Zultan 20" Ride Dark Matter

This cymbal sounds great, and is great value for money. The main sound of it is very dark, as its name would suggest, but there are plenty of harmonics going on towards the end of each hit, which make it sound rather complex. It works well for playing jazz, but also for playing in situations where you don't want the ride to cut through very subtle guitar work, such as ambient or post-rock music. The finish looks fantastic and the cymbal itself feels quite durable. For the money, it definitely stands up against cymbals which cost nearly twice as much, and doesn't at all sound 'budget'.

First of all, this ride is excellent for the price! I even say it is among the more versatile ones on the budget-level, and even in the slightly higher price range. Not the top turkish cymbal brand, that title goes for Agean cymbals, hands down! Still, very nice! Warm tone, not glassy at all, slightly quiet (maybe 80-90% of the volume of a regular cymbal), so if you play a lot of ballads and low dynamic parts, this will sound great. But if you choose this because of the videos and sound samples, I have to warn you! The bell of it will not be as clean and loud as the videos and samples suggest! Not even close! So if you use the bell a lot, consider a different ride. This is still great in a less distortion-heavy music, pop or pop-rock, but not recommended for heavier styles or jazz either. Ok, for some forms of jazz it might work, but still. This cymbal dissappointed me a bit with it's bell (but just because I expected more because of the sound samples). I'm curious to see how it will age sound-wise, also curious about how crackable it might turn out to be, but... Is it a budget-level ride? Well... regarding the price, yes. Regarding the sound, it is above budget-level. The bell itself is the weak point, the rest is way better than a budget-level ride. Do I recommend it? Depends a lot on your style of playing and the music you play. Would I buy it again? Not sure. As a secondary ride though, works quite well.