Zildjian 18″ A Custom China Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Zildjian first released a China cymbal back in the 1950's in collaboration with Gene Krupa, calling it a Pang cymbal (the collaboration also resulted in the Swish, which is like a Pang, only higher pitched and with more wash). The China went out of production for a while, then came back. Not only does the China cymbal continue to be manufactured today, but in numerous styles. This Zildjian 18" A Custom China Crash looks similar to the original ones, except that it is in a brilliant finish. The sound remains classic though.

Cymbals

A Collection of New Vinyl Releases for the Audiophile – March, 2011

Jason Crawford

Folks who know these things'll tell you about how the Drive-By Truckers can black out your night in a distorted ocean of guitars and whiskey-soaked rock and roll attitude. They're right. On their latest, "Go-Go Boots," they take a different tact. This is a cleaner affair, but that's all relative, of course. A barroom bathroom is typically cleaner than a music festival portable toilet, but you still wouldn't want to lie down there.

Vinyl Music ReviewsVinyl Reviews

Crystal Acoustics TX-3D12 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System

Ross Jones

It was five years ago that I first heard Crystal Acoustics speakers. Crystal is a British-based OEM speaker manufacturer that started making THX certified speakers under its own name. Because Crystal sells direct through the Internet without the costs of a distribution network, it offers very low prices for its products. I was quite impressed by the price/value proposition of its TX-3D12 THX Select certified 5.1 speaker system.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Zildjian 18″ A Custom ReZo Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

In my opinion, the A Custom ReZo is one of the best models that Zildjian has ever designed. They have a very distinctive sound because they are thick near the bell and thin near the outer edge, but also because of alternating regions of heavy and fine lathing. Here, we review the 18" A Custom ReZo Crash Cymbal, which turns out to be my favorite of all the ReZo crashes we have reviewed (19" and 20"). It has a beautiful high pitched bell-like ring to it that cuts like a razor.

Cymbals

Simaudio Moon 700i Integrated Amplifier

Greg Zakrzewski

As a Quebec, Canada based company that has spent the last 30 years manufacturing some pretty outstanding gear, Simaudio has (like some other Canadian companies) made its name via its products' performance levels rather than hype and huge marketing spending. The unit reviewed here, the Simaudio Moon 700i Integrated Amplifier maintains that standing.

Integrated Amplifiers
article placeholder

RBH SOUND LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE

Secrets

LAYTON, UTAH – MARCH 1, 2011 – RBH Sound, a manufacturer of high performance home audio and custom installation products, today announced the launch of the comp...

Press

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – March, 2011

SECRETS Movie Review Team

Sword of War (DVD), The Last Unicorn (Blu-ray), Bambi (Blu-ray), Memento (Blu-ray), Dances with Wolves (Blu-ray), For Colored Girls (Blu-ray), Thelma & Louise (Blu-ray), Raging Bull (Blu-ray), Skyline (Blu-ray), Les Miserables: The 25th Anniversary Concert (Blu-ray), The Miracle Maker (Blu-ray), Rainman (Blu-ray), The Switch (Blu-ray), Last Tango In Paris (Blu-ray), Moonstruck (Blu-ray)

Movie Reviews

Paradigm Mini-Monitor 5.1 Speaker System

Andrew Yang

Paradigm is increasingly becoming a unique entity in the world of audio equipment manufacturers. The industry continues to conglomerate itself into ever larger multinational corporations in the hopes of leveraging economies of scale, and optimizing cost of goods by outsourcing components and sub-assemblies. Paradigm, by contrast, remains thoroughly vertically integrated. With rare exceptions, the entirety of any given product, from the voice coil to the enclosure, is manufactured on-site at Paradigm's headquarters in Ontario, Canada.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems