If you want a set of high-quality hi-hats for you kit, look no further than the Sabian HHX If you want a set of high-quality hi-hats for your kit, look no further than the Sabian HHX line of cymbals. The HHX cymbals are the top-tier cymbals that Sabian offers. Every cymbal in this series has immaculate construction with beautiful tones.
We’re going to look at the Evolution hi-hats in this review. They’re one of the standout pairs in the HHX line thanks to their unique sound. Are they worth all the hype? Let’s find out.
The hi-hats are a standard 14 inches in size. The top hat has a medium weight while the bottom one is quite heavy. This adds to the distinct sound qualities that these hi-hats produce.
The overall sound is fairly glassy. This glassy sound is a combination of dark tones with a shimmering decay. The sound works incredibly well in modern settings.
The hats can cut quite easily through a mix of instruments. However, their sound will never dominate the mix as brighter hi-hats would.
Overall, they’re a versatile pair of hi-hats that are at the top of Sabian’s product list, meaning they’re going to be quite expensive to buy.
Since the hi-hats are part of the HHX line, they’re guaranteed to be high-quality. Every cymbal in the HHX line has a beautiful dark and warm tone, followed by qualities brought out by how the cymbal was specifically made.
In these hi-hat’s case, they’re a bit more explosive than the other hi-hats in the HHX line. They lean on the brighter side of dark cymbals, making them sound excellent in rock settings as well.
The Evolution cymbals were designed with the help of Dave Weckl. In terms of quality, this means that you have a pair of hi-hats that were designed with the help of one of the highest-quality drummers in the world.
The hi-hats are made from Sabian’s B20 bronze blend. The top hat has a brilliant finish, giving it a sleek shine that looks beautiful at your drum set. You can see a few dents around the surface that show how the cymbals were hand-formed.
Hand-hammered cymbals always sound better than ones that were made on a factory line, so the construction of these hi-hats is top-tier.
They’re also very durable. Since the bottom hi-hat is a bit thicker and heavier, you can play these hi-hats as hard as you want without worrying about them getting damaged over time. Some thinner hi-hats don’t give you the same peace of mind.
The performance applications these hi-hats give you are quite vast. Since their sound is dark and modern, they tend to work well for all styles of music. They’ll fit perfectly in a jazz setup as they’re warm enough to blend, yet have a tight chick sound when closing the hi-hats.
They’ll also shine in a Gospel or rock setting as they’re bright and cutting enough to be heard through the mix.
Overall, these hats are an excellent choice if you need something that works decently well for everything. It’s great to have a pair of go-to hats for every situation. For those drummers who don’t like having multiple cymbals to pick from, these are perfect.
The price is the big downside of these hi-hats. They cost just over $500, making them some of the most expensive hi-hats on the market. The only other cymbals in Sabian’s lineup that are more expensive are the Artisan cymbals.
While they’re fairly expensive, this is exactly the price you can expect from most top-end cymbals around. The other cymbal brands all have top-end hi-hats that cost over $500 as well.
The hefty price is worth the investment of acquiring a pair of hi-hats that will work for everything and sound great while doing it.
You may be able to find some better deals in terms of pricing, but these hats are worth what you pay for.
These hi-hats work relatively well for studio recording. However, the glassy tone may not be the most desired sound for certain applications. If you want to get the best possible hi-hats for recording, some of the other HHX hats may be better options as they sound dark, warm, and are easy to record with.
However, if you need to use these to record, they’ll work just fine. This is especially true if you’re recording heavier styles of music that need cutting hi-hats.
The Evolution hats work much better for live gigs than they do for recording. The glassy tone lends very well to live venues as the hats can be clearly heard within a band setting.
The hats are also explosive enough to be very effective through a mix. However, they don’t overpower the mix. We stated that earlier, but it’s important to say it again here as that quality is perfect for live gigging.
At the end of the day, these are all-purpose hi-hats that seem to breach the gap between dark and bright sounds. They’re versatile, sound great, and are durable enough to be used for years. These might be just the hi-hats that you’re looking for. Be prepared to put down a fair bit of cash on them, though!
If you want some more drum gear advice, you can check out our reviews of different cymbals, drums, and hardware. Once you make the purchase of these HHX Evolution hats, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself wanting some more gear down the line. It’s a never-ending cycle for drummers.
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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