Low-volume cymbals are excellent for drummers who need to lower the volume of their kit but don’t want to play with cymbal mutes, practice pads or electronic cymbals.
They provide the best feel, the best sound dynamics and the best stick response of all the volume reduction options out there.
There are even enough different options out there from different brands that have different volume and sound characteristics. This means you can find a set of low-volume cymbals that has the type of volume and tone that you prefer to best match your own drumming situation. Here’s our recommendations for 2023.
Zildjian L80 Cymbals
The Zildjian L80 low volume cymbals are widely known and widely used enough that they could probably be referred to as the industry standard.
These cymbals offer a whopping 80% in volume reduction and also maintain a nice tone throughout all the cymbals sizes and types available. The sound reduction might be too quiet for some. But if the goal is to get as quiet as possible, that’s where these cymbals excel.
If you want the most quiet, most smooth sounding low-volume cymbals – and you don’t mind paying the more premium price for the Zildjian brand – these are the cymbals you will want to try out.
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Evans dB One Cymbals
Evans dB One low volume cymbals have been a great addition to the options available on the market. They have a pleasant sound and respond well to dynamic play styles.
The Evans dB One cymbals reduce the volume by around 70% and have a brighter, more energetic sound compared to something like the Zildjian L80’s. So they offer a nice combination of reduced volume and brighter sound with sounding harsh on the ears.
Cymbal packs have recently been reduced in price and at their current pricing are very affordable for the quality. Another thing to consider with these cymbals from Evans is that you can also purchase them in packs with their low volume drum heads, which are excellent as well.
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Agean Regular R Cymbals
The Agean Regular R low-volume cymbals aren’t as quiet as some competitors but they make up for it by having an excellent tone and feel. They are closer to the weight and sound of traditional cymbals.
These cymbals will get your around a 40-50% reduction in total volume from a comparative traditional cymbal. Agean hasn’t designed these to be as extremely quiet as the Zildjian or the Evans cymbals, but they are still low-volume cymbals. They are a little heavier in weight and not as thin or extreme with the holes.
Drummers who go for these are typically still wanting to retain some of the body of a traditional cymbal sound while also reducing the volume for practice or low-volume gig purposes. They are also probably the most expensive of any low-volume cymbals we’ve looked at.
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Graynor Music
Sabian Quiet Tone Cymbals
The Sabian Quiet Tone low-volume cymbals are designed to be fairly quiet but with a brighter high frequency tone.
The Quiet Tone cymbals cut the volume by around 60-70% depending on how hard you play them. They have a brighter tone than some competitors and they also have a bright bell sound on the ride. They are a little more thin and light like the Zildjian or the Evans cymbals.
If you want a low-volume cymbal that has a brighter tone than the Zildjian L80’s, these will do the trick.
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