Zildjian Gen16 vs L80 vs Agean Low Noise Cymbals natural sound comparison 

since the loudest is the one with the best sound, we can conclude: cymbals are not meant to be quiet.

The most silent cymbals is L80, but I think Agean sounds better. It sounds like a real cymbal.

The Zildjian L80 cymbals don’t sound THAT bad! Sure they may sound dull, but if your in a situation where playing your drum set is impossible without having noise complaints, these seem to be the best option. Just my opinion though.

L80 wins the quietness. But the Agean sounds really good as a lower volume cymbal that still sounds like a regular cymbal.

Agean is definitely the best option but also the loudest. They sound that good though, I can imagine myself using these with acoustic set on smaller venues where the cymbal volume is a problem. Thanks for the comparison!

The whole point is to have *Low-Volume* in order to play in apartment situations or inside a house and not annoy others you live with as well as being quiet for the neighbors. Zildjian L-80 Low Volume Cymbals are much quieter than the others. Aegean Cymbals sound like regular cymbals so they wouldn't work even though they sound very good but much too loud. They'd be perfect for small club performances though, not in apartment /house /neighbors situation.

Agean is the best! The B25 metal alloy of them is perfect!

What most people don't understand: the brighter the sound of the cymbals, the less volume they need in order to be "too loud". So agean are doing it right: bringing down the volume without pitching the tone higher. They sound enjoyable, and are therefore less loud than any zildjian solution, as those do not work acoustically at all. Sorry, but i have really expected zildjian to come up with a product as good as the ageans, but after nearly 10 years now on the market, they have not learned a thing.... sigh...

Fantastic video as always. Agean sounds better than all, it's a great choice to use the electronic drums and mic only the Cymbals. That yes will be the definitive test.

Agean do sound a hell of a lot better in my ears! Depending how quiet you need it but if you want the sound, these are way better than both sets of Zildjians! You can here the stick hitting metal more than the actual cymbal sound!! But then, if they’re loads quieter and that’s what you need, then fair enough...go for them. I’d personally get the agean.

this video was very enlightening for me, i ended up buying the L80. I thought Gen's sound was better, closer to natural, but when the drum groove was put in, the L80 behaved better in every context. I'm super satisfied with mine, it opened up possibilities for me to play in places I couldn't before. Tanks

🎼🇮🇹 Agean 🇮🇹🎼

Massive thanks for this. In November 2020 it seems Zildjian is discontinuing their Gen 16 line, so I’m looking for alternatives. Will definitely look a little more into the Agean brand. Thanks again.

Agean R Series for sure!

The Agean sound very nice, not as quiet as the L80s which would make the Agean perfect for a small gig. The L80s is definitely the best choice if you want the quietest for practice.

Ageans were best. These might work for me as a tinnitus sufferer for live playing. Enough volume to be picked up by overheads perhaps but easier on the ear!

I just set up cymbal stands with no cymbals, but I use my mouth to make the sound of the cymbal whenever I hit the air where the cymbal would be, and I keep a microphone near my mouth. It sounds great.

Those Ageans sound so good! Like a real and a GOOD real cymbal, might i add. They are the loudest, but god damn i'd play the hell out of those.

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Great video. Those Agean cymbals sound the best.

The agean set sounds really good

Those Agean sound so sweet.

Good comparison. For my application the L80s are the best option. I agree that the Ageans sound the best and if I ever need a small gig option I would look for those...but that day will not arrive anytime soon. Either way its great to have two solid options for two completely different situations

The Agean actually sounds awesome, unlke all the others.

If you think about it, on the spectrum from full cymbal with no holes all the way down to L80, basically what you are doing is trading off cymbal sound in exchange for quietness. Less metal = less volume, but also less material to contribute to the complexity of the tone. So to get down the the quietness of the L80, you have to give up some of what contributes to a great cymbal sound. Which means it really comes down to priority. The Ageans sound better no doubt, but if you live in a multi-floor apartment complex or live in a home situation where volume is a major issue and potentially will prevent you from being able to play when you want to play, then the quietness of the L80s will trump the superior sound quality of the Ageans. If you can live with the Ageans being louder, and don't mind basically paying the same price you'd pay for pro-level Zildjians or Sabians, then you'd go with those. But it's kinda like 2 different use cases depending on how much volume you can tolerate, and the L80s basically give you the quietest cymbals that still sound and feel close enough to actual cymbals to be a good practice aid.

agean sound incredible damn good job guys

The question I have is how does it all sound from the player's point of view when headphones are blaring the drum kit. What I mean is, is it a better playing experience going this route rather than e-cymbals? The Ageans are def intriguing

To me the Agean sounded the best overall with the exception of the hats. I think the Gen 16 hats were my preference. L80's are nice if you need the absolute quietest cymbals.

Aegan sounds great, but Zildjan gen ride and china sounds better. Real low volume are L80 but sounds like plastic😀. Great comparision👍.

Agean.I Want Them.

Agean sounds beautiful!!

In my opinion the Agean cymbals sound best, but also they are the loudest ... So don`t know if they are the right choice

I have the L80, but I'm torn between sound quality vs quietness. L80 is the most silent but also sounds like crap. So I guess it boils down to what's more important to you: Sound quality vs. quietness.

What are the volume differences?

I really really wanna hear what a stack would sound like with that Aegean China and the 18 inch crash

Based on this video, the ageans sound excellent, especially the ride and china cymbals. However, I can tell you, that the Zildjian´s sound worse in the video, than they really are (I own a big set of L80s and Gen16s). For example, the L80 10" Splash and the Gen16 16" China sound really fine, not that trashy and "empty", as in this video. Also the 16" crash of the Gen16 series sounds really decent. Gen16´s 20" ride tends to have a lot of high frequencies, especially for the bell. I was able to minimize that by using 2-3 of the dampening pins. In the end, we have to try out those cymbals live on our own ;-)

The L80s do what the whole point of the quieter cymbals does, reduce the volume tremendously while still sounding like a regular cymbal. The Agean sounds better, but is not as quiet. The L80s are the best of both worlds.

To me, the L80s are the best of the bunch since they do what they are supposed to do (play quietly) best. The other ones have some annoying high frequency buildup that sustains too long. The L80s have a more "dry"sound with less sustain which I like. Also for those of you that do green screen, it is better to have a non reflective / non shiny cymbal, otherwise it might not work well with greenscreen.

Are agean cymbals compatible with rtom black in terms of volume? Does it sounds good for an acoustic concert? With an acoustic guitar?

In order for quality: 1. Aegan 2. Gen 16 3. L80 This is coming from a major zildjan fan so...

I'm very surprised none of these drum companies have created acoustic drum heads/cymbals for MEDIUM volume. You can't use these cymbals/heads acoustically in a live gig because they're too quiet, but regular drums are often too loud. Whoever first creates drums that can register around 85 decibels will probably rule the market.

I Think That if you want Low volume you go to the l80 but if You want Real Symbal sound You Go to Agean, I go to L80 i want a quite Practice :)

drumtecTV - haven’t you guys gotten your hands on Sabian’s Quiet Tone cymbals yet? Would be awesome to see a full on comparison of Zildjian, Sabian, Aegean, WHD & Chang silent cymbals. I’m trying to decide on which sound nicer - surprisingly, Zildjian’s L80s are not on the top of my list - I think even Chang’s J series and Gear4Music’s home brand WHD low volume cymbals have better tone than the L80s - of course the Aegean R series is tops! Zildjian lowers volume at the cost of tone 🙁 but perhaps Zildjian will start selling Gen16s cheaper without the triggers 🤗 I want to use a set of silent cymbals as part of an acoustic Mapex maple-walnut shell kit and a Ludwig steel snare with RTOMs - so no triggers - just mic’ing them all through a mixer.

Waiting for the next video with the drums connected

you guys should get your hands on the new Sabian quiet tone cymbals to try out too.

the ageans sound great, but how would one go about putting them through front of house along with their electric kit in a live setting?

1. I LIKE THE L 80 MORE CAUSE THEY ARE QUIETER .... THEY GO ALONG WITHE THE PURPOSE OF THE OF NOISE REDUCTION FOLLOWD BY GEN 16 YET AGEAN IS MORE OF A GENERAL LOUD ACOUSTIC DRUM SO IT IS THE OPPOSITE WHEN YOU NEED LOUD SOUND ON A LOUDER ENVIRONMENT

the Argeans look the nicest although sound slightly louder

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 L80 the best for me.

The Agean sounds good enough to use at a small gig. Zildjian for the neighbors, though.

Are the Agean cymbals significantly quieter than standard cymbals. I know they are louder than the zildjian but it's hard to tell how they compare in volume to traditional cymbals.

For the record, these are supposed to be low noise cymbals. They aren't necessarily meant to sound great, they are really intended for practice and for electronic kits. L80 is the obvious choice. Granted the Agean cymbals sound more like real cymbals, but isn't that just defeating the purpose of having a low noise cymbal? It's only a little quieter. You might as well just play softer on regular cymbals. For low noise L80 is fantastic.

They sound great. What a wonderful alternative.! Zildjian have nearly no tone. L80 is all attack. Aegean are actually useful as instruments!

As someone considering a similar setup, this video is very helpful to judge how much the sound of pad strikes bleeds into the overheads. But is there any example for room mics? How much would the pads be heard (relative to the cymbals) from 5-10 meters away?

Agean😍😍😍

R 👌Very nice tone

Great video! What is this heads and rubber rims on the drums? Which company makes them? Thanks

I would use the gen16 for fx they sound kinda mystical

Im a zildjian fanatic... however there's nothing l like about their low vol stuff. The Agaen just sound better. If you want quiet, play air drums. If something doesnt sound good, l dont enjoy playing. That said, l would love to have a full set of the Agaen just for cafe gigs. Then l could play as normal, but have a killer, yet quieter sound.. Match that with a 6 piece drum tech kit, a td50, and SD2.... what more could l want?

L80 crashes sound like toys., the Aegean sound bright and splashy with sustain and most like regular cymbals, but for me, the Gen16 are golden. And they are the quietest.

It's a bit of an odd shoot out really as they are all so different. The L80's are going for pure sound level reduction with no serious attempt to actually sound good. The Gen16's and the Agean's are so different - the gens sound sweet and ethereal, where as the agean's sound aggressive and a bit trashy - let's face it, we want both ! I personally own 2 sets of Gen16's (with pickups and brains - one nickel and one brass) and I really like them, but I quite fancy a few of these ageans to mix in.

Again super

That L80 ride sounds good as hell. Super dry.

Seems to me the right compromise between volume, tone and feel is the Zildjian Gen 16 series.... I agree these cymbals were designed for low noise applications so makes no sense for them to sound close to a regular cymbal.... like the Aegean's. L80's are just souless.... not much different from rubber cymbals in my opinion. I own bronze Gen 16's and they work great in my apartment, no complaints from the neighbours.

Have you considered the sabian ones?

And where are the Sabian Quiet Tone Cymbals?

Does anyone know the actual db readings for these Ageans. I have watched videos for the zildjian and sabian low volumes. Just wondering how much louder these are.

in my opinion Agean sound best but if your looking for something more quiet I think the Zildjian are better for that

Good Job guys!

This may sound like a stupid question... But the Zildjian Gen 16 pickups can be used with other brand low volume cymbals right?

DIY triggering maybe, but spectacular very musical low noise, pleasant, so, acoustically mic approved too (Agean R set)... But in case of micking: edit, post (clean tracks, production takes and samples) mmmm maybe the sound separation from the drum kit (extreme top high end frequencies) of Zildjian Gen16 be useful for trimming, etc.

I have a set of the Agean cymbals and they sound great except the hi hat. The hi hat in your video sounds better than mine. Have you heared a variation from 1 set to the next?

I'm looking for a way to have a cymbal that sounds like a cymbal but not so deafening. None of these are really what I want. I don't want to hear the sticks more than the cymbals. Is there anything that helps with that?

How is the durability on the Ageans?

IMHO the Agean sound the best.

Could you please put the Gen16 pickups on the Agean "R" cymbals and run them throught the Gen16 module? I'd watch that for sure.

Those gen16's are the perfect middle, the Ageans do sound better but compared to the Zildjians they're pretty damn loud for a "silent" cymbal not to mention they're also quite expensive..... they're ugly tho'. The L80's sound a little "meh" but are very silent.... not the prettiest cymbals either with that ugly finish, the Gen 16's seem the best allround option, nice tone, somewhat affordable, not too loud and they look nice.

How many decibels we get from Agean? (just for a comparasion to regular ones that can reach 120).

Did the drummer share his preference?

Low Volume has the wrost sound, but the volume is more balanced to the drumhead.

Watch in 2x... sounds super trippy

better to play with a more dull sound for not so high price, than not play at all because its too loud

Love these the best

Agean won, it has more vol, i think is the best cymbals quiet in the market.

I don't understand why these low volume cymbals demos don't include a normal volume drum kit with the low volume cymbals. That would show how quiet the cymbals really are. There's nothing worse for me than a small venue rock gig where the cymbals override everything.

How about listing the prices.. Ageans sound great but at $650 for a three piece set compared to L80 at $300 makes the choice a little easier for many.

which Agean cumball sizes were tested overhere? thanks!

Gen16 sounds the best overall and the L80 do the best job at there purpose while sounding as good as possible. The others sound pretty good but totally miss the mark on there purpose.

Gen16 and Agean sound the best

Onde encontro os produtos de vocês

If the L80s are described as 80% quieter than a regular cymbal (and from playing mine, I'd say that's accurate), where would the Agean cymbals fall in that spectrum? 60% quieter? 50%...?

That room needs more drum kits, stat.

Klanglich überzeugen die Agean, aber wie ist es mit der Verarbeitung? Habe gehört, es gibt Probleme mit Rissen? Habt Ihr mal einen Test mit den neuen Sabian FRX gemacht? Die sollen ja auch leiser sein.

I'll take the gen16's definitely

gen16 not only because of the sound, but the color looks better as well. The L80 are too yellow.

Great review, although surely if you're reviewing something that is 'low noise' we need to know what the actual noise levels were in dB, and compared with a set of regular Zildjian K's? The Agean's sound great, but if in reality, they are twice as loud as the Gen 16 BB's, then they are not really serving the same purpose, and are just good for the time you need to sound great performing a gig in your grandma's care home and don't want to wake all the residents! ;-)

The look of the L80’s could be more cymbal like. To me they are too yellow. They should be bronze in colour.

Although quiet, the L80's has nearly no resonance and imo sound like crap... lol, sounds funny but I think a good high quality set of cooking pans may sound better... Maybe they sound better in person??

The ageans just sound like standard cymbals

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