All user reviews for the Zildjian K HiHat Pair 14"

I purchased these hihats back in 2008. I picked up the 14" K Hi-hat pair and immediately fell in love with them. Their sound is perfect for so many different styles of music from pop/rock to blues/jazz to funk or anything. What I like about them is that the decay is smooth and not over-powering. Some other hi-hat cymbals can 'wash' or sustain for too long and muddy up a tight drum performance. These cymbals are clear. They sound dark and crisp, but not dull. They are a little bit pricey compared to other zildjian cymbals, but I have never regretted the purchase. The Zildjian A and A Custom hi-hats are much brighter than the K series. I use A Custom crash cymbals, but found that having the K hi-hats contrasts the sound of the A Custom crashes in order to hear a clear distinction between the different cymbal types.
I have seen many people use a K series top to the hi-hat and a Z series bottom hi-hat. Initially when I was looking at cymbals I thought I was going to pair the K/Z cymbals in this manner. However, I found that this combination was suitable for 'rock' styles of music, but was too harsh for anything else. Therefore, I decided to get both the top and bottom in the K series. I was really glad that I did this because they sound amazing for all styles of music.
I have used these cymbals for recording and also for live performance. They are great in both situations. They sound very detailed on a recording. The all important "chick" sound cuts through a mix. The closed sound of the hi-hats is tight and focused, while the open or semi-open sound has a musical ring.
These cymbals are high quality and can with-stand years of playing. In fact, I think they sound better now after years of sessions and gigs than they did when I purchased them. The most important thing is to take good care of them, and they will return the favor to you.