love this idea. Wish shops would do this more with other cymbals, drums, etc.. great concept. For the record I picked before knowing 1, 3, and 2.. All were nice and the Stagg is making me rethink things, for the money they are more than acceptable.
lol... I nailed it... Sabian hats have such a distinct sound and Stagg's hats are usually a bit lower in pitch compared to North American manufacture's hats. The Zildjian hats are kind of in the middle tone wise. I like the Stagg hats in this demo.
sabian sounds good but the A custom zildjian sounds good and has greater projection. i m glad because i own the A Custom hi hats. sabian does make great cymbals like the HHX series.
Me too! Even blind my taste didn't change. For jazz an intricate articulation sabian's my pic, than for rock metal and just laying into them, A custom best. Hated the stagg.
Apparently I'm on the opposite side of the boat here... but I prefer the Staggs in this video by quite a bit. #1: I've owned A Custom Mastersounds before and just sold a pair of K Mastersounds - they're way too bright and sound heavy when struck open. Gongy response. Do not like. #3: Less piercing in the upper-register, more smooth than the A Customs. Still too chimey for me, though. The only cymbals in the AAX series I've ever liked are the Freq and Omnis. #2: By far the sloshiest of the bunch. These have more body and while they don't have the stick definition of the other two, they are the smoothest when open. These sound the lightest and play like older Ks or other Turkish brands. These are, by far, the darkest of the 3 cymbals and they have a more buttery response. For me, I'd prefer them in this order: 3, 2, 1 - but to each their own ;)
+licensedinkaos same. i liked the stagg the most. they sounded quite thin and washy, which is what i normally go for. i think the zildjians were too thick for me.
I thought they all sounded good. My preference from this video was 2 3 1 3 because they'd sound good if being recorded - easy to control - but not very silky. 2 because they'd be easy to get a good sound from live - very controlled frequency range - fluid sound. Before knowing what they were - I assumed "1" - with all the extra overtones - were the Staggs Even so - none of them sounded like cheap Hi-Hats
I knew for sure that #1 was the Zildjians - the other 2 were not 100% clear. In anyways, I like the Zildjians the most out of the 3 presented here... ;-)
I had to pick the first one, even though I didn't like the sound of it the first time around. I didn't like the sound of any of them with the camera mic used (I presume)... and I would have really liked to hear a bit more closed hat grooving as well since that is an important part of the hi-hat for me. But when all is said and done, I picked the same brand that Ringo used, and the most expensive one... so this video still ends up being very useful in helping me to favour that brand. Thanks!
The Stagg's were not bad for the price, But hey I must be truthful, I play 15" Soultone's.... Thanks for posting just the same to learn what's out there .
I thought the 1st and 3rd pair sounded best. Of I had to choose between those 2, I'd choose #1(Zildjian). The middle pair didn't sound awful, they were ok, but often you get what you pay for. If you threw a pair of Zildian K's in there, they would probably sound even better than these, which means the gap between the cheap vs more expensive cymbals would be even wider......
Recognized all of them. I love the A-custom sound (roots in violin, I love the orchestral sound), so I recognized it immediately. Not a fan of Sabian, so I figured that the darker (but thinner) sound of the third was a Sabian. Never heard Staggs before, but I figured that out by process of elimination.
DS DrummerBoi is an acquired taste u have to hear stagg cymbals all the time to appreciate them. Being that I mostly use paiste and zildjian I liked the zildjians the best (this why I use them)
Yep the Zildjians were obvious. But that's why I would choose the others. I like Zildjians but most of their hats have that distict WOOOOO open sound, which I don't care for.
Im proud to say I was able to identify all of these blindly without cheating. Zildjian sound the best, sabian have an extra untamed shimmer. Stagg just sound cheap and firm.
It's funny that I knew what they were without seeing them, haha. I just assumed the Staggs would be the darkest sounding, and the AAX would be the brightest, and zildjian would be in between. Kinda a rule of thumb for all of these brands cymbals. kinda.
I picked aax on first listen. Didn't find a huge difference in sound between all 3 but honestly thought the second sounded a bit cheap, I mean less character of tones, still a bargain for the money! I play a mixed set of brands. I have vintage ufip hats, a páiste 2002 18 crash, páiste alpha heavy ride , 8 sabian splash aax ,10 Stagg Furia splash! All good.
Wow I guessed right. I've always thought Sabians being bright (though not as bright as Paiste) and Zildjian being bright yet with that magical warmth. Stagg..... I don't know.
back in the 1970s i own the formula 602 hi hats and 18 inch ride crash. but buying paiste today is way out of of range for my pocketbook. great cymbal but too expensive for me.
I chose the Sabians, Stagg, then Zildjian....Sabians were a bit brighter, Stagg was just a hair darker, Zildjian was a bit more hollow sounding than I like.
My ears enjoyed them as follow: #1, #3, #2 I thought #1 were the Sabian’s and #3 were the Zildjian’s, it was pretty clear to my ears that #2 were the Stagg’s (didn’t have the same projection and balanced as the other 2). Like it that my ears preferred the Zildjian sound, my wallet not so much 🤣
Blind i chose the A customs overall, but prefer the Sabians when open, Zildjian when closed. The stagg sound terrible open, slightly better than Sabian when closed. I play Sabian but not AAX.
I love mystery hi Hat #1! I have the Zildjian K series cymbals which even sound better in my opinion. The K ride 20 inch ride cymbal cost $349 by itself! Cheaper to get the whole set.
As an owner of the same model of Sabian hi-hats, I can honestly say they sound much better in person :)
I agree and confirm. This recording is totally unreliable. i heard this hats live a few months ago and THAT made me buy a pair. totally different.
I also had the Sabian hats, but I disagree, I feel they were a bit bodiless in person and really heavy for my liking, but hey, its all preference!
Yes
Same here, and yes they do.
zildjian was my favourite
sabian was my second
and stage was my least favourite
That was my line up too. And the Staggs were way in last place for me.
I used to be a ziljian guy but now all I have are sabian aax cymbals and I love them
Me too! One of my rides is a SBR 22 monarch, the other ride is an AAX 21 raw dry bell. AAX 19 and 17 xplosion and an AAX 10 aero splash.
Amazing what these blind tests do! I’ve been lifelong Sabian - but my ears preferred the Stagg DH!
Zildjian, as per, does nothing for my ear.
I thought the Zildjian sounded way too "vanilla" for my taste. Stagg was dark. Sabian had the best characteristics of both.
love this idea. Wish shops would do this more with other cymbals, drums, etc.. great concept. For the record I picked before knowing 1, 3, and 2.. All were nice and the Stagg is making me rethink things, for the money they are more than acceptable.
lol... I nailed it... Sabian hats have such a distinct sound and Stagg's hats are usually a bit lower in pitch compared to North American manufacture's hats. The Zildjian hats are kind of in the middle tone wise.
I like the Stagg hats in this demo.
***** I agree, Zildjians seem too brash and abrasive to me. Not a fan of A customs really :/
i like staggs too
Zildjian A Custom 14" Mastersound Hats
Juan Carlos Hernandez Osses I’m picking up a set tomorrow, they sound amazing 🤘
i own them and are happy with them.
The stagg hats cost only a third of the ACustom price so are better value for the money.
I think #1 is the best, then #3, and the last #2...but I think good sound for all there..
hahah i got em all but the zildjian defintely has the best tone imo
sabian sounds good but the A custom zildjian sounds good and has greater projection. i m glad because i own the A Custom hi hats. sabian does make great cymbals like the HHX series.
i like the idea of these blind taste tests
Love the Zildjian a custom mastersound hi hats! Getting myself a pair soon
Dude, the best! Just used them on an album Im recording, came out so good, mic'd with an SM7B.
Wow I just hated the staggs
those were my favorite ?:
Me too! Even blind my taste didn't change. For jazz an intricate articulation sabian's my pic, than for rock metal and just laying into them, A custom best. Hated the stagg.
i agree. i skipped over that part once i heard it
Thanks for this, I've been losing sleep over the AAX or A customs. Now I know what my ears like.
I'd definitely choose the Zildjian first and the Sabians are nice for a change of sound
Got the order right and the Zildjian was my favorite.
Apparently I'm on the opposite side of the boat here... but I prefer the Staggs in this video by quite a bit.
#1: I've owned A Custom Mastersounds before and just sold a pair of K Mastersounds - they're way too bright and sound heavy when struck open. Gongy response. Do not like.
#3: Less piercing in the upper-register, more smooth than the A Customs. Still too chimey for me, though. The only cymbals in the AAX series I've ever liked are the Freq and Omnis.
#2: By far the sloshiest of the bunch. These have more body and while they don't have the stick definition of the other two, they are the smoothest when open. These sound the lightest and play like older Ks or other Turkish brands. These are, by far, the darkest of the 3 cymbals and they have a more buttery response.
For me, I'd prefer them in this order: 3, 2, 1 - but to each their own ;)
+licensedinkaos same. i liked the stagg the most. they sounded quite thin and washy, which is what i normally go for. i think the zildjians were too thick for me.
Staggs all the way, can't beat B20 bronze
Agean Master Rock Medium and Stagg Furia hats are the best I've ever listened...
At last! someone who has good ears and not a hipster :)
I guessed each one exactly. The tone of the sound of Sabian and Zildjian I recognize everywhere. My winner is Sabian
I thought they all sounded good. My preference from this video was 2 3 1
3 because they'd sound good if being recorded - easy to control - but not very silky.
2 because they'd be easy to get a good sound from live - very controlled frequency range - fluid sound.
Before knowing what they were - I assumed "1" - with all the extra overtones - were the Staggs
Even so - none of them sounded like cheap Hi-Hats
I knew for sure that #1 was the Zildjians - the other 2 were not 100% clear. In anyways, I like the Zildjians the most out of the 3 presented here... ;-)
I had to pick the first one, even though I didn't like the sound of it the first time around. I didn't like the sound of any of them with the camera mic used (I presume)... and I would have really liked to hear a bit more closed hat grooving as well since that is an important part of the hi-hat for me. But when all is said and done, I picked the same brand that Ringo used, and the most expensive one... so this video still ends up being very useful in helping me to favour that brand. Thanks!
I recognize them all and I like zildjian best
same
This. Which slightly ruins the purpose of the test, they shouldn't have mentioned them at all at the beginning! But yeah, the Z' wins.
The Stagg's were not bad for the price, But hey I must be truthful, I play 15" Soultone's.... Thanks for posting just the same to learn what's out there .
I thought the Sabian sounded the worst. But none of those touch the Paiste 2002 15" S.E. Hi-Hats.....Best hats I've ever played.
Not an apples to apples comparison.
The Stagg DH is a Sabian HH ,Zildjian K equivalent.
Darker by design.
I thought the 1st and 3rd pair sounded best. Of I had to choose between those 2, I'd choose #1(Zildjian). The middle pair didn't sound awful, they were ok, but often you get what you pay for. If you threw a pair of Zildian K's in there, they would probably sound even better than these, which means the gap between the cheap vs more expensive cymbals would be even wider......
Recognized all of them. I love the A-custom sound (roots in violin, I love the orchestral sound), so I recognized it immediately. Not a fan of Sabian, so I figured that the darker (but thinner) sound of the third was a Sabian. Never heard Staggs before, but I figured that out by process of elimination.
I like the sound of the Zildjian Master Beats hi-hats, but I love my Paiste Signature Sound Edge 14' hi-hats more
Love these blind test can you do more
deffo shocked me a bit. Number 3 was my choice. Deffo recognize that AAX sound. The staggs sounded better than the Zildjians though. Weird.
Are you crazy? The staggs were distinctively weak
DS DrummerBoi is an acquired taste u have to hear stagg cymbals all the time to appreciate them. Being that I mostly use paiste and zildjian I liked the zildjians the best (this why I use them)
1, 3, 2
Zildjian wins again
I screwed all of them up surprisingly...I could've swore the last ones sounded like Zildjian A customs, but I guess not.
same
+harry f. Me too. Thought the Sabians were first, Zildjians second and Stagg last.Digging the Staggs tho!
Hah, I actually thought to myself "#2 seems to have more bite". I thought the Sabians sounded the worst, and I own the same pair!
this was awesome, and i guessed right! really enjoyed the zildjian
Definitely the Zildjian's.
I got them right in order, and zildjian always then sabian
I knew the first one to be the Zildjians by miles !!! The others are weak and can't come even CLOSE to the Z's !
uhmm... those are clearly A Customs and Zildjians are trash lol
djent is totally a genre I believe he means Zs, as in Zildjians. Not Z Customs. But I agree, I would take the Sabians over the Zildjians in this clip.
Your comment is so biased I gagged.
Yep the Zildjians were obvious. But that's why I would choose the others. I like Zildjians but most of their hats have that distict WOOOOO open sound, which I don't care for.
Im proud to say I was able to identify all of these blindly without cheating. Zildjian sound the best, sabian have an extra untamed shimmer. Stagg just sound cheap and firm.
My first thoughts were 3,1,2 and I stood by it at the end haha
same as, value for money stagg wins, you can buy 3 hihat pairs for the price of 1 sabian or zildjian.
wow. zildjians were the best. wasn't expecting that. I'm a fan of those Sabians.
It's funny that I knew what they were without seeing them, haha. I just assumed the Staggs would be the darkest sounding, and the AAX would be the brightest, and zildjian would be in between. Kinda a rule of thumb for all of these brands cymbals. kinda.
I switched up #2 and #3, but I recognized the Zildjian sound, as I'm sort-of accustom to the sound.
You could say that you're "A-Customed" to Zildjian. Hehehehehe
I'mTheDrummer
Booooooo, hisssss booo.... (me hucking peanuts, etc...)
I picked aax on first listen.
Didn't find a huge difference in sound between all 3 but honestly thought the second sounded a bit cheap, I mean less character of tones, still a bargain for the money!
I play a mixed set of brands. I have vintage ufip hats, a páiste 2002 18 crash, páiste alpha heavy ride , 8 sabian splash aax ,10 Stagg Furia splash! All good.
Not even close... Zildjian!
I would say the zildjian's first, then stagg and then the sabian. But I heard the sabian sounds better in person.
you should have tried all 9 possible mixed combinations like a Zildjian top hat with a Sabian bottom hat.
Boom got 3 for 3. Confirmed that my ears love Zildjians 👌🏼
Guys , You must try TRX cymbals!
I preferred the Zildjians. The other 2 are nice but I liked the Sabians slightly more.
My choices were 1, 3, 2 wich kind of makes senses right?
I liked the staggs best. Just a fan of dark cymbals
I love the X-celators...so when I heard them...the one I liked was.....them XD
surprisingly I came across no smart alic comment asking what they tasted like
3nd is my favorite 2nd is 2nd and im also a fan of the first one
wow! stagg was very nice and bright,i did like the sabiens best.
I thought the first was the Sabian. I was thinking the a customs would have more bite and high end but I was wrong.
Wow I guessed right. I've always thought Sabians being bright (though not as bright as Paiste) and Zildjian being bright yet with that magical warmth. Stagg..... I don't know.
back in the 1970s i own the formula 602 hi hats and 18 inch ride crash. but buying paiste today is way out of of range for my pocketbook. great cymbal but too expensive for me.
The Zildjians rock. All others are melt down material. Cheap cymbals sound like pie plates.
I prefer the A Custom hands down in this test, but what surprised me is that I preferred the Stagg over the Sabian, didn't see that coming...
i'm a fan of sabians but the zildjian hats sounded better here although i have sabian 13" fast hats that i really like
The staggs appear to be set up wrong. I think the crinkled cymbal is meant to be on the bottom.
Zildjian #1, my favorite always!
Sabian! Just love the sound. Canadian-made for the win!
I liked the Stagg hats best. Not so bright and metallic sounding.
Yup I do like those hats in that order alright. Peace out! Zildjian & Stagg for me! HHX on the Sabian though.
I got them right! The easiest was Stagg. It's too rough for my taste.
great demo!
I chose the Sabians, Stagg, then Zildjian....Sabians were a bit brighter, Stagg was just a hair darker, Zildjian was a bit more hollow sounding than I like.
the Stagg ones sound like b8. I couldn't tell which in the blind test was sabian or zildjian but the second ones stood out cause they sound cheap.
B20
Ja! Lo sabía! Sabian por siempre! Para mi gusto son los mejores!
Wow...I'll pass on all three. Give me some Paiste 2002s.
Actually, the Staggs sounded the best :D
The stagg are mounted upside down.
My ears enjoyed them as follow: #1, #3, #2
I thought #1 were the Sabian’s and #3 were the Zildjian’s, it was pretty clear to my ears that #2 were the Stagg’s (didn’t have the same projection and balanced as the other 2).
Like it that my ears preferred the Zildjian sound, my wallet not so much 🤣
guess I'm A custom too, other wise I prefer the stagg to the sabian...
Nailed it with the Sabian. Yeah!!!
I thought the second was a tambourine.
definitly Sabian... sound more briliant, sweeter.. the best cymbals
I went 1,3,2
Thanks!
Let me try this while listening. Number one. Zildjian
2. Sabian.
3. Stagg.
Let me see if I was right.....
Well I was right on the Zildjian.
I had Zildjian rated lowest.
1 , 3 and 2 .... BINGO!! :D
Sabians! Zildjians too heavy and metallic. But all my crashes are A's.
For me, the worst one out of the three was the zildjian. My favourite was the Sabian's (sorry for bad inglish)
Nicee, i chose my own hats. Plus.
Not nice, i just realized i dont like my hats
Sabian. Nice and bright but still smooth
i own zildjian but i am not biased , i played a 13 inch sabian hi hat and it totally blew me away. sabian makes some bad ass cymbals for sure.
Well at least you didn't lick them.
i like sound #2
Zildjian A Custom 14" Mastersound
damn, how eq can tweak such
I went Sabian, stagg, Zildjian :D
1,3,2 with 2 far away from the others
Nailed it. Just like I thought, the a custom sound clangy, the Stag's sound cheaper, and the AAX"S crisper. Turns out I'm a aax fan
Blind i chose the A customs overall, but prefer the Sabians when open, Zildjian when closed.
The stagg sound terrible open, slightly better than Sabian when closed.
I play Sabian but not AAX.
I love mystery hi Hat #1! I have the Zildjian K series cymbals which even sound better in my opinion. The K ride 20 inch ride cymbal cost $349 by itself! Cheaper to get the whole set.
Avedis is number one!
Stagg, Sabian, Zildjian.