Zildjian A New Beat HiHat 14"

The Zildjian A New Beat hi hats are an impressive pair of cymbals.  While they have a very chunky, heavy sound, they are surprisingly versatile.  I think I have seen these hats more than any other in professional environments, such as in recording studios or on venue kits.  This is a testament to how these are about as close to an industry standard as any other hi hats around.  They are durable and have a very good look to them regardless of wear and tear.

The New Beats feel great to play and the woodiness of the sticks really comes through.  For whatever reason, the stick rebound on these cymbals surpasses that of almost all others, especially with the 14 inch hats. The sound is well balanced, not too dark but not coated and shimmering either. When open, they are extremely loud and have a good ability to cut through music.  For this reason, they are better suited to louder music.  The closed chick sound is also very loud, good for rock and funk but not so much jazz or lighter music. Sometimes in a recording environment, I notice you can really hear the tin ringing out when the hats are closed tight and the hats are struck forcefully.  I am not a huge fan of this type of sound, but as I said earlier this is not a problem with other music present.

There may be better cymbals to listen to by themselves, but in a rocking musical context these are really amazing. The Zildjian New Beats are affordable considering their musical applications. I have never owned a pair of new beats but still have played them hundreds of times. These are some of the most versatile and widespread rock hi hats available, and are highly recommended. The Zildjian A cymbal line is great all around, but the New Beats really standout.

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.