Tom Head Comparison - Drummer's Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ค. 2018
- Here's a special video where we take a look at a selection of double-ply clear tom heads from Remo, Evans, Aquarian and Code and compare/contrast the sounds they offer. **HEADPHONES RECOMMENDED TO HEAR ALL OF THE INTRICATE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VARIOUS HEADS!!** Filmed at Middle Farm Studios, June 2018. For full specs, please visit our website: www.drummersreview.com
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Thanks for the review guys. I think you're spot on with the comments tone and on great value. It's a shame you got a rogue head in there that didn't seat properly. I can assure anyone out there who's going to give us a go that this is a very rare issue and if someone did have a problem seating we would exchange free of charge. Mike Heaton, Director Code Drum Heads
Thanks for your positive reply Code. Maybe we were unlucky on this occasion. Good to know that you support your product 100% and would respond quickly in the odd instance someone is unsatisfied. Best wishes, DR.
Your heads are still dope. Definitely my next choice after watching the snare head comparison.
I've been using Code for a few months. I'm using Law head on the toms (I have a 12" in amongst them) and have had no trouble seating the heads. I can't imagine ever going back to Evans given the fantastic price of Code, and that I'm supporting a British company. The only thing is I'm itching for a Code double-ply head" (hint hint).
got the snare head from that review and love it. fells greats to play and you can't beat the price
If the seating issue is rare as you say, then it's really hard to beat the huge value of your heads which afaik are the most affordable on the market.
2:35 - Remo tom groove
3:31 - Aquarian tom groove
4:31 - Code tom groove
5:31 - Evans tom groove
Thank you. Creators put so much work into these videos that are hard to get use out of without chapters.
I started as a teenager with Remo Pinstripes. Later switched to Evans EC2's in my twenties. Now in my thirties and I'm playing Aquarian Force 10s and have a spare set of Aquarian reflectors. What got me started down the Aquarian path was the Amazing Superkick 2 batter kickhead. The Superkick series hands down are the best batter kick drum heads available to my ears.
Thanks for the comments Alexander. It is always helpful to us and other viewers when it comes to personal experiences. Thanks for watching/subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
Remo is my favorite, the most natural and authentic sounding, feels like you get the entire spectrum of sound the drum has to offer.
Depends on the country of manufacture for remo in recent times.
@@aboutthemetal8783 can you elaborate on that?
@@aboutthemetal8783You want Remo made in the USA. Not China.
Thank you for this! Much appreciated. Your reviews are some of the best I've found and really help me. Please keep up the great work! Shout out from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
Many thanks for your feedback Andrew. We try to provide the most honest and impartial advice to share and assist drummers. Thanks from commenting all the way from Rio. Best wishes and thanks for watching/ subscribing to DR.
This review was superb and very eye opening to my ears Through the years I have played both REMO and EVANS in the studio as well as live now I am now in a bit of a quandary after hearing and seeing this stellar review
Thank you for actually playing dynamically and revealing the full spectrum of sound! Most reviews are just people wailing on them.
Thank you for the great review!!! I really appreciate the in-depth approach you guys take and the unbiased opinions.
Thanks bro, I've been looking for new drum heads for a while and you help me decide which ones I like.
Hi. Great review and we'll put together. My favourite and what I use are the Evans. Really enjoyed your straight to the point approach. Well done and thank you. 😊
Great comparison, really well done! Please provide time stamps in the video description to make it easier for viewers to jump back and forth between the different drum heads or make an additional section at the end of the video where you show the 10" head of each manufacturer immediately after each other, then the 12" head of every brand and so on to make it a real "head-to-head" comparison. Keep up the good work and keep on improving!
Fantastic work. The first 30 seconds were great and enough for me to hear what I like - the Aquarians. And for those wondering (like I was) a mil (as in 2-ply 7-mil) is 1000th of an Inch.
jrrm3 many thanks for sharing your thoughts and comment. Thank you for watching / subscribing, best DR
Great review guys. Still love the emperor clears over any heads I've tried.
The Emperor Floor Tom was gorgeous
I thought so, too! Man, that floor tom had such amazing boominess!
Exactly what I thought! And g2 on high toms... Was that your pick too? Lol
02:31 - Remo Emperor
05:26 - Evans G2
thank you
Great review, you tell it like it is. My favorites were the Remo's followed by the Evans
Thanks for your comments and feedback Lex. We like to keep things straightforward. Thank you for watching/ subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
Ditto.
same
@@DrummersReview x2
Great review, as are all of yours. I use Evans clear and coated G2s, and am quite pleased with both.
Thanks for the feedback Andrew, and for sharing your experience of your Evans G2's. Thanks for watching/subscribing, best wishes, DR.
This review was confirming for me; Remo emperor are exactly the sound I’m looking for. However this review also highlighted that Yamaha recording custom our incredible drums no matter what heads are on.
Thank you for this video. Super useful comparison. Hope you do a similar comparison for 2-ply coated tom heads in the future.
Thanks for your comments David. We will discuss with the team and no doubt you will see this in following reviews from DR. Thanks for watching/subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
I agree. I haven't used clear 2- ply heads in quite some time now.
Great review gents as always. I play G2 clears and your review largely tracks with my experience playing the.heads.
Hi Rich, thanks for sharing your comments and experience. Thank you for watching/subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
Great video. Hope to see many more (especially one on coated heads).
Great review! I liked the REMOs the best. They are on my Renown RN2 kit. I like the sound of the sustain and have overtones. I can use dampening to get a fatter less sustained sound when I want it. So a very versatile head for me. I have a AQ2 Safari coming which I will try out the Evans G2 clear on to get a fatter sound out of the smaller drums. I love this channel!
fantastic video. would love more like this.
Thank you for making good movies on TH-cam all the time.
0:01 - 0:11 Remo Emperor
0:12 - 0:19 Aquarian Response 2
0:20 - 0:28 Code Generator
0:29 - 0:36 Evans G2
thanks
Awesome!! Can you do a coated tom head comparison?
This was really helpful! Thanks!
Thanks for the review. It really helps.
Liked and subbed because of the pure honesty.
Great video. Made my mind up
Love your guys’ reviews!! Could you do the same comparison but with single ply heads?
Great review. I have a 5 tom Tama Starclassic walnut/birch kit and tried all kind of heads, Evans G2 clear, Remo Emperor clear, Remo Pinstripe clear and Remo CS black dot clear. I liked the Pinstripe the least and CS black dot the most. Yesterday I swapped my clear Emperors for CS black dots again and I am impressed about the attack, sustain and powerful sound and stick response which those heads offer.
fantastic review.
Definitely Love the Evans. and he nailed it , Clean and Controlled, perfect heads that don't need muffling.
Remo always cut through the best in my opinion. They are nice and have the most open, clear sound as well. The only downside is the amount of overtones they can have but I feel that can play a good part in live situations.
Evans in my experience of using them sound amazing when you put them on but go out quickly. The head feels dead after a short amount of time and I could never get a good range out of them.
Aquarian to me is right between Remo and Evans. Very controlled and very warm sounds. The heads can reach a full range of different sounds. They also seem to stay in tune way longer than most brands and last a very good amount of playing sessions. In my opinion they have the best coating as well. However, they are not as bright as Remo and Evans so I feel they don't cut through as good.
Code, well I've never used those but they sound great from this video!
Overall, for you guys looking to pick out heads, every brand creates their own sound and characteristics. No brand is better than the other necessarily, they are just delivering a sound and feel certain drummers are wanting and looking for. I've been using Aquarian (reflectors to be specific) for the last six months and my kit sounds amazing! However, I'm thinking about going back to Remo because I miss how big and open my drums sounded.
My experiences follow yours a lot.
I tried Aquarian again recently and the toms just didn't cut it with the Super 2's I was using. I went back to Coated Ambassadors and I had no problem feeling like I was being heard.
That being said, I'll be going back to clear or ebony Emperor next time.
I used Attack heads for a minute in 1999/2000, and I like them a lot. But all of their 2 ply heads were pre muffled like the Code heads here, they're dampened around the edge like PinStripe and Performance 2's are. I wish the would have had just a pure 2 ply.
I could listen to Nolly talk for hours🔥🔥😂 love his (perceived) subtle passive aggressive sarcasm when critiquing products😂 seems like he loved the Evan’s the most which I FULLY support, as an Evan’s user of 20 years😅😅
My favourite drum heads are Evans there really good for people that don't like having to tune there heads all the time because they stay in tune for a good period of time
They all sound great because of those genera reso heads lol that deep punchy warm sound I can’t get enough of it sounds like thunder through the PA at my church
Kudos on your review, quite informative, well presented and helpful. Question: How do you achieve this EXTREME CONSISTENCY (!) in tuning the drums?
I love code on my Premier snare,may buy some tom heads shortly.
Thanks it was really helpful.
what camera+lens did you use btw? nice quality
Good review, again, as always.
I've played all the heads here aside from the Code...and have always returned to Remo. All the other companies make great products, but Remo just has the sound and feel I want. The Evans feel a bit "hard" when hit, kinda brittle feeling, almost like hitting a piece of wood. The Remos have a little bit of a "pillowey" feel, which I prefer, and that more open tone.
Hi Drum Jedi. Thank for your comments and sharing your experience, which is always welcomed. Thank you for watching/subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
Exactly my experience as well, I even just wrote a comment saying nearly exactly the same thing about how the Remos have more give and the Evans are firmer and boingier. In my experience the Remos' feel tends to also correspond with a sharper attack with more slappiness.
i like evans on snare and pinstripes on toms
No matter what the Recording Custom still the king of drums for live performances, studio recording and drumhead comparisons. Thanks for this material, great video!
Martín Borda many thanks, and for watching commenting. Best wishes, DR
ur sound comparison quality so nice bro thumbs up👍
great review.
Great work in this video. All heads sound fine to me. I like emperor's for gigs and coated ambassadors in studio. I have a couple of g2 and they are fine, I am happy with the Evans power centre snare batter too.Never liked Aquarian too thick and plasticky , hope to find code heads in my town, they sound fine in this video to me!
Excellent job!
Wonderful comparisons here. I'd give the Code heads a try based on the price point being affordable with a great tune. The others were nice as well. I've had been using Evans hydraulic heads until I stopped playing. Again great review!
Thanks Dugjay for sharing and commenting. Thank you for watching/ subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
Remo, Evans, Code, Aquarian for me. Nice video. I have been using Evans but I might have to put some clear emperors on my drums soon.
Remo forever
Remo for my snare and evans for my toms 🔥🥁🔥🥁🔥
I just swapped out a Code single ply DNA for a Code twin ply Generator on my 14" Natal acrylic floor tom. The difference was immense! The DNA head sounded thin and ring'y with no tonal quality on the acrylic shell. The Generator head sounded deep, full of tone, with great attack, and very well controlled over tones! I shall now refit the whole kit with these heads, I have found the perfect match for the Natal acrylic!
Thank you im going with the G2
THANKS. that's really helpfull
Fantastic job here. Every brand has it's own sound and the newer one needs to fix that fitting problem asap. Don't know what the problem is with the 12 inch tom but over all everything sound quite good. Would love more the video but the Attack head is missing. Would love one with coated heads too. I am an Aquarian user but the Super 2 series. Also a 2 ply head but an uneven 5 mil/ 7 mil. Like I said, fantastic job and thanks for the video.
I just recently had switched from Remo to Aquarian and tho the Aquarian is more money I just love how my Toms sound. I could never get my old Yamaha Stage Customs to sound right I used Remo and Evans in the past but the Aquarian response 2 batter with the classic clear as reso’s that kit has a killer sound it’s never had before.
I play the Remo Emperor on all of my Toms for years now and love them - no need to change
Awesome comparison....those toms sing !
I run Aquarian performance II heads and I’m a metal drummer. I love the tone and the only one that required any extra dampening was the 18. I put one stick dampener on it and I love the sound. My one complaint with Aquarian is the price
This review was superb..and thanks for giving a better orientation to drummers particularly..plus , the studio and live sound technicians.
However I'd suggest to play the same tom diameter for each drumhead brand(like, having 4 different 10inch sound first..then 4 different 12 in second place..and,so on..
I think it'd even be better to really make a good pick of each brand.. thanks
nice honest comparison
Those Codes sounded great!! Legit heads. I wonder if they’re available in the States.
thank you for this!!
As of August, 2018- this is the fairest, and most level-headed comparisons and discussions I have seen. Unlike other reviews, it doesn't strictly tout a single brand. It properly descibes and demonstrates the differences in sound. Personally, I've never liked the fanboy exaggerations vs objective approach. I noticed that aquarian was definately more mellow/dark/diffuse than others and probably works best on drums that are overly bright. I'd avoid the code, as they seem to be where attack heads were 20 years ago. It's intolerable to have a poor fit. Back to the drawing board, code. Bad fit is not worth saving money. I do think the remo are best to sing out, where the evans would be better for a little control. My .02 pence: makes no sense to buy a pre-damped head. They lack versatility. I can always damp an emperor, vs not being able to make a damped head sing. Honorable mention: "Vintage" emperors that have a 5+7 mil. They are more between 1+2 ply sound and my overall favorite. (aquarian super 2 and attack thin skins are the equivalent). Final point: never understood why people spend big money on a high end kit, then damp them into submission like a beginner kit.
Scott Lowell Hi Scott. Thanks for your comments and for watching/ subscribing. All our reviews are impartial, as it serves no purpose to be inaccurate with our findings. All companies that submit products for review do so knowing this. This places our viewers with the trust that we do not give everything ‘5 Stars’ or write reviews to serve marketing purposes for brands. What we say is what we feel and experienced at the time of review. Best wishes, DR
Scott Lowell I too Scott was always baffled why drummers destroy the tones with excessive muffling???
You're spot on Scott, but I think more drummers (not techs of course) muffle high-end kits to try to achieve more sustain, but in the process they risk choking out the drum itself. Plus not all drummers look at the very important breakdown of wood characteristics (Example: Pearl or DW website) that provides us with which wood is naturally Eq'd (Birch) & which may need to be controlled (Oak). Extensive Research & experimentation is vital in proper tuning & maximizing the drums true potential.
I'd bet Code gets their heads from the same Taiwanese manufacturer that Attack does. Detroit Drum Company used to source their heads from a similar outlet. But, the Attack Thin Skin 2 are 7+5 mil, and the Attack 2 are two 7 mil plies. Both are glued like Aquarian Perfomance 2, and pre-1999 PinStripes. The Attack 2 however feature a "tone ridge" that is unique to Attack.
Vintage Emperors are two 7.5 mil plies.
Nicely done and I especially appreciated the post playing observations.
I love these videos, the quality is top notch.
Personally, I prefer the Remo heads the most.
P.S. Am I the only one who noticed that the 12 inch tom was completely choked? Not an issue with the heads per se, just the Yamaha mounting system.
This is where the rubber meets the road - no one I know has done HEAD reviews before and it's the most important part of any drum sound. I'm an Evans G2 guy because I like the attack of the CODE head - better for jazz. Never heard of them before this and the price is amazing. After reading Mike Heaton's response, I gotta check 'em out. Thanks!
Emperor top ambassador btm (with a moon gel" inside" on the reso head plus another moongel on the top head has been my personal fav tom tone
I liked Remo when I first started playing drums, but as I got older and gained more experience, I realized how fast they wear out. I do like the nice attack and sustain on it from both the coated and clear, but from someone who gigs a lot, I need something that lasts longer and not put on fresh heads every month. I eventually switched to Aquarian and I liked them a lot for a good five years or so. I tried out Evans a few years after they started doing their level 360 thing and I actually loved the way it sounded on my toms. I eventually turned everything into Evans and haven't looked back since. Everyone is different when it comes to drum companies, whether it involves drum heads, sticks, cymbals, hardware, or drumsets. I'm glad this video remained impartial about the companies.
@WhoDarestheMAN gamer Garbage in, garbage out.
Great video, man! It was very informative. When using clear plastic heads for progressive, rock and metal I have always been an Aquarian fan, but they are rather pricey. However, the Evans heads sound really good and are a bit less expensive, plus they are quite durable. Remo are always a good, tried and true option, but for me, I find that they aren't quite as durable as the Evans or Aquarian. This is the first time I had ever heard of Code heads, and they sounded pretty good. I have no idea how durable they are, but for being the least expensive of the bunch, they are probably a great choice for those stints of time where people do a lot of shedding and chops workouts. I probably wouldn't use the Code heads for gigging or recording, but assuming that they are adequately durable and can take a beating (yes...pun so intended), they appear to be a very good and inexpensive solution for those who do a lot of practicing.
You did a great job with this video, and I would love to see you do a similar video comparison of many of the top coated heads. Since I have been getting older, I have been playing more jazz, funk, & blues fusion and I have not been using clear heads very much anymore, playing almost exclusively coated heads these days. I mostly use Remo Fiberskyn 3 because I love the way they sound on my little Gretsch jazz kit. Please do a coated heads video, and if you would please include the Remo Fiberskyn 3 in the lineup so I can see/hear how they compare with some of the others...I haven't kept up with the most modern head innovations these days, so I'd really like to see if you could change my mind on the Fiberskyns and get me to move on to something better.
Great channel! Peace.
HI Judas, Many thanks for taking the time to write and detail your experience. We have had a few requests for coated heads, so we will certainly take a look, so stay tuned. Many thanks for watching/ subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
No, thank you. I'm looking forward to it. I appreciate you and your work. Take care.
Being Aquarian fan I'd say that in this situation Remo sounded in it's best.
Evans for sure sounded best to me, great review
Great channel.
I've started using CODE heads...initially they sounded quite 'choked' but once they've bedded in they have a rich tone that has both thickened yet opened up the sound of my toms - Tama Artstar Maple Custom. The price-point can sometimes frighten people away, "that cheap they must be bad" but they're seriously worth the money.
Ian Hughes thanks for sharing your experience and for watching. Best wishes, DR
I’m due to try Code next. I have high hopes 🤘🏻
Those Evans heads sounded better than expected, Aquarian all the way on the kick though 😬
Excellent.
Great review. Evans or REMO get my vote 👍
I always preferred remo . I used them on an oak custom.
Great video guys!! Could you please tell me how you tuned them? Or what tone you tuned them to? I find it really difficult to get a great tone while tuning my lit. Thanks!
Did you note what frequency are the toms top and bottom heads? I have the exact same heads here, it would help me a lot knowing that info, they sound really great on this video
To my ears the Remo took home the prize, with the Evans a close second. Aquarians sounded like mud to me, and the Code heads sound too plastic-y.
I agree. Remo has the most open and resonant sound, with the Evans a close second.
i agree as well in this example. but looking at my mapex saturn wich is kinda attacky and sometimes kinda thin, those Aquarians could actually make up in creating more boomyness
REMO always and forever . . . I still wouldn't mind trying those Code though. . . . I sure did not dislike their sound .
I would like to see a video of a hybrid drum set useing a different brand on every part of the drum even the symbols. I think it would be a interesting video. It would also sound unique
Code drumheads are super controlled no overtones no annoying ring after you hit them.. I'm sold
I've used Aquarian Performance 2 heads on my toms for years now, but the Remos in this comparison sounded the best to me.
How long until the druminator?
Just proves that a simple head change can add different color to your kit. Why limit yourself to one company when you can get a similar feel but unique tone for each? Great review!
Remo by far for me then the codes, Evans and last aquarian for me. Cool review!
Many thanks for your comments and feedback. Thank you for watching/subscribing. Best wishes, DR.
Drummer's Review No problem your videos are great! You guys tell the actual truth vs liking literally everything you review like many others.
I'll go for the Evans G2
Great Review! Evans is the winner for me.
Question…What are the Tom mics used? Thanks!!!
Remo Emperor and Evans G2 sound the best imo. The G2 is the cleanest sounding and has a really nice round, tonal sound, which I think would work great for pop, hip hop, and the like. The Emperors, my personal favorite, have much more attack and a sort of "slappy" sound on strike, which I think would be great for hard rock and metal. Also, in by experience playing, the Evans are firmer and have more direct bounce, while the Remos have more "give" and the stick sinks in a little instead of just boinging. In my experience these qualities are apparent in all the heads I've tried from the respective brands.
It would be great if you would let us hear the drums without Eq and compression. Something coming from an environmental mic, so we could hear a bit more how the drums sound in person. Thanks for great the content.
Thanks for your comments and for watching/subscribing. Best, DR.
Judging by the sound of this and how Nolly mixes, there is probably very little EQ and compression happening in any of these demos. The sound is very natural, and has a room microphone dominant sound which gives you your natural sound that you would get, and the drums are just tuned extremely well, along with a good mic setup. The only EQ/compression that I'd imagine is just to keep the sound between all the microphones coherent, otherwise you might end up with a very messy sound that is counter-intuitive to getting a "natural, transparent" sound that you want out of a demo.
I do think a very cool idea would be solo'ing the close mics, and solo'ing room microphones in the demo, just to see how it all works :)
Great argument Luke!
No problem! I'd like to call myself familiar enough with Nolly and his workings to hopefully make an accurate claim about something like this haha.
FONO134 I agree with Luke. These drums are mixed to sound extremely natural. The close mics are there to fill in information lost by only using room mics
Shivers! they all sound SIIIIKKKK
They all have their own vibe. I might consider giving Code heads a try. The sounded a little less resonant to my ears, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing for certain occasions. What I indeed get the most out of the video is a latent feeling of jealousy regarding those Josephson tom mics. ;-) Cheers
I love Remo clear emporer as the batter and Remo clear ambassador as the resonant to give all the sustained resonance as possible so each drum is open and barks. God bless everyone
mr nolly accent to British.
cool explaining, good information.
Remo all the way! 👍
Can you do a review on a DW Performance kit?
Interesting to hear that Aquarian heads are expensive in the UK, here in Canada a top-to-bottom reskin of my whole kit with Aquarian heads cost me just shy of $100 (CAD) less than Evans, and probably close to $150 less than Remo
Part of summer 2022 I used Aquarian Texture Coated Super 2 / Classic Clear on my toms, and this past summer tour I've been using Aquarian Classic Clear w/ Power Dot / Classic Clear. My practice kit has Response 2 / Classic Clear.
The sound and purity of tone is incredible. They also have a very "springy" feel to them. Very lively.
But where I found them lacking is in the upper dynamic range. Especially since I'm not a hard hitter, I get lost in the sauce unless mic'd up.
I still had a few sets of Remo heads in my closet, so I put on a set of Clear PinStripes.... They are very controled without losing that upper dynamic range. They were fat and powerful with a lot of attack. I put Ebony Ambassadors on the reso side. The drums once again have a nice "bite" to them sonically.
For my touring kit, I will be moving back to Remo Emperors. Because I'm not always called to play rock and metal the Emperor offers me just a smidge more versatility should I get called for other types of music. The Emperors have been one of my favorite heads since 1991. Between PinStripe and Emperor they are both my most purchased tom heads of all time.
Never played anything but Remo, but man.. Aquarians are sounding incredible to me these days. I'm definitely about to convert.
@NegaArson - I threw a set of Remos on one of my other kits, and while I love the famaliar feel and sound, I've grown accustomed to the Aquarians.
The Aquarians here in the video don't have to sound like that on your set.
With just a touch more tension they'll sing beautifully. It's just that they're able to achieve a lower fundamenta due to their design. They'll sound full and resonant at even a lower tension.
When / if you got that route, be advised that I did encounter a bit of a learning curve while getting acquainted with the Aquarian designs.
My rankings with each drum:
10" tom: Aquarian, Remo, Code, Evans
12" tom: Remo, Evans, Aquarian, Code
16" tom: Remo, Code, Evans, Aquarian
I gotta say that although it blended well when playing the whole kit, the 12" tom played on its own sounded pretty bad across all the heads. This was a Yamaha kit, right? I've had REALLY bad experiences with their tom mounts. They just turn the tone to complete roadkill. I wish a kit would have been used here that had a better mounting system for the rack toms. Also, despite my ranking Code and Evans the lowest on the 10" tom, those two sounded better on the final, hardest hit than the other two when playing the drums one at a time. All sounded fine when all toms were played together, but I'd rank them from favorite to least favorite in the order that they appeared in that category. At the end, Remo had the best overall sound for me here.
Interesting review