Sabian AAX Cymbal Pack Review

Ultimate Buying Guide

Introduction:

The Sabian AAX cymbals are some of the most popular cymbals in Sabian’s lineup, especially for styles like rock and metal. They have a huge sound that projects incredibly well through any mix of instruments.

Buying the AAX cymbals individually can get fairly expensive. However, you can buy a pack of them to get a full set of AAX cymbals with one purchase. We’re going to take a look at the AAX Promotional cymbal set and see everything that it has to offer.

Key Features: 

The cymbal set includes a full set of AAX cymbals that have been carefully selected to provide varying tones that blend well with each other. The set includes a pair of 14” hi-hats, 16” and 18” crashes, and a 21” ride cymbal.

The most predominant quality of all these cymbals is brightness. They have a high-pitched cutting tone that opens up incredibly well when you hit them hard. Even the 21” ride has a fairly bright tone to it.

The tone of each cymbal also has a bit of complexity to it thanks to the B20 bronze. This is an alloy that is only used in top-quality cymbals. So, you know these AAX cymbals are of good quality.

The AAX cymbals also have a bright finish. They shine on stages under lights, giving your drum setup a polished appearance. There’s also a AAX conecept series you can check

The Pack includes the following cymbals:

AAX 14” Medium Hi-hats
AAX 16” Thin Crash
AAX 18” Thin Crash
AAX 21″ Medium Ride

Build Quality
95%
Performance
91%
Price to Value Ratio
95%
PROS: THINGS WE LIKED
  • Bright and cutting tones
  • Great for rock and metal
  • Excellent tonal variety between each cymbal
  • Reasonable price for a cymbal pack
CONS: THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE
  • Too bright for certain styles of music

FEATURED ON

Sabian AAX Cymbal Pack Review:

What To Expect from This pack

 

Versatility 

The Sabian AAX cymbals aren’t the most versatile cymbal options in the world. Since they’re bright and cutting, they work well in styles that need the drums and cymbals to be loud and heavy.

They thrive and rock and metal environments, cutting easily through heavy mixes. Every cymbal from the AAX pack is quite loud. You can even get a good amount of volume when playing softly.

So, the AAX cymbals don’t work that well in styles like jazz as they’re too bright and aggressive in environments where the cymbals need to sound subtle.

However, it’s a good option to have one or two AAX cymbals in your setup even if you’re playing softer styles of music. You’ll commonly see drummers mix AAX cymbals with HHX cymbals from Sabian. The HHX cymbals are darker and more complex, and mixing the two Sabian lines gives you excellent variety among all your cymbals in your setup.

Quality

All the cymbals in the AAX pack are extremely high-quality. The AAX Series has some of Sabian’s best cymbals. They’re used by pros all over the world to play gigs in varying environments.

Since the cymbals are bright and heavy, they’re also quite durable. If you treat them well and play them with good cymbal technique, they’ll last you decades. The great thing is that the sound will just mature and get better over time.

With regards to the sound quality of each individual cymbal in the pack, you get a great variety. The hi-hats have a smaller bell than usual, resulting in a unique sound and a tight “chick” sound.

The two crashes are fairly thin, so they feel great to hit hard. The sound from both of them seems to resonate for the perfect amount of time before it cuts off.

The ride cymbal is arguably the most liked cymbal in the pack. It’s loud and heavy, but it has plenty of wash to go along with the bright articulation.

Quality

All the cymbals in the AAX pack are extremely high-quality. The AAX Series has some of Sabian’s best cymbals. They’re used by pros all over the world to play gigs in varying environments.

Since the cymbals are bright and heavy, they’re also quite durable. If you treat them well and play them with good cymbal technique, they’ll last you decades. The great thing is that the sound will just mature and get better over time.

With regards to the sound quality of each individual cymbal in the pack, you get a great variety. The hi-hats have a smaller bell than usual, resulting in a unique sound and a tight “chick” sound.

The two crashes are fairly thin, so they feel great to hit hard. The sound from both of them seems to resonate for the perfect amount of time before it cuts off.

The ride cymbal is arguably the most liked cymbal in the pack. It’s loud and heavy, but it has plenty of wash to go along with the bright articulation.

Price Value Ratio

The price-to-value ratio is quite high. You’re getting five pro-level cymbals for under $1000. That’s an excellent deal seeing as many other cymbal packs cost over $1000.

Consider the fact that any individual Sabian AAX cymbal costs close to $300, you’ll realize you’re saving a fair amount of money by purchasing this AAX pack. It will always be more expensive to buy cymbals individually than it will to buy a pack of them.

The great thing about buying this AAX pack is that it gives you a base of cymbals to work from. You can always add or subtract cymbals from your setup.

The overall price of this pack won’t break your bank. However, it may take some time to save up for it depending on who you are and what your financial situation is. At the end of the day, they’re a fairly affordable set of pro cymbals.

FAQ:

Are Sabian AAX cymbals good?

The Sabian AAX cymbals are professional cymbals. They’re used by pros as they have high-quality sounds that work well in most settings. They’re very good options for rock and metal drummers who need cymbals that cut and shine through.

They’re not the top line from Sabian, though. That title would go to the HHX cymbals. However, the AAX cymbals are some of the best bright cymbals that Sabian has to offer.

If you’re looking to upgrade your cymbals, the AAX line would be a fantastic option to consider. This is especially true if you’re looking for cymbals that are bright and cutting. Also if you play in a rock or metal band.

Who uses Sabian cymbals?

Sabian are one of the top four cymbal brands next to Paiste, Meinl, and Zildjian. Thousands of drummers from all over the world use their cymbals. The brand is loved by many people.

Many pro drummers use their cymbals, contributing to the popularity of Sabian cymbals. Drummers such as Dave Weckl have helped to boost sales of Sabian cymbals dramatically over the years. This is thanks to the large reach he has in the drumming community.

Here are some other popular drummers that use Sabian cymbals:

Chad Smith
Jojo Mayer
Mike Portnoy
Ray Luzier
Frank Ferrer
Daniel Adair
Jeff Hamilton
Bernard Purdie

Sabian vs Zildjian?

Sabian and Zildjian were the two most popular cymbal brands for decades. They’re tied very closely together in history as Sabian was actually started by a member of the Zildjian family.

The gap has closed in recent times between Zildjian and Sabian and the other cymbal companies. However, the two brands still have stiff competition between them.

It’s important to know that one brand is not better or more superior than the other. They both make excellent cymbals. The choice of which brand to go with purely comes down to personal preference.

If you like the sound of Sabian cymbals, you should get Sabian cymbals. The same thing goes with Zildjian.

On the flip side, you could mix and match between both brands!

Things To Consider:

Sabian AAX Cymbal Pack for Studio Recording

The AAX cymbals work fairly well in recording studios. This is mostly true for brighter styles of music like rock and metal. They cut incredibly easily through mixes, so they’ll be clearly heard in a professional mix.

However, a full set of Sabian AAX cymbals won’t be the most ideal setup for a professional studio recording. Recording engineers like to work with darker and more complex cymbals as those tend to sound much better in a final mix.

If you’re planning on taking these cymbals to a recording, it would be ideal to mix them with a few darker cymbal options. As we said earlier, the AAX and HHX cymbals from Sabian work very well when you mix them together.

Your setup could mostly have AAX cymbals with a few darker options here and there.

Sabian AAX Cymbal Pack for a Live Gig

Live gigs are where the AAX cymbals really shine. They’re bright and cutting, so they sound amazing on big stages. They feed well off the energy of live drumming, having tones that interact well with hard and energetic playing.

Even if you play them softly, they’ll travel easily through a venue and be heard very clearly. They’ll cut easily through heavy mixes and be at the forefront of your drum set sound.

They also look great. If you polish them up and keep them looking fresh and new, a set of Sabian AAX cymbals will look fantastic under stage lights. While tone and feel is the main thing to consider with cymbals, it can’t hurt to think about aesthetics as well.

Sabian AAX Cymbal Pack Review
  • Build Quality
  • Performance
  • Price to Value
4.3

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a new set of cymbals, the Sabian AAX set may just fit exactly what you’re looking for. You should get the pack if it fits into your budget and the settings you usually find yourself playing in.

The AAX cymbals are excellent. They’re bright, cutting, and slightly complex compared to similar bright cymbals from other brands. You won’t be disappointed with these, especially if you play in heavy band environments.

Sabian is an excellent cymbal brand. Most drummers are always happy with their selection of Sabians!

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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