs, too! (Where were these when I was a kid with my parents always telling me, “TURN IT DOOOOWN)”!! I love the newfound freedom I have to rehearse and practice on my acoustic set! 5 stars, baby!!.

Big brother to the New Beats. Very warm and an extremely crisp “CHICK. ” Convinced they have the power to cut through most conventional club band scenarios. Response is excellent. A real joy to play.

Wanted a pair for a long time and hard to come by under $400. Description: Bottom is heavier than New Beats with fluted edge for more sizzle when open and air venting for fast action funky “shwopp. ” Top is a medium had had a solid tap for closed HH work Well wrapped and prompt shipping.

All of my cymbals are A Customs; 2 crashes, ride, splash and china. So when it came time to replace my HiHats naturally I started looking at A Customs. I went with the 13″ mastersounds as I thought it would match my set up better.

While all the cymbals sounds great, and when describing their sound, I usually say it sounds like a ” wet window breaking”, I was very disappointed with the hihat sound. There is no “chick” sound at all, just sounds like a threw my sticks on the garage floor.

When played loose it sounds clanky, like a tin can, and when played open they are even worse. No swoosh or wash, no tight chick. I can’t understand how anybody actually likes the sound of these, they do not sound like normal hihats!!! So if you’re looking for a traditional hihat sound, then these are not for you! Luckily MF let me return them in exchange for the K custom hybrid hats in 14.

1/4″, they were about a hundo more but well worth it! I’m sad I couldn’t complete my entire A custom set up but what is more important is sound! Usually I tell people that you get what you pay for but even with these A custom mastersounds HH, it’s almost a rip off! Unless you want hats that don’t sound like hats, don’t get these!.

Just a word of super Thanks, just retired my ZXT Zildjian hats and upgraded (finally) to my dream hats. The Zildjian custom A series will no doubt fulfill all of your professional studio and live performance needs.

LOVE the crisp clean and solid sound. Grew up a Beatles rocker (Forever) and remain a loyal mass and rock drummer. Nashville Tn my home and honored growing up with of my country stars children and playing music with them.

Thanks again for cymbals I Will Keep!!.

I use to think you shouldn’t purchase cymbals on-line. I took a chance with this Paiste PST7 pack and they arrived a few hours ago. I am very impressed with this set and highly recommend them. I have one Zildjian set-up that I have had for over 45 years and judge other cymbals by the tone of these Zildjians.

The Paiste ride cymbal has a great tone, dynamic spots on the face and a great sustain. Crashes are also good and I am very impressed with the hi-hat cymbals. In 54 years of drumming, I’ve never been more impressed with any cymbals as I am right now with these PST7s.

If you’re considering purchasing this pack – do it (you will not be upset with your decision).

Overall: I recently purchased a PST7 18” Crash (Medium) to fill in a hole in my rig after selling all my other cymbals thinking I was going to retire from drumming. A week later I had more gigs than I could count and had no cymbals.

I bought the PST 7 to use as my main crash. I had used PST5’s a decade ago when I started playing again so I was familiar with the PST line. I was short on cash and short on time. zZounds delivered it to me in 2 days and it was gigged with a few days later.

The crash is beautiful. It looks pro, sounds pro. Nice sustain but not over bearing. The wash is nice and the diff in tone is slight vs the 2002. These “Intermediate” line cymbals sound every bit pro as the 2002s.

Made with the same alloy as the 2002, it’s a no brainer. If you want full pro sound and you are on a budget you will never regret this purchase. I’ve gotten many compliments on the cymbal and other drummers couldn’t believe it wasn’t a 2002.

These cymbals are also durable and last. If you take care of them they will take care of you. This is one intermediate line cymbal that doesn’t make you cringe when its hit (like the B8’s do) lol they make you smile.

The 18 also sounds great with mallets to do a swell. A very versatile cymbal that I think any Paiste lover should have in their line up. No shame playing these. You ears and wallet will thank you for choosing these.

Keep rawkin and keep it in the pocket.

Zildjian cymbals never disappoint !!!! My 17 inch A custom sits nicely in the mix not too dark not too bright just shimmers. It responds with just enough stick to open up and with quick decay. Perfect for accents when needed.

I find it a great addition to the already proven Zildjian A series of cymbals. I have the Zildjian A custom 20th anniversary ride cymbal and the 17 inch is now a favorite with my Gretsch stop sign badge kit ! Zildjian cymbals are part of our drumming heritage from jazz to rock to country to hip hop and metal.

Zildjians are an American treasure. Roger.

A favorite of mine, Zildjian s A custom fast crash has the attack, tone and rapid decay that make for a clean , quick crash. I already owned a 16 so a 17 was a no brainer. Whether your performing or recording, if you like a tight clean sound.

get a fast crash. Next up for me is an 18.

Pro cymbals are like women – they’re all goddesses in one way or another but some are truly classic beauties. Such is the way of the Paiste 2002. If there is a better, mid-priced, all-round cymbal for playing pop music I have yet to come across it.

I love cymbals. My fusion kit has a conglomeration of 10 plus hi hats; Sabian HHX, Soultone and Paiste. (I know it sounds excessive but if you were surrounded by 10 angels and someone suggested you had too many, which ones would you cast out? I think I’ve made my point.

) Specific to Paiste, I own a 12″ Signature splash, (awesome!) and a 2002 ride at 20″ which clearly has been longing for a larger crash companion. After horse trading and scrounging I had GC send me a gorgeous new 19 incher.

Nice! Really nice! From a great, full, musical crash to a delicate ping accent this baby is the perfect complement to the ride. Together they provide the foundation for my bronze family. OK – I admit the 2002’s certainly don’t sit atop the cymbal hierarchy but, everything considered, it’s awful hard to beat them.

I’m kind of reminded of the old Pennsylvania Dutch saw: “Good looks fade. Good cookin’ don’t. “.

The best I’ve owned in 35 years. I’ve owned several sets/brands over the 35 years I’ve ben playing. Have never gone cheap with any of my cymbals, so not comparing these to past junk. In fact, I’ve owned Zildjian As, Ks, A Customs, Paiste 2002, 602, and others.

When I was looking at a new set, I considered Meinl, Byzance series, Paiste Signatures, Istanbul Agop, Mehmet and Xist, Sabian HH, HHX, Zildjian K Dark, Constantinople and Kerope. I know, all over the board right? I was looking for something thin I could play in quiet settings, yet would perform well in outdoor gigs.

Something dark and shimmery, yet a touch of glassiness. I basically wanted to see if I could find one set to all I needed to without having to fork out for multiple sets. This whole HHX Evolution line does just that.

The cymbals don’t disappoint regardless of what I’m playing. I’d have to caution heavy hitters though. These things are thin, so they just won’t take a bashing like their thicker brethren. In fact, they are so thin, they open up like and sound great when played by hand.

Weckl and Sabian really delivered with this line. Glad to see the line expanding into larger sizes too.

I can’t rave enough about these Cymbals. This is a review of the crash, so I’ll keep to that. The 16 is the thinnest of the three GC options. The tone as short and very clean. The 17 and 18 are a bit heavier with the 17 having a bit of grind and the 18 a bit more toward a vintage sound.

When Dave Weckl helped design these, he wanted each cymbal to be distinctly different, yet complementary. He and Sabian nailed it. I’m amazed at how some vision, a piece of bronze and a hammer in skilled hands can accomplish this, but I couldn’t be happier with my descision.

This line is surprisingly consistent, while not being sterile. Well designed and executed.

Have both the 16, 17 and 18 inch crashes and love everything about them. If I had to just pick one thing, I would have to say versitility. They are dark and still bright enough to cut through the mix when needed, yet very musical.

They just don’t draw the listener out of their seat like some others I’ve played and heard. I’ve listened to them recorded as well and there’s just a nice wash. If you want to rip people out of their seat every time you hit a cymbal, then I would definitely suggest a heavier, brighter line.

If you want something controllable, then these are surprisingly so. I can even put the ride next to my congas and crash it! The crashes are also a dream with hand drums. Love them.

The 15″ AAX Medium Hats are crispy, loud and very musical. They have a very complex mid range, with not too many lows, and a top end that stands out. I also have the 15″ Freq Hats and the 15″ AA Rock Hats.

In comparison, they sit nicely between the two. The Freqs having a bit more low end and overall ability to blend well with cymbals ranging from AA to HHX complex (and everywhere in between), the 15″ AA Rock Hats just being brutal and very rock and roll (perfect for larger outdoor gigs.

in the post-pandemic world). These are perfect tweener 15″ hats. You should get a pair.

The AAX line is one of Sabian’s upper-middle of the road product classes, but if you didn’t know that before you heard them, you’d think these were the best cymbals Sabian made. They seem to be as far as I can tell.

In fact, I plan on replacing my Sabian 18″ medium crash with an AAX studio crash, and I might even replace my Paiste splash with an AAX as well, though I’m up in the air about that. My Paiste 3000 ride (affectionately named “Big Bertha”) is irreplaceable, as is my 15″ Sabian AA sound control crash, but Sabian’s AAX line really impressed me.

I’ll definitely be looking into these for the future! When I’m looking to buy hi-hats, the sound is the most important quality I consider, above all else. For instance, my last pair of hats were Sabian B8 Pros (medium, 14″), not becaue they’re cheap, but because they had the right sound for the band I was in at the time.

That’s what you really need to consider here. Not price, or brand loyalty, or appearance, but how they’ll sound on your kit, in your current project(s). And for me, the Studio AAX hats (14″) topped the list.

To be fair, I do tend to be loyal to Sabian and Paiste, mostly because they’ve never let me down yet, but still, sound matters more than anything else, in my book. When I bought my newest hats, I considered others in the same class as these; the Sabian AAX stage hats, the Meinl MB8’s, the Paiste 2002’s, and the Zildjian K series, even though Zildjian has never once produced a cymbal that really “grabbed” me.

It ended up boiling down to the AAX Stage, AAX Studio, or 2002 hats. And for me, and my style of music/ playing, the studios ended up taking the cake. I strongly recommend visiting Sabian’s website, and the websites of other manufacturers too.

Listen to the online samples of these and other hats, and if you can, get into a store to hear them in person before you buy them. But these are great cymbals that gave me exactly the sound I was personally looking for.

They work great for recording, playing live, and jamming in the rehearsal space with the band. These hats seem far more durable than my old B8 pros, and that’s quite an endorsement: my B8 Pros lasted me from 1997 to 2011 with only the logo wearing out as a sign of their age, and survived countless live shows, recording sessions, and rehearsals/ jams.

It’s still too early to know positively if the AAX studio hats will outlive the B8 Pros, but at face value, they seem sturdy and durable enough to pull off that accomplishment. The chick is bright and defined, but subtle in the mix.

You could go full-blown Bonham on these hats without breaking out above most cymbal wash, but otherwise, they definitely make their presence known. In metal, punk, and other loud genres, you might want to pop a 57 on your hats just to be safe while recording, though for most other genres, that wouldn’t be necessary.

The wash is very full, bright, and as clean as hi-hat wash can be. They won’t ring out forever with an inch of open space, and they go quiet pretty quickly when your hats are further open than that, too.

The wash lasts longer on the 2002’s, but it’s rare that I play with my hats open, so again, these work great for me and my style of play. One of the more remarkable features of these hats comes from the bell.

I was genuinely blown away by how loud the bell blasts through the mix compared to other cymbal use. If you do fast open-closed shots on your bell (I’ve never had a drum lesson/ I’m completely self-taught, so please forgive my not knowing the technical term for that), these hats will absolutely floor you.

I could never really do that on the B8 Pros, or on the HHX’s I used in recording for a few sessions. These hats have the best sounding bell I’ve ever heard, hands-down. I’ve played on numerous hats that were far more expensive than the AAX’s, and didn’t impress me remotely as much as these have.

Sabian’s HHX line, for instance, is similar to Zildjians in that I’ve never heard anything out of them that really wowed me.

This is an absolute workhorse of a cymbal. For me, it fits every category. This is the one I bring when I don’t know what I’m going to need to play. Great crash on it, good wash for riding, bell is pronounced.

My only regret is selling that one I had one time, but I bought another one to replace it haha! This thing does rock extremely well, it does jazz extremely well, it even does metal pretty well. If you can only have one ride cymbal, this should be it!.

I was really torn between these and the K-Custom pack. I listened to them both in the Nottingham store and although I found them ~slightly cheaper at one other place I wanted to purchase from PMT as they had given me so much help in-store.

Top guys at Nottingham! The K’s have a more complex sound which I love too, but the crispness of the A-Custom hi-hats and the more cutting bell of the A-custom Ride won through – I see them as a foundation that I can build on with darker K-Custom crash/china/splash at a later date.

The finish of the cymbals is incredibly good. It’d be nice if Zildjian didn’t put stickers on the underside of the bell but these came off cleanly with some effort. Extra points though that each cymbal comes in a plastic sleeve with a handle.

Might be useful in a cymbal bag. Sound-wise, the hi hats are perfect for me as they range from crisp to brash. The ride has more of a ping than I was led to believe from reviews which is great. The 18 crash sounds the most beautiful from the set, and I’m also pleasantly surprised by the 16 crash as it is quite dark I think.

The delivery was next day and was really well protected. Really happy with my purchase and with PMT. Thanks guys!!!!! 🙂.

Every cymbal in this pack sounds AWESOME! Both crashes have their own distinctive sound with great bells for accents, both crashes are great for cymbal rolls and I even end up riding on the 18″ crash quite a bit!! The 21″ sweet ride is definitely sweet! Great bell, excellent stick definition and full but not too much wash sound when you need it.

The hats really make this cymbal set. Terrific foot chick sound, full bodied sound when played open and highly responsive burping. I can’t say enough about how good these cymbals are for all music genres.

These cymbals definitely rate right up there with my Zildjian K’s and Sabian AAX’s. I love these Zildjian A’s!.