6 Different Studio Cymbals Sets comparison MEINL, SABIAN, ZILDJIAN, PAISTE

[@ReecePlaysDrums_]

Sabian always falls short for me. I'm a Paiste guy, but I'd never use them for a genre like jazz, unless we're talking about the masters series. I'm surprised at how great meinl sounds, only issue for me is how dry they all sound

[@hannes1734]

Meinl also has bright cymbals. Of course a cymbal with the label "extra dry" will sound exactly like that, but e.g. the Pure Alloys sound almost a bit paiste-ish

[@ReecePlaysDrums_]

@@hannes1734 see I've come around and adore the dry tones now, although not over the whole kit, just 2 cymbals

[@salt3613]

Well the cymbals are labelled dry

[@OverproofMMA]

They have other cymbals that are less dry and sound excellent

[@Monsterdrumma]

That is the new trend and Meinl’s imo has that sound cornered!

[@martonkardos8094]

I definitely liked the Meinl and the K custom setup the most (and still that 16" K felt pretty weak), the Sabian rides and hi-hats sounded relatively good, but I didn't like the Sabian crashes at all. Probably the Paiste setup was the most well rounded most versatile one out of the bunch.

[@alesh_k]

Wow I actually agree :)

[@xcodychaosx]

Yeah i like most all the byzance set plus the sabian ride

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

I’ve had problems with most Zildjian 16” crashes. My A sounded like a garbage can lid. I didn’t even play it usually.

[@haydendraycott7897]

It was the K Custom special dries though which are supposed to be “weaker” in all seriousness though in terms of volume and was actually surprised to see them on here considering almost none of the other sets are comparable being on the much louder end of the spectrum

[@stevek758]

Ziljian Hi hats, Paise crash sound the best... Nice playing

[@TerryDrumCovers1951]

Paiste all the way with Sabian second. The Meinl sounded good but a bit dry.

[@lajollascott]

Thanks for leaving the name and sizes of the cymbals on screen the whole time: I love these kinds of comparison videos and appreciate how much work goes into them but I find it less helpful when they only show the name briefly.

[@loucontino4804]

Just remember you don't need a full set by one maker to create a balanced sound for the music you play. Thickness, pitch, resonance and sustain all can be found across many manufacturers and blended to make your set up. My best advice after 47 years of drumming is go to a drum shop and try out various cymbals for yourself. You Tube and even the Manufacturer's website are no real way to hear all the nuances of a cymbal and that includes playing the side, underneath, rolling and choking the cymbals as well. All of these cymbals sound wonderful and deserve your consideration.

[@drumminjc]

It would’ve been better if all of the cymbals were the same sizes. It doesn’t make for a true comparison otherwise.

[@maturanjohnmartinowenb7998]

drumminjc agreed

[@DemetriusConley]

Sabian stays in my heart as always, I love Sabian! ❤

[@gogo2957]

Paiste best ever

[@bpdaviddc]

For me: 1.- Sabian 2.- Meinl 3.- Paiste 4.- Zildjian

[@ChannelSteph]

The K's sound great to me. Thanks for making the video.

[@jkf9167]

The Ks customs were probably my favorite all-rounders, although the Meinls were surprisingly close. I think that the Sabian sets suffered somewhat from ill-chosen rides. The HHX set would have fit together better with a Raw Bell Dry Ride or Groove Ride, and there is certainly another Sabian ride that I would have liked more than the Paragon.

[@andyham6094]

Should’ve had the meinl traditional setup, imo the best most versatile cymbals for any genre. The extra drys are awesome and use them for practice only but never use them for live in a loud setting, the meinl traditional byzance series is literally perfect for everything.

[@dgmwitz]

AAX, HHX and Paistes were the best imo

[@HolyTubeStudio]

Yeah

[@mohopbela5791]

Thks for your hard effort for this comparison. Appreciate it so much. Keep up the good work guys...

[@scottyscott1898]

Just imagine if you could mix and match cymbals!! Lol you’d have a great unique sound cymbal-wise lol

[@bigd-1-channel514]

Nice video displaying the sounds. But I did not like any of them. I will stick with my VINTAGE ORIGINAL 1968 thru 1974 Era Avedis Zildjians

[@joshalbert3770]

As a Sabian Endorser that owns all of series used in the vid, the K customs were the most matched set for the style. Artisans are for nuance and unique sound perfect for Jazz and def not meant to be slammed and downstroked into, their metal is malleable.

[@Fernanpoison]

I use sabian crash, paiste ride and hi-hat meinl, and I'm looking for a zildjian crash ride

[@fabianernestopacheco]

Amazing comparison!!! I don't know, maybe due to mics I like the more Meinl Byzance and Sabian Artisan Series. All bell sounds were not too clear for me.

[@tyleradams6990]

All this solidified is me making the switch from Meinl to Paiste. Those HHXs sounded nice too

[@thecolouroutofspacee]

чёт кажется мне, шо звучание тарелки ещё зависит от: подачи, техники, звукоизвлечения, комнаты, микрофонов, настройки частот, выходного динамика да и самой тарелки: большинство топ серий же руками доводятся в той или иной степени как тут через ютубчик то определить, щупать вживую нужно

[@jareddoran6605]

Unpopular opinion, but Meinl was far superior to the others. Yeah they were much dryer, but their tone was far more consistent. And while they're dry in this mix, they sound powerful in person. Believe me, I've heard them in person. And if you're not a fan of their dry stuff, they make a plethora of other cymbals that compete very hard with Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste, and even the Turkish brands like Istanbul, Bosphorus, TRX, etc. I'm probably just biased, but the Meinls in this video sound way better than the others

[@Monsterdrumma]

I am a Zildjian with some Paiste’s on occasion guy but I like the Meinl’s the most here. Second was Paiste the the HHX line for me here anyway.

[@bodhi9464]

have to agree - I really like the meinl sound here - not so sure about the hi hats though .. great to hear each persons opinion - we all have our fav sounds .. 🥁🇦🇺

[@tzindo2191]

Zildjian, meinl, sabian , E- P A S T E

[@simonhargreaves5123]

Shane that you felt the big beats were the line to go with from Paiste. 602s or Masters would have been my choice to go up against K specials dries and meinl Byzanze. Big Beats are classic rock cymbals, designed to replicate the sounds from stadium bands popular in the 1970s. I have one and it’s fabulous but I use 602 thin crashes mostly, they are unparalleled.

[@olek9259]

Sabian in my heart, but series AA AAX HHX

[@walpurgisnacht9234]

If your going bright then Sabian HHX. If you are going dry then meinl. Paiste is too gongy

[@dgmwitz]

meinls budget stuff is crap but their higher end stuff is rly good

[@Xcrv]

@@dgmwitz the custom classic trash crashes are good also and rlly low budget i mean its not cheap but bot expensive and it sounds hella good (the dark one to btw)

[@muriloninja]

2:24 in and the Paiste sound the best to me so far

[@ГосподинБезымянный]

разница в звучании слышна реально хорошо, музыкант играет нормально. а вот недовольным комментаторам не пойми, че надо-то ли информацию полезную получить, причем на безвозмездной основе, то ли косяки выискивать. и видят они походу только то, что ищут.

[@BretCahill]

The Sabian HHX sound the best to me.

[@michaelbrown3128]

The Paiste's sound the best, as always!

[@ritandy9234]

In my opinion : 1- Meinl 2- Zildjian 3- Paiste 4- Sabian

[@MaximePhuket]

Meinl. At least the 2 crashes are really different.

[@c.r.blankenship9040]

Zildjian: Can't go wrong Paiste: Great for dark cymbals Meinl: Great for dry cymbals Sabian: Best for bright cymbals, but not really that musical

[@benoitwolff2750]

Every cymbal company offers dark, dry or bright cymbals. I don't really get the point of your comment especially because Meinl has a huge variety of bright cymbals (Brilliant Bzyances are my favorite cymbals with a brilliant finish ever) and Paiste is overall best known for bright cymbals like 2002s or Signatures and even their B20 cymbals like the 602s are quite bright sounding. Paiste and Meinl make better bright sounding cymbals than Sabian in my opinion. Zildjian on the other hand can only produce good sounding top of the line cymbals like Ks and some As but I dislike a lot of their stuff and Zildjian overall falls behind Meinl and Paistes in my opinion in every cymbal category in every price region and Zildjian has also the biggest consistency problems of the four companies. But I also think that Meinl is great for dry cymbals :D

[@markpichler9070]

Paiste great for dark cymbals? Hmmm.. I do not know...

[@Solar.Geoengineering.Advocate]

i think paiste have mostly been known for their bright cymbals

[@c.r.blankenship9040]

@@Solar.Geoengineering.Advocate I didn’t say what they were known for, I said what they do well

[@tyletkersey4357]

This is like going to a shop and they only sell different versions of one thing. All of these cymbals are dark and dry. I can't understand why have similar sounding sets. I would think you'd want to have different series at your disposal in a studio. I know I would or at least have some that were more universal and great for every genre like A's, AA's or 2002s.

[@kochnasakti7187]

Paiste is the best cymballs...

[@TatyanaPetrovaru]

Полезное видео😌👌🏻заложила посмотреть позже, сейчас на работа. Снимай больше:)

[@oleganbugdrummer1446]

я большой любитель Sabian HHX и AAX, а комплекты из Meinl и Paiste вообще не понравились, не смотря на дороговизну этих серий. Зилы звучат необычно и интересно

[@HolyTubeStudio]

Это от стиля зависит, да))

[@salviadivinorum1762]

Anatolian is my current fav, not shown here but

[@lubucao]

Sabian has a more R&B/Jazz feel I like em

[@niffingig5143]

Why the Paiste Big Beat line?? Those are like mid level. For a Paiste studio line the Signature Series or Formula 602 Classics are the go to for anything Metal, Rock or Pop. The Signature Traditionals or Master's for jazz. I've been playing since 95' and I used a mix of cymbals until about 3 years ago. I just put this set up together in the last 4 months. My current Cymbal set up Paiste... 14" Sound Formula Heavy Hi Hat 13" Alpha Medium Hi Hat 20" Signature Series Dry Ride 19" Signature Series Full Crash 16" Signature Series Fast Crash 14" Sound Formula Thin Crash 10" Signature Reflector Splash 10" Signature Series Splash 18" Rude Novo China Best sounding set up! I primarily play Deathmetal, Blackmetal and Grindcore (I have done live and studio session work for Melodic Punk, New Wave Goth, Indie Rock and Hardrock too), but the odd thing is that I don't really care for the 2002 or Rude lines (Rude Chinas are excellent, but everything else is dogshit). Paiste Signature Series, Signature Reflector, Sound Formula, Sound Formula Reflector, 3000, Dimensions, Formula 602 Classics and to a lesser degree the Innovations and Alpha Series are the only cymbal lines I will use now. The original Alpha series is an intermediate line, but it had great cymbals in it. The 2nd Alpha series was not as good.... And don't get me started on how the Alpha Series was discontinued and replaced by the awful sounding and shitting looking 900 Series. The color of them is fitting because they are POOP!!

[@tristanpearson8157]

My favorite is the Sabian AAX studio crash

[@ari-gx4iq]

i didn't expect that Zildjian K's 20" ride sounds that bad

[@MPrint67]

So basically, buy the Meinl. I played Paiste exclusively for years, but switched because Meinl hi hats are so far above anything else and Paiste rides leave something to be desired too.

[@simonbezek6382]

Could you upload another video with a band playing along this videos, please? :) One can really compare cymbals in the way they compliment the music, and how they mix and fit in with the other instruments. For instance, some Paiste on their own sound harsh and thin, but they fit very well in the mix, while some Meinl and Istanbul cymbals sound full and rich, but they take too much of the frequency range that is shared with the other instruments.

[@HolyTubeStudio]

Good idea)

[@DrGray_Drummer]

Paiste, and not even in the same league! Paiste is using B8 alloy too, and just so much more cutting, and musical. Unless an artist is getting paid to use Zil, or Sab, if they have an ear, they'd go Paiste. Bonham, Paccaro, Vinny, Van Halen etc........Listen to their cymbal sounds

[@muuriciodegollada3870]

Paiste.period

[@ZverevStudio]

Отличное видео! Молодчики)

[@Alfredolunafoto1]

Good video. Thanks!

[@170adamb1]

Non of these shoot outs ever include Ufip!! It's not the uploaders fault. It's how terrible Ufip are at promoting their cymbals!! They have the rotocast patent which is massive!! They have 400 years experience!! On top of that all their cymbals are hand hammered and lathed by real craftsmen!! Look how much extra Sabian charge for their hand hammered lines!! And despite all the work that goes into each cymbal. They are substantially cheaper than the better known makes!! I've had all the Ziljian and Sabian lines!! And Ufip are their equal in every way!! Don't understand why they don't promote them better!!

[@jonhattanrai]

The Meinl set was spot on! Then the Zildjian set was awful on the ride and hats, but great on the crashes. The Artisan set clearly was out of their genre, they seem jazzier. The Paiste set was great overall, except for the ride. The HHX set was balanced but with little or no personality. The Studio Custom set was ok, but not as good as the Meinl. So, to me the winner here is Meinl. And then I would make a set mixing all the cymbals.

[@c.r.blankenship9040]

Sabian always seems to be more high-pitched than cymbals from the other brands of the same size.

[@mauriciocortezbowles6446]

They always sound more “glassy” IMO

[@c.r.blankenship9040]

@@matthewgonano636 I can definitely see how that would be true, though Zildjian has been coming out with a lot of good cymbals for those genres

[@BeatDigger]

Should have Paiste 602's, 2002's, Giant Beat and signature's.

[@hannibalcorps6384]

Никогда не мог выбирать между Sabian и Paiste. 2002 и Big/Giant Beat против богоподобной Artisan серии - это как выбирать одну из двух сисек у дамы. Они нужны обе))

[@HolyTubeStudio]

Вот ответ настоящего знатока)))

[@zacharywilliams2]

I don't know why, but just cannot stand those sabian rides. They sound so terrible in my opinion. Especially the paragon ride. I personally like the Meinl ones the best.

[@Chriswasreigns]

I love the Sabian rides because these are ride you usually don't crash, you only ride them.

[@larrytate1657]

I have evolution ride by Sabian sounds great.

[@jovanblacevic6470]

P A I S T E

[@mechanikbob]

Stage ride 20 sabian the best

[@ivankaspeadsforquincyjones9273]

No Paiste Signature Series? Then I'll settle for hhx

[@imton13]

Paiste

[@tomashradil3994]

[Pai-steeeeeee] !!!!!

[@alexk7726]

Драммера заставили играть)Это как уроки делать)))

[@HolyTubeStudio]

Тут уж не поспоришь)))

[@anonymouserror1977]

Paiste.

[@claystaggs8908]

All the rides had too much wash for me cept the paragon ride

[@knowntalmbout]

This seems like these setups are just different peoples personal setups.

[@albertwesker2050]

I thought this was a Metro 2033 ad.

[@jannatinkarlen8702]

zildjian and meinl all the way

[@teacher5376]

Cymbals, small sizes to larger. Drys .to fat '.shorts to long ....and far to running.......high to low.....all are so great.......( I see. I said.old , vintages. Classic .to new......done.i love .all .the best.

[@gsstudiomovi]

Звук ужасный, майки вроде топовые висят, барабанщик с очень плохой артикуляцией, биты не в кассу для оценки железа, перенасыщены гоустами на малом и баланс инструментов не даёт понять полноценное звучание железа, это объективно, перезапишите с другим драмером и сведите нормально

[@HolyTubeStudio]

Побежал переписывать 🤣

[@epdrummers]

HHX

[@marutpozzi-escot6705]

paiste ride k in 18 sabian 16 aax k hi hat extra bonus the meinl 18

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Some of these ride cymbals just sounded bad with the other cymbals. I don't know...I think the choices of sizes and different weights from the different brands and series needed to be thought out better. And bashing the hell out of Zildjian K's? That should be an arrestable offense! LOL. Zildjian K's need a better drummer than Ron Weasley here.

[@DemonDog444]

Paiste 100%

[@heavy4caliber]

Meinl master race

[@michaelmartinez6437]

Paiste always wins lol

[@Drumolator]

I do not like any of the ride cymbals.

[@jasondrew6369]

I think it's the sound of the recording. There's no way they all sound bad.

[@izoohgitau3144]

too many cymbal sets...where i come from its impossible to afford that many cymbal sets

[@dillonpearl6786]

Sabian

[@dmitryshkolnik5233]

"мэйнл", "пэйст".. мои ушиии ))

[@HolyTubeStudio]

Хехех эт да, на любителя железо)

[@dmitryshkolnik5233]

@@HolyTubeStudio да не, железо то как раз самое лучшее - это я о паистэ, а вот названия звучат как "мАйнл" и "пАйстИ", ну допускается еще "пАйстЭ", это эстонское слово. это, конечно, к сути не относится, то слух режет ;)

[@dmitryshkolnik5233]

@@HolyTubeStudio у меня у самого paiste rude почти всё, так что.. я тот самый любитель )

[@HolyTubeStudio]

@@dmitryshkolnik5233 Вонаночо михалыч!

[@amuimi]

paiste

[@ragrapios]

I don't know why but sabian doesn't sound like this shit. there is some trouble in mix defo.

[@СашаМатвеев-и8ю]

Молотобоец! У чувака цель- убить тарелки, а не показать звучание... никакой динамики, культуры в игре, все тарелки звучат как кастрюли! Всё звучит дерьмово! Даже артисан звучит как говно... талант! С райдом не умеет работать, как и с хэтом... чувак, у райда куча звуков и это не крэш! Красиво звучит, если работать с динамикой и разными частями палочки. По хэту тоже лупить не надо, как в последний раз, тем более по тонким тарелкам. У тебя всё квакает, заводится. Ужасно!

[@ДмитрийИванов-б5о8д]

Meinl ist Besser...#1 Crafted Cymbals...

[@evanext802]

I have always and continue to hate Paiste. They sound cheep and harsh to my ear.

[@lfern4656]

drummer doesnt sound good

[@nicothedrummer9167]

That's what I thought too!! He was pulling the beat and then all of a sudden rushing it...it felt inconsistent on top of that. I was hoping he would just let the cymbals sing by playing a simple tight groove with not many fills but i guess not ;(