Long story short, I decided to make a trip down to MG|X (yes! this is their new name on Facebook, so do check them out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/MGX/137603549710780) to pick up a couple more cymbals since I needed more firepower on stage.
Picked out a 20" Energy ride and a 18" Contact crash/ride, and I must say that this was one of the harder decisions I had to make. The crash was a no-brainer, but the ride was a tough one! I was deciding between a 20" Contact ride, a 22" Energy ride and the 20" Energy ride. Settled for the 20" Energy ride because the 22" had a fundamentally lower tone that I felt was not what I was looking for. There's a tinge of regret on my end that I didn't pick the Contact, but that'll be mine in time to come.
Moving onto the review of both the cymbals. I field tested both cymbals at Hood Bar and Cafe (http://www.facebook.com/ilovehood) on Saturday Night. The cymbal setup for the night was:
1. 14" Dream Bliss hihats
2. 18" Istanbul Crash (sorry Marvin!)
3. 18" Dream Contact Crash
4. 19" Dream Vintage Bliss Crash/Ride w/ sizzler
5. 20" Dream Energy ride
18" Contact Crash
Let's start with the 18" Contact Crash. Shape, profile, lathing and hammering reminded me of this Vintage A&Cie crash that I saw at yamaha once (albeit more brilliant), but the sound was an entire different ball game. This crash explodes when you hit it, and is significantly louder and brighter compared to the likes of the Vintage and Bliss (duh!). The crash was cutting through the band mix well, but decayed quickly, thus giving it a very nice punch with body - the closest comparison I can think of would be similar to a DARKER sounding 16" AAXPlosion.
20" Energy ride
The 20" Energy is a bit of a hit-miss on my end. Don't get me wrong - I love this ride.. but before I go any further, Dream should have slapped on a larger bell on this bad boy. That would make it the PERFECT ride!
First impressions of this ride screammed "HHX!" at me - deep, wide hammering marks on the bow, unlathed bell (fine I know the HHX has a darkened bell, not an unlathed one but what the hell!) and a smooth finish on the bow. The ride is significantly heavier than the other 20" rides, and has a fundamentally pingier and brighter initial attack. The bell is a bit of a let down, as it is significantly smaller compared to the 20" Contact ride. Playing on the bell is a huge let down! I was hoping and expecting for a nice earthy tone, but what I got was a rather pussy sounding forced-ping.
Playing it on the bow, however, has no such problems. On softer songs, the stick definition was fantastic, cutting through yet not overpowering. The sticking sounds a little "fragile" to my ears, but that could be due to the fact that my previous rides were ALL 22", and were all monsters in their own right, but make no doubt about it, this cymbal CAN cut through! Opening up on the crash gave way to a nice wash. The weight of the cymbal means that there's a certain amount of body and presence present, but the lack of a bell means that it doesn't get projected as much (or am I wrong about this?!) The ride doesn't crash easily, but when it does, the wash and overtones came very naturally.
Personally I feel that the 20" Energy ride would be the perfect ride for a drummer who does more pop/rock or top40s. It isn't beefy enough to serve as a main ride, so it would be good to back this baby up with say.. a 22" Contact or 22" Bliss ride. The 18" Contact crash should be every drummer's main crash. It's so good that I had no qualms replacing my 17" Zildjian for it. Pair the 18" Contact with a 16" Contact crash, or a 17" Bliss crash, and you're good to go!
Retail pricing for the 20" Energy ride is $328, and $178 for the 18" Contact Crash. They're slightly pricier compared to the Vintage and Bliss line, but that's because the production cost for the Contact and Energy line is significantly higher compared to Bliss and Vintage line. Nonetheless, the pricing is a huge steal compared to the Big 3s, and trust me when I say that these babies do not lose out in the ring with the big boys!
As an additional pull factor, Music Gear is having a 20% discount of all Dream Cymbals, which means you pay even lesser for these amazing pies! If this isn't a big enough factor, MG|X also stocks snares byCanopus, heads by Aquarians (ps: Just picked up a 13" Texture Coated from Marvin, and I probably will not be using any other brand any time soon!) and sticks by Vic Firth (Yes! 5As, 5Bs and all your bread and butter sticks that the OTHER outlet NEVER had stock for!).
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