The line contains two stack combinations, which are gaining popularity in a range of drummers’ set-ups. These two stack set-ups each have a unique sound when played separately, but combine nicely together. Get one, get both – it’s a winner either way.
8/10” Splash Stack
This combination of a Splash and a Mini China cut through clearly and quickly, and was a great way to punctuate accents when tight together. When loosened, the cymbals create a nice “white noise” electronic hi-hat sound, airy and with a longer sustained note.
12/10” Splash Stack
This stack is lower pitched than the 8/10, and I enjoyed them more than the smaller stack as they felt and sounded meatier with less high end attack. With the wingnut tighter, they’re great for accents and their tone complements nicely. With the wingnut looser, you get more white noise effect, which cuts through better. Out of the two, this set was my favourite as I found it was versatile and responsive to everything I threw at it (which was only drumsticks, I promise).
20” Swiss Medium Crash
This crash was surprisingly full sounding to my ear in a pleasant way. The multiple holes in the cymbal didn’t have the effect I was expecting, and the cymbal produced plenty of cut and volume as well as complex, trashy sounds. Lots of fun to ride on, this crash is more versatile than you might expect and could be used as both an effects cymbal as well as a main crash in a high volume context.
12“Cajon Hi-Hats
These hi-hats are very bright and high pitched, with great stick definition and a classic defined “chick” sound, similar to the 2002 series or new beat hi-hats. They offer a very bright and thin tone when played open, not as pleasant to my ear as the closed crisp sound. They also feature a clear “chick” sound when played with foot, which would be very useful in a percussion set-up, an acoustic low volume kit set-up or as an auxiliary set of hi-hats.
16“ Cajon Crash
The small cluster of holes near the bell of the cymbal creates a shorter decay, but maintains plenty of tone and volume. These hi-hats are very responsive, open up quickly and speak clearly with minimal effort yet cut through easily. They offer a pleasant, warm, full tone when played at softer volumes, which fits the intended contexts of percussionist set-ups or acoustic performances perfectly.
The PST X range of cymbals serve as a great way to explore some new sounds and effects without breaking your budget or needing to resort to crack cymbals to create cymbal stacks. If you want to add some bright yet different sounds to your set-up or some cymbals to your percussion rig, you might find what you’re looking for in this range.
