MEINL Byzance Brilliant Medium Crash Cymbal 18 in.

When I took it out of the bag I loved the shine of it. This cymbal has a great washy attack preceding glossy brilliance. It's loud but not too loud. With a solid thickness it is easy to bash on as well ease in with a soft hit. Great cymbal and for the price.

Soooo.... I had extremely high expectations for this cymbal based on what I had heard on youtube and from Meinl's website. I expected it to have at least a little warmth to the sound of it and I wanted something that I could be comfortable crashing on. This thing did not do it for me, unfortunately, the sound of this cymbal is so trashy that I honestly hated the thing the minute I hit it. It is extremely loud, I got the 18" version, and I was just really unhappy with it. I ended taking it back and getting an A custom 18", which is cheaper and honestly sounds a hell of a lot better.

I recently got a $3000 upgrade for my drum equipment, including a new set, cymbals, and all new hardware. Coming from a guy who has used Sabian B8s for 1 1/2 years, I DESPERATELY needed new cymbals. I winged it when it came to getting cymbals, and went with Meinl. This crash came out of nowhere and just blew me away. I have another 18" (Soundcaster Custom Powerful) crash, and it is a lot lower and darker than it, but sounds perfect in any style of music. It's also REALLY loud, especially for a medium weight, so definitely wear ear protection. Highly recommended for hard rock and metal.

2nd review. something i realized so had to say. The brilliance of this cymbal is not heard in the overtone, instead it makes it thrashy. This is a very thrashy cymbal. Id use it more as a accent crash rather than one i would ride as a suggestion. Sadly, i recently traded it in for a traditional medium crash when mine broke (i lovve warrentys) and found the traditional less thrashy and had more warmth. Either way, they both are outstanding cymbals, but the thrashiness might be a problem if you dont want it

when i took it out of the box at my local gc, the guys were droolin over it, and i was to. it has a beautiful finish, and sounds even better. i was wooried about it being to brilliant sounding since it does have a brilliant finish, buit it has such a dark undertone that it dosnt act brilliant at all. i love this cymbal, it is a lil thinner than im used to, but it sounds so good. theres a reason many drummers are switching to meinl, and with cymbals like this, i dont blame them

I needed a large upgrade for a medium crash cymbal, and I had heard so many good things about MEINL cymbals that I just had to check this one out. After I pulled it out of the box I tried it, and it was phenomenal. The sound of it filled the room, and I can wail on it without worrying about it's durability. The sustain is amazing and it definitely has stage presence. Two thumbs up.