Meinl Cymbals - Byzance Hi-Hat Comparison

Meinl Cymbals artist Eman Cervantes compares a few different hi-hats from the Byzance line of cymbals.
The cymbals you see in this video are:
14” Byzance Brilliant Medium Hats
14” Byzance Traditional Medium Hats
16” Byzance Traditional Medium Hats
14” Byzance Jazz Thin Hats
15” Byzance Extra Dry Dual Hats
14” Byzance Extra Dry Medium Hats
15” Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin Hats
16” Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin Hats
14” Byzance Dark Hats
15” Byzance Dark Hats
14” Byzance Vintage Sand Hats
14” Byzance Vintage Pure Hats
15” Byzance Vintage Pure Hats
16” Byzance Vintage Pure Hats

[@abbdrums]

Yes! I love these seamless comparison videos.

[@kasperilse4878]

i would love if you haven't stopped making videos. It has been over 2 months now

[@abbdrums]

I know, I'm sorry... I've been working on some bigger projects that have required most of my time but once I'm done with those I can focus more on my channel again :)

[@sirosvaziri]

Hihats aside, that groove is tiiiight. Fantastic comparison video, love watching stuff like this!

[@KayDrums175]

Siros Vaziri Siros wassup man love the videos

[@mellowtron214]

I wish they would do cymbal comparisons with the drummer playing like 1 or 2 bars of a few different genres. Maybe start with jazz, to Latin, to rock, to metal, and end with a wide open thwack. Regardless, Meinl definitely put the most time or any cymbal company in making demos of their products. So it’s hard to complain that much.

[@TrevorTD]

Meinl always does a great job of comparing their cymbals and I love it!

[@glanemann]

For the love of God, every video should be like this. Watching individual symbols online is one thing but when you get them all in one video like this, I could really listen to each one and know which one that I like. It's not like every place you go that has cymbals has them all lined up for you to use all the time.

[@olympiawashdrummer]

Its like which one should I get! ear candy

[@DavidMcmenemy]

Not a single pair of those sounded bad.

[@TC-lk2ev]

Yeah that's what I was thinking. They all sound really nice.

[@anonymouserror1977]

You probably had the volume off then.

[@johnbensinger4931]

xXxSteamPunkxXx this guy probably thinks sabian b8 pros are the best sounding cymbals on the market...

[@anonymouserror1977]

I am no fan of Sabi-Zil but these Meinl cymbals are just not good sounding cymbals. I have heard a couple of cymbals from this company that sound fantastic, but most sound like trash can lids...no tone...no volume....

[@LukaS-yn4ir]

it depends on your style and taste, they make alot of dryer cymbals which appeal to aloooot of drummers. Im a death metal drummer and I love the extra cymbals. And drummers and almost all styles love em. Sabian is great too. Paiste is just garbage except for the old 2002's, and Zildjian is just way too high pitched. I guess you prefer that though.

[@louisoddie4667]

after 4 years of playing and a few months hard work i’m now the proud owner of a pair of 14” jazz thin hats and wow are they gorgeous

[@Dsher719]

Good pick!

[@Jdrummer77]

Like the sound of those alot , great wash to them. I have the dark 14”

[@louisoddie4667]

@@Dsher719thanks a lot man! I don’t how I went without them all these years!

[@louisoddie4667]

@@Jdrummer77Used to be a huge fan of them when I was in my heavier rock phase of playing - feel like they just have a little something that other cymbals like the brilliants or traditionals lack

[@high-poweredwellness1172]

Amazing how a hi-hat can give the snare a whole different feel! Nice!

[@FasterToTheEnd]

great video, but would love to hear them all played washed. i find a lot of great hats based on closed sound, but when played washed, they don't hold up.

[@ryanintopeka]

Second this.

[@lucasbrucas9632]

Jason Cox what does washed mean in this scenario?

[@ryanintopeka]

Lightly opened up and hit on edge like a loud fat groove might have.

[@lucasbrucas9632]

Noise From Ryan's Basement thx

[@tracktuary]

I'd love to hear the left foot "chick." For my typical stuff these days, I need to know what 2 and 4 are going to sound like!

[@domagojoinky8262]

My favourites are 14" Sand hats and 15" Extra dry dual hats.

[@culturetrash3191]

Those 14" hats are like what hi-hats sound like in my head.

[@walterarevalo4792]

Those 15” extra dry duals sound sooooo good!

[@iloveyoubebe]

Traditional 14”, Extra Dry 14” & Dark 14” are my favourites

[@ayusharipirala3121]

And then there's me and my HCS...

[@kylecurran6747]

When half the cymbals in this lineup cost more than the entire HCS superset ... yep

[@zakkho7570]

hahahah😂good one

[@martonkardos8094]

HCS hi-hats and ride sound pretty good actually. Especially brass rides are awesome most of the times. The crashes sound terrible indeed, but other than that they're pretty neat for a beginner drummer.

[@serpentstudios7768]

Ayush Aripirala I use MCS, my 16' crash got a small crack.

[@oblivionwalker8613]

HCS is better than nothing! Everyone starts somewhere.

[@areohbee343]

0:00 14" Byzance Brilliant Medium Hats 0:11 14" Byzance Traditional Medium Hats 0:21 16" Byzance Traditional Medium Hats 0:31 14" Byzance Jazz Thin Hats 0:41 15” Byzance Extra Dry Dual Hats 0:51 14" Byzance Extra Dry Medium Hats 1:01 15" Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin Hats 1:11 16" Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin Hats 1:21 14" Byzance Dark Hats 1:31 15” Byzance Dark Hats 1:41 14" Byzance Vintage Sand Hats 1:51 14" Byzance Vintage Pure Hats 2:01 15” Byzance Vintage Pure Hats 2:11 16" Byzance Vintage Pure Hats

[@IslamFalmi]

Please make this for chinas, crashes, rides and what not too!

[@marekmiszczak3266]

wow the byzance dark hats at 1:24 were actually one of two brighest sounding hats here

[@EliPoli64]

@HEALY HURST exactly

[@skyDN1974]

Right?! I was thinking that. I wonder why that is

[@edabney07]

YES

[@benjaminjakobsen2662]

@@skyDN1974 It's because the dark series cymbals are pretty heavy compared to for example the extra dry series. I own the 15 extra dry hats and the 15 dark hats and the dark hats are much brigther and louder despite the "dark" in their name.

[@biodigitaljazz1]

@@benjaminjakobsen2662 Would you say they sound more versatile?

[@mr0scary]

14" Byzance brilliant hats and 14" Byzance Dark hats. Best ones imo.

[@mjmartinez3454]

Same here!!!

[@ludwigvistilite]

Exactly what I thought when watching. Good ear Mr0scary!!

[@MRay-zj4ro]

Man, have to agree, have a set of the 14” Darks myself too, but the Brilliant and the Vintage Pure edged the Dark out in my opinion. That being said not a bad sound set of hi hats in the demo which is amazing as well. Wish I had some disposable income....

[@idahoplantguy9027]

I agree as well, those definitely stood out to my ears. Also the 14" Vintage pure.

[@kuskenigen]

M. Ray awesome! I have a pair of 14” dark as well. Sometimes they get a bit to Kling klong when open up thou. What music do you use them in?

[@robbiegrier1514]

Vintage Pure 14” Hats sound the best to me

[@andrewallenpainter1616]

Based on this video, that’s what I bought. They are like butter!

[@Jaydouble-u]

The 15" and 16" extra dry medium thin just sound amazing to me! Sooo tempted to replace my set of Zildjian A customs for this.

[@stevenfederico2594]

Before you replace your Zildjian’s with these try the Zildjian K hybrid, 14 1/4. Greatest hi hats I’ve ever heard.

[@davidsuprenant893]

This is the template for all manufacturers to get on board with.What a great video.Most people can't walk into a store and hear more than 2 different hats,or cymbals from the same manufacturers. This video really helps people.

[@morgendorffer3504]

2:04 it's amazing how a 15 inch can sound so much lower and darker than the 16 inch that comes directly afterwards... such a contrast.

[@Gregsheff1]

I'll take one of everything.

[@yuuri_]

say goodbye to your bank account

[@calebfudrums]

certainly sir, that will be £44000. cash or card?

[@DefkalionDs]

Hands down the best drums/cymbals related demo on dem youtubes. Much kudos!

[@Jerseab0y]

Best hi-hat comparison video yet. Thanks Meinl!!!

[@jesseanderton2]

The 16" Vintage Pure set on this example sounds sooo good

[@marcuscorvinus8927]

Those jazz hats are tight. But honestly it's hard to choose on meinls' hihat lines. Two thumbs up for this demo

[@martinkent_]

How can people hate on meinl cymbals? The unique character is what makes them so artistic and beautiful.

[@whophead6837]

I really really liked the extra dry. The 15 was like a step above the already better sounding 14

[@DrumManDan]

I know! I’ve just ordered the 14” ones and they’re coming tomorrow, Can’t wait!!!!!

[@schwedenretter]

The stick definition of "14 dark" and "14 vintage pure" really stands out.

[@mt23289]

Last weekend I was in the studio recording and used a set of byzance cymbals ( a mixture 15 inch hi hats, 20 inch heavy ride) and I can honestly say they are the best sounding cymbals I have ever used....i am 100% getting myself some 😀

[@matthewsousa5470]

This is the video that’s been needed

[@user-il4pd9oc6s]

Best comperison video on youtube!!! For my opinion the winners are..... 1. Traditional 14' 2. Extra dry 14' 3. Dark 15' 4. Dual 15'

[@christraven]

I wonder what a sand top on a dual bottom hi hat would sound like. Aside from that, The Vintage Pure, Sand Hats, and Dual are my faves.

[@idog2rs]

I would love to hear that combo too, but the sand hats only come in 14" while the dual hats only come in 15". Duals and Jazz Thins are my faves in this vid :)

[@christraven]

Man...why you gotta crush my dreams like that? :) Okay, then how about a 15 " dark bottom with a 15" dual top? On rewatching this, the 15" darks were nice and crispy, and might play well with the dual hat top sound. I'd solve the problem myself, and just buy all of them to figure out what works, but there's that whole problem of being broke.

[@cremebrulee6667]

15" Vintage Pure takes the cake for me

[@dancincrow]

The best comparison video I've seen from any cymbal maker & they all sounded pretty sweet.

[@healyhurst7829]

Those Brilliant 14 hats are just something else. Truly a great pair, the Byzance 14 Darks too.

[@patrikmachac3935]

DARK 15!!!!! 14 Dark is a little bit more bright than I would like to hear

[@Gurkan231]

14 Vintage pure and 16 vintage pure sounds exactly the same. Mistakably same recording?

[@MrJoewolton]

I thought the same thing!

[@dxb8086]

Gurkan231 That's on purpose. Many drummers prefer the classic vintage sound on a big 16' HH.

[@mr0scary]

Yeah they do. I guess its just a size preference on those ones

[@andyham6094]

dXb that’s not on purpose just cause you hear the difference between the 14 and 15, even tho they are going for that sound you mentioned, it should still be a different pitch based on the size difference as you can hear between the 14 and 15 so the 14 and 16 should have an even more drastic sound difference; the 16 should be even darker and lower and more bark than the 15 but it literally sounds identical, guessing there was some mistake while making the video, maybe got the sound files mixed up.

[@DrSamE]

There's a difference. I hear it well. It might not be big but there is.

[@jonn443]

Byzance Extra Dry (thin) 14" won IMO.

[@vincent-ow8ss]

Props to the crew foe changing the cymbals out that fast!

[@jordanborders2232]

this comparison video is amazing . exactly what I need , to find what I need, and save time

[@Lukas-kh5gu]

AMAZING VID!! The Sand Hats...now that's real music.

[@dkerwood1]

I wish more companies would do comparisons like this. I mean, every cymbal is unique, but at least a video like this gives you a ballpark idea of a sound. Dig those 14" darks.

[@timothycroke5307]

They all sound great. Meinl has incredible cymbals.

[@XiyuYang]

Damn those extra drys and vintage pures, I'm in love

[@MattHaide]

If I ever get the money to buy a set of Meinl hats, I'll for sure be returning to this video. That was super helpful! I'd love to see one of these for rides as well :)

[@llock3hart]

Byzance Extra Dry 15" Medium Thin Hats

[@andyham6094]

No love for my favorite hats of all time, the 14 inch traditional thin hats. Literally the perfect hats I’ve always searched for.

[@harisrizvanbegovic2728]

Very soft, accented sound across the board. What ever we choose, we are good to go. Maybe Byzance Traditional 14" has a better sound over the others, especially with hi-hat being open. It's possible to find those hats here in Bosnia. In combination with Pearl drums - killer sound.

[@antonpetrenko1687]

extra dry, dark and vintage pure! wow! I cannot decide which I like the most... and of course sand hats, they sound beautiful too!

[@jkvasn]

0:30 That 14" byzance jazz sounds sweet.

[@extalker]

like a rattlesnake...and look awesome

[@stephprime]

Brilliant, Traditional, Extra Dry, Dark, Vintage Pure, all in 14" great sound!

[@mojekh]

Best hi hat comparison I have seen!! Many thanks!

[@andyham6094]

Left out my favorite hats of all time!! The 14 inch byzance traditional thin hats. Perfect balance between the extra dry hats and the traditional medium hats. These hats need more love!

[@Jeremy_Sims]

Andy Ham I was thinking of getting extra duals but they seemed too thin and not enough volume, thanks for that suggestion I’ll check them out for sure!

[@andyham6094]

Jeremy Sims yeah the extra drys are great but not enough volume for live situations for my band. The traditional mediums are little too clunky for me. The traditional thins are literally the best.

[@DrumRoody]

That groove is the star of the show. Tight

[@MyFatherLoves]

All gorgeous.

[@culturetrash3191]

This video convinced me to pick up a pair of sand hats. Those 15” extra dry hats are calling my name now…

[@Colo.Valenzuela]

I absolute love the traditional. What a gift for the ears!!

[@matthiasspitz]

In this video every single pair of hats actually sounds awesome! Maybe the drummer is just more important than the instrument 😅!! Fantastic groovin'!🙌

[@mrvetiver5587]

14 extra dry 14 dark 14 vintage sand were my standouts. None of them sounded bad at all though

[@yrussq]

Awesome video where you can hear the difference and clearly understand that some of the hats are for some special mixes.

[@Xtracheesed]

These videos are incredibly helpful in narrowing down what to demo in person. Thanks much!

[@Dsher719]

Sooooo, all good. Vintage 16" at the very end won me over. I know what i want!

[@SXI96]

They all sound so milk chocolatey smooth, yum, amazing hi hats

[@bcas99]

the 14" jazz hats and 15" dual hats are the 2 best ones

[@i3zd]

Talk about 'saved the best for last'. Vintage Pure 16's sound incredible.

[@szlafarski]

Couldn't agree more.

[@mufakkas9731]

Perfect, thanks bought Byzance Dark 15in, Extra Dry 15in nice but more distant and Vintage Pure 15in has nice click. My Byzance Dark 15 suits me better after being left in a garage for a year, lost shine visually and sound wise, more authentic/vintage and balanced, settled in somehow.

[@walterarevalo4792]

Stared watching. Ran to my headphones. Started from the beginning. Rewatched 36 times.

[@marcellbodo3375]

Now with the release of the big apple hats, I‘d love to see an updated version of this video!

[@connorcampbell144]

Heads up to the guy who had to play the same grove for 2 minutes straight

[@meinlcymbals]

That's called "how to have a career and make money."

[@thomasdecorail8825]

Seriously? 2 minutes is really easy for playing a groove

[@RobAbfallDrums]

I bought the 14" Sand hats, they are tremendous! Great video, ty!

[@oscarc.4575]

Byzance Dark 15" vintage pure 14" and the sand hats are my favourite byzance. My fav tho is 15" pure alloy

[@VIRAEMIAPHXAZ]

byzance brilliant med 14" 00:01 byzance traditional 14" 00:11 byzance traditional med 16" 00:21 byzance jazz thin 14" 00:31 byzance extra dry dual 15" 00:42 byzance extra dry med 14" 00:52 byzance extra dry med 15" 1:02 byzance extra dry med 16" 1:12 byzance dark 14" 1:22 byzance dark 15" 1:32 byzance vintage sand 14" 1:42 byzance vintage pure 14" 1:52 byzance vintage pure 15" 2:02 byzance vintage pure 16" 2:12

[@nathanielbrice8725]

Seamless transitions! The standard for cymbal comparisons!

[@speismonqui]

yep, that's great... now I want them all.

[@eddieavakian]

Awesome video. Make more of these if you have already. Rides, crashes, stacks, etc.

[@user-hb9wk1ie1o]

Its just a comparison video but i can feel the groove

[@Ramon.Mironof]

I’ve got brilliant one Dark 14 sounds 👍🏻

[@matrixmodulator]

0:41 15” Byzance Extra Dry Dual Hats 1:01 15" Byzance Extra Dry Medium Thin Hats 1:31 15” Byzance Dark Hats

[@the6ig6adwolf]

They all sound fantastic!

[@andyham6094]

Couldn’t give my 15 inch traditional medium hats no love? Lol. Jk. I have the traditional 15 inch medium hats, 14 inch extra dry medium hats, 14 inch dark hats, 14 inch sand hats, and they all are amazing all serve different purposes. For live metal rock shows the traditionals just bark and cut through anything. The extra drys are perfect for the practice room and overall love those the best. The sand hats are very versatile. And the dark hats are heavier feeling but are pretty dry too like the extra drys but just heavier and they are very versatile too. My favorite all time hats are the 14 inch extra dry medium hats if u don’t take volume and how big the venue is into consideration. But the traditional hats are the most versatile hats I’ve ever played and use them for live and the studio.

[@pierreg8562]

hey have you mixed them to see the difference? i have the 13" medium and the 15" pure vintage, actually going towards the Dark in 14"... but thinking maybe i should get another 15" to mix

[@andyham6094]

pierre g I used to have the 14 darks which are great for some but they were little too heavy for me personally. I have recorded with the 14 and 15 traditional medium hats. Both of them sound amazing with the 15 having little more bark but the 14s are little higher pitch and cut through little more but can’t go wrong with either. I just ordered the 14 inch traditional thin hats. I love the mediums for live and bashing on them but those too are little too heavy for my liking or at least my exact pair is little heavy, I think the 14 traditional thins will be the perfect hats for me cause I love the 14 extra dry medium hats and the sand hats for practice but don’t cut through enough for loud live situations and the 14 inch traditional thins are around same weight but with the traditional finish it’s little brighter but not heavy and bulky. We’ll see though.

[@joslinnick]

I liked the 14" Byzance Extra Dry hats.

[@dylsdrumz7081]

Love dual hi hats they’re are one of my faves but the extras dry Byzantine is def the best

[@bucknasty5374]

okay, now, i may be a bit biased because i love big cymbals, but the 16" traditionals and vintage pure HAD EVERYTHING!

[@BBT609]

This groove goes HARD lol...having a hard time not lunging forward in a groove 😄. Trying to pinpoint a hi hat set that would just sound perfect on this PHAT groove. That pair of hi hats have to be those 14" Dark Hats. The quick opening is perfect 👌

[@andysimmons311]

The 14” sand hats and the 14” extra dry sound sick

[@Better2burnthanFade]

Perfect, more comparisons of cymbals please

[@richardgrant7023]

Great video: interesting, concise, helpful, and well-edited.

[@BananaManPL]

Nevermind the hats, all Byzances are awesome. The snare, man, that snare!

[@ben9830]

So I just clicked on this video, and the 14" Byzance Brilliant Hats are the exact sound I think of when I think of punk-sounding hats.

[@tillson14]

Can you read my mind Meinl?? Three days ago i was searching for that exact video and now baammmmm you upload one lol

[@whacktom8190]

I’m in middle school but I played on a high school kit in jazz band and I’m pretty sure they had a byzance jazz

[@budda777pl]

Brilliant and Dark wins :)

[@darkhorse7068]

I think so

[@Big_C_4205]

I like how he/she kept a consistent beat through the whole vid so you could just focus on the cymbals.

[@EliPoli64]

And the great editing as well.

[@Bersini]

Listen to most of these in Pmt Birmingham, there all great but 14inch extra dry sounded best for me 👍

[@S_Pat90]

The 14 jazz thin is just perfect

[@gzarrukd]

My favorites are the Byzance Brilliant 14'' hats

[@hugobrand6196]

Great comparison video! Loved this!

[@samfitz888]

So happy with my 14" Dark, but damn now i want a set of each! But those 16" Vintage Pure sound amazing!

[@tbrewska69]

LOVE this comparison technique!

[@Neulars]

Thanks for this beautiful comparison

[@JohnNugroho]

Just got my dark hats today..thanks to this..i finally could decide :)

[@diversekcox]

I can't make decision ugh!! They all sound great!