Review: Sabian Quiet Tone Low Volume Cymbals

How Do The Sabian Quiet Tone Cymbals Sound?

Before we dig into some more of the details about these cymbals, let’s take a quick look at our sound demo to see what they sound like. We compare them with a normal volume acoustic drum kit to hear the difference in sound and to hear how much the volume is reduced when using the Sabian Quiet Tone cymbals.

Feel & Playability

I like how these cymbals feel, they are similar to other top tier low volume cymbals in how they play. They feel about the same as normal cymbals in terms of how the stick feels when striking the cymbal, so there really isn’t any sacrifice in terms of sticking action and rebound. They also move and sway just like a normal cymbal, so you can mount them the same way you’d mount normal cymbals and they’ll feel the same.

The sizes are the same as normal acoustic cymbals as well so they will feel about the same in regards to how they fit on your kit. When I installed them I didn’t have to move any of my cymbal stands around or anything, I was able to just drop them on the stands in their current configuration and get to playing.

Volume

These volume reduction of these cymbals is around 70-80% depending on how aggressively you play. To me they sound about the same in terms of volume as the Evans dB One cymbals. They have much less projection and a thinner sound than normal acoustic cymbals and I can play these without hearing protection when I have mesh drum heads on my kit. These cymbals pair well with Remo Silentstroke heads or Evans dB One heads for full drum kit volume reduction.

Tone

I like the tone of these cymbals, all things considered. They have a thinner, lighter tone than a traditional cymbal and the overtones fade out more quickly than traditional acoustic cymbals, which is what contributes to making them much more quiet.

The crash cymbal is quiet but bright. The hi-hats retain a nice sizzle even though they are quiet. The ride cymbal can double as a crash cymbal and has a nice ping on the bow as well as decent bell sound for a low volume cymbal.

The tone of the bell on the ride is also excellent compared to other low volume cymbals I’ve tried and is something that stands out to me when I’m playing these. These are worth trying out if a good bell sound is important to your play style due to that factor.

Build Quality

The overall quality of these cymbals is excellent. They look clean and shiny right out of the box. The stainless steel alloy used for these cymbals give off a visual feeling of quality which matches their build. After playing them for a while, they do get a little scuffed up but they still look sharp. The fact that they aren’t painted helps them look nice longer into their life span. I haven’t have any issues with finish wearing off, denting, or other things like that.

The holes and edges of the cymbals are smooth and there aren’t any sharp edges, which I like. This keeps them from chipping away at your drum sticks while you play.

They display the type of build quality that you would expect from any other Sabian cymbal, so that’s a good thing. Sabian isn’t really cutting corners here with fit and finish.

Durability

The overall durability is another strength of these cymbals. The stainless steel alloy used in construction is strong and stands up to fairly aggressive playing. They are a thinner type of cymbal though, with a lot of holes punched through them, so I’d recommend to treat these about the same as any other thin acoustic cymbal to get the best life out of them. And as with any other type of cymbal, bashers could wear them out over time.

Playing Live

For playing live in low volume settings these can be a workable option. This is mostly due to the brightness in their sound, and the stronger bell sound also makes them appealing.

These can also be a good option for low-volume cymbals for practicing with a band. They sound good enough and can be played dynamically while being quiet, and can sit well in a mix with other instruments.

Cymbal Types & Cymbal Packs

Sabian currently offers the Quiet Tone cymbals in the following types and sizes:

• 13 and 14 Inch Hi-Hats
• 16 and 18 Inch Crash
• 18 Inch Crash Ride
• 20 Inch Ride

The Quiet Tone lineup doesn’t include any china or splash cymbal options, which could be a negative for some drummers.

They currently package these cymbals into the following sets:

• 14 Inch Hi-Hat, 16 and 18 Inch Crash, 20 Inch Ride
• 13 Inch Hi-Hat, 14 Inch Crash, 18 Inch Crash Ride
• 14 Inch Hi-Hat, 16 Inch Crash, 20 Inch Ride
• 13 Inch Hi-Hats, 18 Inch Crash Ride

The Verdict

The Sabian Quiet tone cymbals overall are good quality low-volume cymbals. They look sharp and are very durable in construction, and the stainless steel looks good even after they are put through a lot of use. Drummers like their bright sound and slightly louder wash/sustain and the bell sound on the ride is strong. It’s hard to go wrong with these for Sabian fans.