Paiste Dark Energy Cymbal Review

[Vdrummer]

Hey guys, I checked out the new addition to Paiste's top of the line cymbals Monday and thought you might like a mini-review. I have what I'd call Zildjian ears. That is, I listen to cymbals for that richness I have associated over the years with great Zildjian cymbals. My only gripe with them is the way Zil's consistency varies. With that out of the way, here's my mini-review of Paiste's Dark Energy cymbal line (Traditional level pricing).

These are seriously great jazz cymbals, that should work well in a pop context too. As the name suggests they have a dark character that I found very appealing. There were six rides, 20, 21 and 22's in Mark I and Mark II styles. The difference is the Mark II cymbals have another level of lathing that the I's don't have and are a bit washier, but still controllable, than the drier Mark I's. Generally, I preferred the 21's and 22's. BTW, both lines look different than any cymbals Paiste has ever manufactured, and look a bit unfinished, in a cool way.

The 3 crashes I tried were excellent too (17, 18,19), my favorite being the 19. There were 3 set of hats in 13, 14 and 15 sizes and I liked them all - unfortunately. The 15's in particular surprised me. They all had a crisp yet dark tone. If I had to draw a comparison, I'd safely say that if you like Z's Special K cymbals, you'll like the new Paiste stuff. A friend of mine, Tom Hipskind, who is a great player and a die-hard Zildjian guy, begrudgenly admitted these were seriously good cymbals. Not a dog in the bunch.

Check them out if you're in the market, and can afford them!
P.S. If you're a Paiste hater, these may convert you.
Brad

[Pedro G]

Thank you for the revew.
Those are great news for me, because in a few weeks, I'll be the proud and happy owner of a set of these cymbals [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]biggrin.gif[/img] .
I never tried them in person, but I'm really exited.
I feel like a kid before christmas!!!!.

[Klemme]

Paiste make great cymbals! especially Jazz cymbals. I have a 22" Sound Creation Dark Ride, never played with a better 22" jazz ride ever.

[Derek DeFields]

I really wish there were more good Paiste dealers around. I'd like to spend some real time playing them.

Anyone know a good place in LA? The chains don't have anything to speak of.

[Randy walker]

West LA would be my guess, although there was a time when you could go to Paiste down in Brea and they would let you hit on stuff if you lived locally. When I was at MI a gang of us went down there.