Yesterday i picked up some eagerly awaited new cymbals, Paiste Dark Energy Hi-hats to be specific.
Here's my intial review and first impressions on these incredible cymbals.
Since 1906 Paiste has been producing some of the finest cymbals on the planet and have been renowned worldwide for making high quality 'Bright' sounding cymbals,with their 'Signature' series being at the top of the Paiste tree, but with demand from players worldwide and music ever-changing, many players now require a darker, more subtle cymbal sound to suit their musical taste and requirement. The 'Dark Energy' line was introduced in 2004 and was Paiste's first real attempt of 'dark' sounding cymbals .
Hands on:
Upon first sight, before even touching them with a stick, this reviewer had to take a moment to admire these truly stunning cymbals, they really are a true work of art, These cymbals are cast from what Paiste call 'Proprietary Signature Bronze', then handcrafted by master Swiss craftsmen. The top cymbal of this pair has a dark brown, almost earthy appearance with light hammer marks and the bell is almost raw. The bottom cymbal has more of a traditional Paiste look with a high shine and deep lathing grooves with a light brown texture to them, very different to its top half.
Things get very interesting however, when we turn the cymbals over to examine further, the underside of the bottom cymbal is completely unlathed with only the very edge of the cymbal getting a little treatment, with top cymbal underside being half lathed on the outer edge and the centre of the cymbal being completely unlathed, again with the bell left almost raw.
Sticks on
So these cymbals certainly look the part, but how do they sound? In a nutshell, incredible!! They have a beautifully sophisticated dark, buttery tone like many a fine jazz hat, but when played half open a stunning bark with a subtle hint of trashiness , no doubt due to the hammering and medium-thin weight of the top cymbal. When closed they deliver a very nice low, dirty sounding tick.
When played with the foot you'll get a swampy 'schwump' rather than a chick which is very tasty, i imagine this to sound even better on their bigger 15'' brother.
When playing these hats with the drum kit i found them to blend in with the set very nicely and did not overpower any other element, if anything , they may have been a little too quiet at times, in the studio, engineers will almost certainly love this cymbal for that very reason, it will not interfere with other instruments. Live, however you may want to consider close miking these hats- to capture the stunning sound quality they deliver.
Verdict
Overall these hats are a visually and sonically stunning pair that will work for almost any style of music, with the exception of very heavy rock/metal. If you are a hard hitter would i recommend them to you? No, of course not, their medium thin top cymbal will not appreciate a 2B in the hand of a gorilla thrashing them through an intense metal gig. These cymbals will cost you around £450 in the UK (which is a lot) but if you are willing to purchase from overseas you may get a better deal. Even with the high price, i do personally feel it is justified as the sheer amount of craftsmanship that goes into this cymbal is obvious and these are certainly one of the best pairs of Hi-hats available today.
Thanks Guys -Until next time -AlexDdrummer
