Hi hat shoot-out: 14" A Zildjian New Beats vs. 14" K Zildjian hi hats

How does a pair of 45-year-old A Zildjian New Beat hi hats compare with a much newer pair of K Zildjian hi hats?

I’ve had the same 14” A Zildjian New Beat hi hats since about 1980 or 1981. I’ve used them to play everything from rock, pop, and folk to jazz and even musical theater. To me, these hi hats are what hi hats sound like.

But over the last 20 years or so I’ve mostly transitioned to K Zildjians for my other cymbals. So I’ve been wondering if I’d like some K Zildjian hats. Well, thanks to the truly excellent service Cymbal Swap (https://cymbalswap.com), I was able to rent some K Zildjian hats and give them an extended tryout. The ones I received are from 1997.

I was surprised with what I heard, and in short, they’re not quite for me.

What I like:
—Nice stick definition
—Very nice, defined foot-closed “chick”

What I don’t like:
—Higher pitch compared with the New Beats

The top K cymbal is heavier than the top New Beat. That creates some great definition but also contributes to a higher pitch.

I do wonder if more recent K hats would sound different. After all, the Zildjian website says K hats are actually dark and low pitched! So maybe the model has changed over the years. Still, the videos I’ve seen online sound like the newer ones remain in the same pitch zone as the older ones. And the weight specs look to be about the same.

Anyway, I do think these K hi hats sound great. And they’d work for just about all genres. They’d definitely cut through many mixes. But I think I’d rather keep looking for a lower-pitched pair of hats or better yet just keep using my tried-and-true New Beats.

Equipment
—DW drums
—A Zildjian New Beat hi hats
—K Zildjian hi hats
—Blue Hummingbird mics for the hi hats and overheads
—SM57 on snare; AKG D112 on kick
—Apogee Element 88
—Logic Pro
—Fujifilm X100V
—Final Cut Pro