Best Crash Cymbals

Updated: August 22nd, 2022

Each piece of your drum kit – from the cymbals to the drums – plays a unique role in helping you boost creativity with your drumming style. Newcomers to drumming get caught unawares when they realize the brass crash cymbal that came with their kit has a cheap sound and needs replacement.

Crash cymbals are available over a wide range of prices, each made of a variety of materials. When most drummers, whether professional or beginners, think of a cymbal, this unit is what they have in mind. These cymbals add some color to your drumming style, with a powerful sound that accent beats.

With hundreds of options to choose from, finding the best crash cymbals for your situation can seem daunting, especially for those new to the drumming environment. Here, you will discover excellent options that are usable in a wide variety of musical situations. The article also gives you a piece of guided information to enhance your overall experience.

Our Top Picks:

• Best Overall: Sabian SBR1811 18-Inch Crash/Ride Cymbal
• Runner-Up:  Zildjian 14-Inch S Thin Crash
• Budget Option: Meinl 14-Inch Crash Cymbal (HCS14C)
• Best Vintage Model: Meinl Cymbals Byzance 18-Inch Crash B18SAMC
• Best Custom Model: Zildjian 18-Inch A-Custom Projection Crash 

Overview of the Best Crash Cymbals

Top 5 Crash Cymbals: Reviews

 

Sabian SBR1811 18-Inch Crash/Ride Cymbal – Best Overall

As an upgrade to their first-ever brass cymbal, Sabian provides the incredible SBR1811 to new drummers who want to become better at what they do. Like all the cymbals in the SBR series, this crash cymbal is from a unique formula brass alloy that helps keep the cost down. It has a medium weight that, together with the Sabian profile, gives it a look of authenticity. 

Despite being made of brass, the company applies the same high-pressure hammering and hand lathing it uses on the more expensive bronze cymbals. This proper treatment makes the sound tight and more unique than expected. The brass is also thick and will be appreciated by a student drummer during practice.

SBR1811 is a dual-purpose cymbal that delivers a full ride and also a massive crash all at the same time. Its diameter means it is large enough to give off a loud volume. This property makes the sound not too dull or too bright, ideal for one cymbal gigs or recordings. The decay is fast, and the bell sound is as lively as it can get. Its finish has a crisp sheen that outshines most other models, and the stick response is immaculate.

Zildjian 14-Inch S Thin Crash – Runner-Up

This unit is a lovely bright cymbal with a delightful cutting sound. Despite being thin, it is not going to bend or break easily even after numerous strikes. Instead, it produces a nice break and has more of a dark resounding crash tone. It is a versatile cymbal that works excellently for practices and any musical style. 

As part of the Zildjian S series, this model has been rated nicely with other more expensive cymbals based on decay after being hit and sound. The material has a brilliant finish that aids in the creation of great musical tones.

Meinl 14-Inch Crash Cymbal (HCS14C) – Budget Option

A small budget does not necessarily mean terrible sounding cymbals. This Meinl cymbal does a great job of producing decent tones even at its cost. It is part of the HCS cymbal series designed for students and beginner drummers who have not chosen their music style. 

The cymbal can be used with another to create hi-hats, although the sounds are quieter in comparison. It allows users to experiment as much as they can without worrying about ruining an expensive instrument. Its construction material is a durable brass alloy resistant to practice blows and will hold up to the force beginners may inflict on it.

HCS14C’s structure is curved to produce a fast response speed with a balanced sustain and high pitch. It is usable for a variety of music styles as it offers an excellent sound output. When used together with drumsticks, brushes, or mallets, it produces a variety of bright sounds. If you want to feel like a professional drummer when using this cymbal, a look at the logo spread on the surface is enough to get you there.

Meinl Cymbals Byzance 18-Inch Crash B18SAMC – Best Vintage Model

Meinl expert artisans in Turkey are known to handcraft the Meinl Byzance. It was created to produce vintage sounds that equal an old cymbal. This feat is achieved by subjecting the surface of the cymbal to a sandblast. A sandblast technique reduces the frequency and gives it soft dry sounds that appeal to drummers. 

The model is then hammered with the most careful designs on the plate’s thin side near the edges, leaving a round center for a smooth and extra dry shimmering sound output. It is made from cast B20 bronze and presents a unique contrast of finishes that combine special techniques of hammering and turning. 

The B18SAMC has a dynamic sound that you can quickly adapt to any drumming style. Its dry sounds caused by the light edge structure offer a depth and intricate decay, unlike most cymbals. Its fast response makes it easy for new musicians to understand the different tones the cymbal emits. It is excellent for persons that care much about the quality of music that he/she produces.

Zildjian 18-Inch A-Custom Projection Crash – Best Custom Model

Factors that determine the tone of a crash cymbal

Since the cymbals set the sound of your drum set and there are a whole lot of cymbals to choose from, it becomes necessary for you to know what to look for. The interaction of the following six parameters is what makes up a cymbal’s tone. While individual specifications can affect a cymbal’s sound, there are critical considerations. So, you do not have to overly focus on all of them to be as perfect as possible.

Material composition: The material composition of a cymbal is its constituent elements. There are four primary metal alloys used for cymbal-making – bell bronze, malleable bronze, brass, and nickel silver. The two most used are brass and bronze. Raw cymbals feature brass, which is a combination of copper and zinc. Brass alloy is a cheap material that we see in beginner models. 

The bronze alloy, a blend of copper and tin, used to make other more expensive cymbals. According to a TMS journal, a significant price difference exists between instruments made of valuable metals and less expensive materials. If the tin content is high, the bronze cymbal becomes more desirable to the drummer. 

B8 alloy cymbals comprise 8% tin, and they are known to produce clear sounds. The B20 alloy for professional models emits warm sounds.

Diameter: Its diameter and thickness determine the dimension of a cymbal. Before buying a new unit, you need to choose a style that defines the right cymbal. Cymbals with wider dimensions have tremendous potential for volume. Plates less than 16-inch saturate quickly and sound halfheartedly compared to the broader versions. 

Since the sound is essential and improves with diameter, a wider cymbal is suitable when playing in a concert or any noisy environment. So a beginner drummer playing at his/her house may not bother much. But a more advanced drummer will need to. 

If the drummer is uncertain about what to get, a set of crash cymbals is always the best way to go. A collection often consists of 14, 16, 18, and 20-inch crash cymbals. Owning a set helps you vary your style or try out something new conveniently.

Weight and Thickness: When it comes to your crash cymbals’ harmonic content, the weight and thickness matter, as pointed out earlier. Scientists researching sound absorption in metals found that metal fiber diameter and thickness can affect its loudness at high-pressure levels. Generally, the more metal gets used in a cymbal, the less responsive it will be. Thinner cymbals tend to be brighter and warmer, while thicker cymbals tend to be darker. 

Depending on the weight of a cymbal, it may or may not be better suited to specific drumming styles. For instance, the thick cymbal sounds are great for hard rock, loud bands, and any form of Metal variation. Sounds are easy to hear on a large stage, but its response time is slow, and the resonance is wider. 

The lighter models described as Medium, thin, or jazz are much more preferred as their attenuation implies a quick response to impact.

Profile: The profile of your cymbal is the angle it forms due to its design. It has a significant effect on the plate’s output. Flat models provide better harmonic overtones, while curvier units produce higher pitches.

Bell Size: The bell on your plate, although it seems insignificant, plays a significant role in the harmonic sound of your crash cymbal. The larger the bell, the powerful the cymbal and the richer the sound.

Manufacturing Process: Last but not least, the process used by a manufacturer to create a cymbal is crucial. Producing cast cymbals entail molten metal getting poured into a mold. Sheet cymbals are units that get cut from metal and formed into the desired shape. 

Cast cymbals can offer a better tone, though models made in this way are less consistent than sheets. Cymbals can also be hand or machine-hammered. In machine-hammering, a machine hammer is guided by an employee or done technically. 

Hand-hammered cymbals, on the other hand, involve an artisan wielding a hammer and striking the alloy. This process is more desirable as the craftsman guides the process the whole time and keeps watch. However, hand-hammered cymbals are much costlier than those made with a machine due to manual labor.

Final Thoughts

Cymbals are part of the percussion instruments that make up a drum set. Often, however, the crash cymbals sold along with the average drum kit is nothing to boast about and needs replacing as soon as the drummer can differentiate sounds and figure out his/her style. 

Bronze cymbals are the best in the market, but their high cost makes them unreachable at times. In such cases, brass crash cymbals will suffice. If you are playing pro or you want your percussion instruments to last you for a long while, go for quality at a great price.