Meinl has an incredibly diverse range of cymbals, and the Byzance Extra Dry line is one of the most popular amongst different drummers.
In this review, we’re going to specifically focus on the 14-inch hi-hats in the series. They’re a versatile pair of cymbals fit for many different settings, so we’re going to take a deeper look into what makes them such a good option.
We’ll explain how they sound, what styles they’re best suited for, and mention which drummers will love them the most.
The first key feature to note about these hi-hats are that they’re made with a B20 bronze formula. This is a mixture of 20% copper and 80% tin, and it’s typically what most high-end cymbals are made from.
Their 14” size makes them perform like a standard pair of hats, and both the top and bottom hats have a medium weight.
The top hat has an unlathed surface, giving it a raw appearance and sound. The bottom hat has a brilliant finish, refined the overall sound more.
The main sound quality you get from these hi-hats are dry tones. This means that when you strike them, you get a somewhat low-pitched sound that doesn’t resonate for very long.
The sound gets out of the way very quickly, meaning the hats never sound too overwhelming or loud.
This is fantastic for drummers who want plenty of wash without a lot of impact. And it’s why the hats work so well in jazz and low-volume settings.
This just comes with the sacrifice of articulation, meaning you don’t distinctly hear every single note that you play on the hi-hats. They tend to blend into each other more than you hear on traditional hi-hats.
The B20 alloy used for these hi-hats makes them incredibly musical. They’re highly responsive to varying levels of dynamics, so you get full playability from each strike.
But the main construction feature to focus on is the unlathed top hi-hat cymbal. Since this cymbal has a raw surface, it produces very raw and earthy tones.
Not every drummer is a fan of these sounds, but they sound incredibly unique and diverse. The brilliant bottom hi-hat cymbal evens out the sounds a bit, making the hi-hat pair more versatile than if both cymbals were to have unlathed designs.
The bell of the top cymbal is also unlathed, so it has a very earthy tone when you strike it.
Overall, we’d say that these hi-hats work best in jazz settings. The sounds they produce cater most to that sort of musical environment.
As a drummer, you can hit these hi-hats really hard. They’ll sound forceful and effective, but they’ll never produce overwhelmingly loud tones. This makes them perfect for high-energy parts of songs that still need to have some sort of restraint.
These hats are too soft for rock, punk, and metal settings, though. Since they aren’t very articulate, the sounds blend into the music instead of cutting through. And in those louder settings, you want hi-hats that cut.
So, we wouldn’t say that these are too versatile.
High-end hi-hats can be quite expensive, and it’s no different with these 14” Extra Dry Byzance hats.
However, we can confidently say that the price tag is worth the performance quality that they offer.
If you’re a fan of dry cymbals, you’ll love these hi-hats. They’re undoubtedly one of the best pairs of dry hats on the market, so the price-to-value is very high.
We recommend these hi-hats to any drummers who play in jazz, worship, or other low-volume environments.
The sound they produce can be an acquired taste, but all the drummers who like that sort of sound will love using these hats.
Drummers like Mike Johnston and JP Bouvet have used them for years, so it’s a good idea to listen to them to see how these hats sound in action.
Founder of TheDrumNinja
I’m crazy about drums, it’s been my passion since I was 12 years old. I played in numerous bands going through different styles like Rock, Progressive, Pop & Jazz-Rock. After being featured in major music publications (Drumeo, Guitar Guitar, AudioIssues, MusicThinkTank) I started this website to share my knowledge and create a resource for drummers of all levels.
We specialize in helping drummers of all levels become rhythmic assassins and develop ninja-like skills, quickly. Our mission is to create the best resources for all musicians and build a community where you can learn and share everything related to your musical journey.
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