Best Zildjian line - Opinions

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Flavio Drummer

Flavio Drummer

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Hi, Im user of this brand for more than a a decade. I use some models and I have the conclusion that the best line is K Custom - K Dark cymbals. The other lines like A custom, A, and Z have lower sound quality. My opinion.

What do you think about it? Do you agree?
 
IMO, it just depends what sounds right for the music that you are playing. I have a pair of ZHT rock hi-hats that I like & sound good to me.
 
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Flavio, what you are saying is you prefer the sound of K Custom/K Dark Zildjians. No prob there, but as to whether the other lines have 'lower sound quality' is purely subjective.

My subjective point of view leans towards the Ks as well, but I wouldn't suggest the As are inferior (well, maybe the old Z line... :tongue3:).
 
love the K's but I have an 18" thin crash and 23" sweet ride from the new series that are as good as any K's I have owned
 
It's completely subjective, imho. The newly redesigned Avedis line is great.. As are the K's, K Cons and the Keropes. Some may shine in one genre of music a little more than another is all.

I'm personally not a big fan of Zildjian's B8 offerings... but that's just me.
 
Yeah it's totally subjective. I go against the general DFO grain on this as I prefer A's to K's. Year before last I bought a K Ride and sold it a year later because I liked my old A better. I really tried to like the K better because so many members here love them. I recently picked up a new 20" A medium thin crash and I like it better than the K or even A custom offerings. Maybe it's just because I've always used them and I'm old and set in my ways.
 
I'm a big Constantinople fan. To my ears they are the best sounding zildjians available. That being said I really like the K dark thin line as well.
 
I used the old A line, I ll test the new line A by your comments. My opinion about k is because I play a lot of styles without problems.
 
Of all the entry/mid level offerings by the Big 3, I think Zildjian has, for the most part, failed. Early Sabian B8s sounded bad, but they have changed over the years and I have heard some really good Sabian B8s. Paiste.....do I really need to comment on Paiste? That leaves Zildjians - I have heard some really good ZBT HHs, but the rest of the ZBT line pretty much is annoying, and their other 'mid' lines - just plain sound weird. Paiste on the other hand.......again, need I say anything about Paiste, other than overpriced at times.

I WILL give kudos to the first generation Amirs though - great cymbals. Actually TOO great that Zildjian made them too good and could not profit on them, thus had to modify and come out with the horrid AmirIIs - which were an insult to the Zildjian name, yet they made Zildjian more money because they were cheaper to make. Sell out - and profits result.

I am not experienced enough with Ks and out of respect I will not say anything about them. (You know the famous Lincoln quote) Sorry I have not adhered to the initializing topic. I thought the topic was a bit more general.

Lastly, it is VERY difficult to compete with the versatility and dollar for dollar value of the vintage As. For many years they were simply the industry standard.....for a reason. In reference to modern A, A-Customs, Z, etc, - I would play vintage As before any of them any day. There is something profound and powerful about good old vintage As.
 
K Con are the only new Zildjians I'd really consider buying at this point, though I do love my 22" K Light Ride and A Custom Crashes are still my favorite bright B20 crashes. I've yet to play a pair of Zildjian hats I couldn't live without, even their darker lines seem to be too heavy and clangy for my tastes. I've heard good things about Keropes, but they're above my budget :p
 
For crashes, Z gets the nod overall. Not a fan of Sabian or Paiste crashes. As for what my favorite specific Z line is...I have found that it really doesn't matter much once under a mic. I guess considering the current crash cymbals on my kit, the distribution is as follows for a prog setup:

A Custom - 2
A Series - 2
K Series - 2
K Custom - 1
Exodus Worship - 1
AAX - 1 (not a huge fan of this one, will be replaced by AC or K crash)

So I guess I'm pretty even on distribution. I could throw up 4 A Custom or 4 K's just as easily...maybe with a slight preference of the AC's. I also love the older Medium weight A's - 18 and 19's.

Edit-all my AC's are the new medium weight, 16 thru 19.
 
I must admit - practicing with my friend's kit right now - has a 16 inch A-Custom crash with a chunk broke out of it about the size of a cell phone, AND a 3/4 inch crack on the edge. I must say - it is amazing that it still sounds as good as it does.....very impressive. So, I must give the A-Custom line some kudos - except that I heard they tend to crack too much. Of course the excessive cracking might be due to improper technique by players of heavy music?
 
A, A Custom, K, K Custom, and Z, are all top end series: i.e. all are Zildjians best, each with their own sound and general suitablility to a particular style of music.

The ZBT's, etc, are entry to mid-level cymbals made of a lower grade alloy and cheaper manufactiring processes involving less craftsmanship.


Each of us has a 'best' choice, but it's a matter of taste - not an absolute value judgement.
 
Well, the conventional wisdom (and I tend to agree for the most part), is that the classic A is THE gold standard for what a top-line Zildjian should sound like. Everything else, no matter how great they sound (A Customs, K Customs, K's, Z's etc) flows from the flagship A line.

That's not to say that some, if not many, of the lower-to-mid priced lines can't sound great as well. I saw a band a few years back and the cymbals sounded GREAT. On a break I took a look and they were all ZXT's!

And while I usually use 14" New Beats or A Custom Mastersound hats, I have a pair of 13" ZHT Mastersounds that are a real pleasure to play--sound killer & very crisp and responsive. And I saved a ton of cash not having to fork it over for a set of K/Z's or New Beats in a 13" size.

Bottom line to me is the top-of-the-line stuff is (almost) always the best, but don't discount the lower priced options...you can find some great-sounding cymbals if you really look & listen.
 
Don't crucify me but I really find the A series cymbals to be the most versatile of all of Zildjian's cymbal lines. As many have already said, I don't think it's really fair to say that one line of Zildjian is indefinitely better than all the others. Obviously the kind of music you like to listen to and that you play the most will determine the line/lines of Zildjian that you would want to go with, but in my opinion pretty much anything besides the ZBT, ZHT, or ZXT would probably yield pretty good results, depending on the type and character of sound (bright vs. dark, cutting vs. mellow, heavy vs. light, etc.) that you're after. Personally, if I were going for brighter cymbal sounds, I would go with A series hats and rides, and A custom series crashes and splashes. If I were to go with darker and perhaps more unique and sometimes even funky sounding cymbals, I would go with anything in the K family, and probably some of the offerings from the Sound FX line - I really dig the Oriental Splashes and the Crash of Doom. As many have said, there is no objective way to determine the "best" one-size-fits-all Zildjian line.
 
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