Low volume drumheads and cymbals have been a popular practice option for several years. They allow you to play on an acoustic drum kit without bothering people around you, as they produce only a fraction of the sound that an acoustic kit does.
Up until this point, Remo and Zildjian have offered the most popular low volume drumheads and cymbals. Now, Evans has released their own take on the concept. While Evans is a bit late to the table, their low volume drumheads offer unique designs that make them worth considering.
In this review, we’ll look at the Evans dB One Low Volume Cymbal and Drumhead Set. It’s a full package that offers you a complete silent setup. We’ll see what’s good about it and compare it to the already established options from other brands.
The main feature of the Evans dB One drumheads and cymbals is that they only produce a fraction of the volume of standard drums and cymbals.
The dB One set comes with nine pieces in total. The drumheads are 10”, 12”, 14”, 16”, and 22”. The set also comes with hi-hats that are 14”, two crashes that are 16” and 18”, and a ride cymbal that is 20”.
The cymbals are made from a perforated stainless steel alloy, which is what gives them their quiet tone.
The tom and bass drumheads have single-ply mesh construction along with Kinetic Transfer Foam placed on each head. They also have impact patches to increase attack.
The snare drumhead has 2-ply construction, and it’s designed to give a sound that imitates snare drum wires.
The quality you get from the Evans dB One drumheads and cymbals is fairly impressive. They’re designed in a way that gives you great tones that are responsive and dynamic.
The toms have a single-ply layer of mesh. They also have what Evans calls Kinetic Transfer Foam, which basically makes them feel excellent to play and highly similar to acoustic toms.
Both the toms and bass drum heads have an Impact Patch built into them. This patch boosts their attack, meaning you get defined strokes that exhibit good articulation when you play multiple of them.
The snare drumhead is arguably the most impressive one in terms of quality. It performs like a real snare drum, giving you buzzing sounds from its Snare Sim technology.
The cymbals have shimmering sounds. They essentially sound like low-end cymbals, but they’re a lot softer. So, don’t expect them to sound like they should fit in a pro recording studio, but do expect them to sound perfect for the sake of practicing quietly.
We think Evans has nailed it with these heads and cymbals. Compared to the competitor products, they offer plenty of improvements that make them feel excellent to play.
We love how the cymbals have the same sizes as the cymbals you’d get in most packs. The low volume cymbals from Zildjian have smaller sizes, so these arguably feel more resemblant to acoustic cymbals.
The drumheads also feel great to play. The construction makes them feel durable, and the boosted attack from the impact patches gives you a sense of energy behind your strokes. As we said earlier, the snare pad is the best of the bunch, and that’s true when it comes to playability as well.
If you’re wondering, you wouldn’t really be able to use these heads and cymbals for actual performances. They are purely designed for the sake of practicing at home.
The value you get for the price you pay is amazing with the dB One set. It’s a bit more affordable than the combo set with the Zildjian L80 and Remo Silentstrokes, and you get bigger cymbals.
The Evans dB Ones are a clear winner in this area. If you want the best bang for your buck with a practice setup, we suggest getting this set.
However, if you already own low volume drumheads and cymbals, we don’t think this set will add much to your setup. While they’re amazing pieces of gear, we don’t think they’re worth buying as an upgrade.
Low volume cymbals are excellent. They’re one of the best ways to build a practice setup that doesn’t make a lot of noise and allows you to work on your drumming at all hours of the day.
Low volume cymbals also tend to work quite well when used within cymbal stacks. They don’t offer a lot of sound, but they offer a tonal quality that is very interesting.
Evans drumheads are incredible. There are three major drumhead brands that hold most of the popularity within the drumming industry. Evans is one of them, while the others are Aquarian and Remo.
Evans has an extensive line of drumheads that thousands of drummers love and utilize. The brand also has dozens of famous drummers that endorse them. These include Larnell Lewis, Danny Carey, Jay Weinberg, and Anika Nilles.
If you want to create a quiet practice setup, we strongly suggest that you get the Evans dB One Set. This set of low volume heads and cymbals offers the best value out of all its competition.
The cymbals are large and feel great to play, and the drumheads are very responsive and durable. The design features make the drumheads superior to low volume heads that are just standard mesh heads. They have more attack, making them feel and sound better to play.
However, if you already have low volume drumheads and cymbals, we don’t suggest getting this set. It will just perform the same way that you’re already used to, and you could spend your money on other gear that will add something new to your setup.
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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