This hi hat is raw in every sense, both sonically and aesthetically. What I really liked about it is the open and chick sound. Very nice for funky patterns. VERY NICE. Unfortunately I really disliked the closed sound, especially on the body. It was full of high ringing tones and also a substantial low humming tone. I've placed a wide bottom hihat felt inside the bell of the bottom cymbal and this took care of the low humming to an extent. I also had to make a triangle with gaff tape inside the bottom cymbal, to take away even more of the low hum. Passable. For the top cymbal I had to replace the bottom felt with a large one in order to control some of the ringing, but it was still there, although acceptable. What was strange is that the ringing frequencies and the amount of them changed drastically if I rotated the cymbal. At some spots the ringing was almost non-existent while on others it was beyond acceptable. Without this ringing this hihat would be quite good for the price. And now the aesthetic rawness: both cymbals came with lots of scratches both on the inside and on the outside, especially around the bell. I get it, it's raw. And I'd get used to it. What bothered me the most was that the hole in the bottom cymbal was way off center. You could spot it visually right away and of course the cymbal was severely tilted when mounted on a stand. Sure, they are relatively inexpensive, but drilling a hole exactly in the center is not rocket science, unless this is done by someone using a hand drill, and even then it's perfectly possible. At the end, I had to return this hihat, because it was simply too raw in all respects and based on this experience I'll stay away from Zultan. They're just not suitable for picky ears.
