SABIAN HHX Chinese Cymbal 18 in.

I have a large collection of cyms. with my drum set --- this is a valuable & melodic addition.

I have tried several different China's and the 20" has been the one that I have always kept around. I have other China's on my kit,but the 20" can be used as a gong as well. Get some mallets and try it out.It sounds great at the end of some songs when you use the mallets to end with. If I were allowed 1 China only on my kit,this would be it and I have 5 China's on my kit and none of them even come close to sounding as good as this one.There is only 1 downfall to this China,when played live,it does not cut through.It's not an ear piercing,loud China.You would be better off putting a mic close by to get the true sound of this cymbal to your audience.I really can't say anything else about this except BUY IT if you are in the market for a new China. I plan to buy the 18" version soon,but will probably buy used since they are starting to show up.This one rarely shows up used,maybe 2 times a year if that.It was worth every penny I spent on this cymbal.

Now granted I bought mine used because Im poor and what not(like most people these days). This cymbal is without a doubt worth the cost, I have had mine for around two months now,and I really dont like to write a review until I've had something around that long, and other than the thing looking obviously used it sounds great. Its extremely reactive, you can slap it and it will be pretty loud and have a full bodied sound, playing it with a stick just makes it more crisp. It cuts well on recordings also. I would recomend this cymbal to any metal and rock players and really just about any one else. You don't want to be to rough with this cymbal though its pretty thin, so i would also suggest grabbing an Aquarian spring mount as well when you pick yours up.

I bought this cymbal used because the price was a steal compared to the retail cost. At first I wasn't too crazy about it. It was loud, rude and cutting. I kept it though and tried working it into my routine. It is starting to grow on me though. I got a cymbal stacker and mounted it just to the left of my SABIAN Paragon ride and clamped it down pretty tight and now I am much fonder of it. It sounds better that way in my opinion. I use it more often now. I read here where some use it as a ride. Personally, I am not too sure about that but guess it depends on what you are playing. It is a tremedous accent cymbal but I don't think that I would personally ride on it. All in all, I like it. I only give it 4 stars though because I am still not 100% sold on it yet. It is thin and has a thin sound on top of the Loud, Rude and Cutting "descriptors" I used earlier. I got it because I know HHX series aren't just mass produced, the craftsmen actually put a lot of work into this particular line before they go out the door so maybe it is just my ear that needs a slight adjustment. I know HHX are quality products. I also have an HHX 16" Xplosion that is out of this world so that is also why I am thinkin that the missing element on this particular cymbal is my own ear at this point. As I said, I am coming around, playing with it some and getting used to it more.

I already owned the 18" HH Chinese and wanted a darker sound and the 20" HHX is exactly what gave me the sound I was looking for. I did find if played live it does need a mic as close as possible because it just isn't a loud,ear piercing China,very mellow and dark. Also a very good cymbal to ride on if one likes to use a China for that purpose. Out of all the China Cymbals I have tried and used in the past,this one puts them all to shame. I have not tried the 18" HHX but the 20" is the way to go.Worth every penny and more.

I�ۡ���ve played and/or owned other China cymbals like SABIAN�ۡ���s AAXtreme Chinese, 19�ۡ�ݕ�_ Paragon, HH Thin, & AA. The AAXtreme is all right, the Paragon is good, but I�ۡ���ve never been a big fan of the AA Chinese cymbals. And surprisingly the HH Thin has a lot of �ۡ��̏attack�ۡ�ݕ�_, it�ۡ���s more aggressive than the HHX�ۡ��_it would have been my next choice. But the HHX stole my heart�ۡ��_I love this cymbal�ۡ��_it�ۡ���s definitely one of the best. I own the 18�ۡ�ݕ�_ model�ۡ��_it�ۡ���s versatile within my set-up, fast, & straight to the point. It has a dark, yet very musical sound quality & fast decay. The cymbal responds effortlessly with great attack, but it�ۡ���s not over-the-top�ۡ��_no over tones & midrange. If you�ۡ���re looking for something extreme, then you might want to reconsider�ۡ��_as SABIAN has many great cymbals. Now with everything I�ۡ���ve stated, its all opinion & preference�ۡ��_every drummer�ۡ���s style & �ۡ��̏ear�ۡ�ݕ�_ is different.