en http://en.audiofanzine.com An online magazine for musicians (keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, DJ...) and sound engineers (home studio, DAWs, Live Sound). News, videos, MP3, tests, tutorials, tips, user reviews, classified ads and forums. 2000-2008 AudioFanzine http://en.audiofanzine.com/xtras/news_sur_site.php Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:34:05 +0200 http://en.audiofanzine.com/img/logo_rss_audiofanzine.png http://en.audiofanzine.com An online magazine for musicians (keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, DJ...) and sound engineers (home studio, DAWs, Live Sound). News, videos, MP3, tests, tutorials, tips, user reviews, classified ads and forums. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:26:04 +0200 http://hihat.zildjian.en.audiofanzine.com/products/user_reviews/index,idproduit,66372,review_zildjian_a_new_beat_hihats_14.html On a starting note I have to say that the Zildjian A Series New Beat hihats are some of the most popular hihat cymbals in the drumming world. I owned a set when I first started and got rid of them about a year later. These cymbals can span across almost any genre of music, and they are durable enough to withstand a heavy beating. The closed sound is one of the best I have heard, even in the K Series. The open sound is a little bit higher pitch and a little too tinny for my personal preference, but I am also very picky with my cymbals. The main thing is with these New Beats is that it all depends on how you play them, like with any hihat. In the medium open position, these hats have an awesome wash while being loud enough to cut through guitars. Using these as a ride, you get a nice, crystal clear tone out of the cymbals, and due to the heavy bottom and medium top, there is a nice chick to be had. I have played on many kinds of hats, including the cheap ones like Camber, Hohner and the Zildjian ZBT’s, but I have also used top of the line hats like the Sabian AA Rock Hats and K Custom Mastersounds; and these hats a second only to my current hats, the 15” A Custom Mastersounds. Overall these are very nice hihats for any style of drumming and hold up to the Avedis Zildjian name. My only complaints are they were a little too high pitch for the music I play and they were a bit clunky at times, but that’s what to expect from heavier hats. If you want a faster set of hats than these, I would go for the A Custom Master Sounds or the A Series Quick Beats or Mastersounds. In my opinion, to fix the pitch of these cymbals I would buy the 15” version as I have played a set with those and they are very nice as well. In the end, I would probably buy the 15” version of these if I had the choice, but these are still some great sounding cymbals. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:05:40 +0200 http://hihat.zildjian.en.audiofanzine.com/products/user_reviews/index,idproduit,69612,review_zildjian_a_quickbeat_14.html I am currently using the Zildjian A series Quick-beat Hi-Hats and I love them. I got them on sale from another website, but if I had to make the decision to get them again at full price, it would be no question. These cymbals have mostly good characteristics and not too many downsides to them, but I’ll give it a try. I first bought these hi-hats for the soul purpose of that I was upgrading. I saw them on sale on another website, so I decided to pick them up. The day they got here, I went and tossed them on my stand. The very first thing that I noticed about them was the look. I was able to get them in traditional finish or brilliant. I ended up choosing the brilliant and being very satisfied with the way they look. So once I started playing them, I noticed that I was getting a very “crisp” sound out of them, which was the sound I was looking for. They’re very quick, crisp and fast. But if you’re looking for a more “washy” sound, I would keep looking. These hi hats have a great foot sound to them too. Not too overpowering so that you’re going to hear them too much from the outside, but just enough so that you’ll hear your foot bouncing. There are very few downsides to these, but one would definitely be the closed sound. When you’re playing these hats closed they don’t really produce the best closed sound. I was looking for a little bit more attack and definition out of them, but even when they’re closed, the sound somehow comes across as a little “soft”. It’s probably because of the fact that they’ve got the venting holes in the bottom, so the sound travels directly out of them. Overall, I would recommend these hi hats to anybody that want to upgrade. There are high-end cymbals and you’ll be nothing but pleased. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:34:27 +0200 http://hihat.zildjian.en.audiofanzine.com/products/user_reviews/index,idproduit,77697,review_zildjian_a_new_beat_13.html I purchased a pair of 13” Zildjian A series New Beat Hi-Hats in the March of 2008. I was looking for a good “back-up” pair of hi-hats since I had two kits and it made sense to have two pairs so I could have both kits playable at the same time. Since I knew that I was getting a pair for my jazz kit, I decided 13” hats would be more suitable than the 14”. The first thing that struck me about these cymbals was how great the “chick” was. Even when I was playing softly I still got a great “chick” sound on every 2nd and 4th beat. The next thing I noticed was how great of a stick sound they got. The rebound of the hats gave me the ability to play very fast, and the clarity of the notes produced was incredible. Fortunate for me, the hats I got were a floor model and they were marked down an extra $50 bucks, but I think if they were brand new I still would have made the same purchase. I got a lot more than a “back-up” pair. After using these just for jazz, I tried them out on my rock kit and brought them to a few gigs. I wasn’t planning for them to work so well, I figured that since they were only 13” that I wasn’t going to be able to get all the power I needed out of them but boy was I wrong. These hats ended up replacing my other pair which were 14” and about twice the price. Another great thing about these hi-hats and the Zildjian A series in general is the non-gloss finish; they don’t have the brilliant finish like a lot of the custom cymbals. The finish makes me feel like I need to play harder to get the sound out and it feels like a protective coating (and they get that glare in your face). Overall one of the smartest purchases I have made all year for my drums. I would definitely give them two thumbs up! Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:28:42 +0200 http://hihat.zildjian.en.audiofanzine.com/products/user_reviews/index,idproduit,38741,review_zildjian_k_hihat_13.html These are really nice hi hats- especially for the price. I've owned a pair of thirteen inch Zildjian K's for about four years now and really enjoy playing them. These hi hats have a very versitile sound- suitable for most all pop music situations, some jazz and some heavier situations. They have a stick attach that has a nice chick to it without being too bright that fits nicely into a lot of funk playing, although they aren't as tight sounding as some funk and R&B situations call for. The open sound of the cymbals is very middle of the road and a nice balanced sound- not too bright, not too dark. These fit very nicely into louder, less acoustic jazz situations as they have a warmth that blends well with ensembles and other cymbals. That same sound however is not quite sensitive and warm enough to fit optimumly in a completely acoustic jazz situation- they are a little heavy and leave a bit to be desired in the sensitivity area when played with the foot. These cymbals sound best when played in a moderate dynamic setting. The stick sound isn't quite bright enough to cut through very loud rock bands and the open sound is a little too dark. Like I said before, these cymbals fit into a lot of situations well, but aren't IDEAL for many situations except for louder jazz situations and some funk and R&B settings. Always listen to your cymbals before you buy them however. Even though these cymbals are mass produced they don't always sound identical, cymbal to cymbal (even the same size and line). I tried two other pairs of thirteen inch K Zildjians before settling on these. One pair, when played open to half open had a very 'gong-y' sound to them, and the other had a brighter stick sound.