Paiste 22″ Signature Dark Energy Mark II Ride Cymbal

Paiste has several Signature lines, including the Dark Energy. The cymbal reviewed here is the 22″ Dark Energy Mark II Ride. Sometimes consumers may think that the word “Dark” means that not only the wash will have intense low frequencies, but also that the ping does not have intense high frequencies. That is not always true. Although the low frequencies are always there in a dark cymbal, the ping can be bright, which is the case with this cymbal.

This is one of my favorite of all the Paiste ride cymbals that I have reviewed. It has a perfect balance of bright ping and dark wash so that it can be used in any venue. I would suggest wooden tip sticks for jazz and nylon tip for rock.

The Close-up illustrates that the lathing is medium depth and there are two sizes of hammer strokes.

The spectrum has large peaks at 320 Hz, 350 Hz, and 420 Hz – 1 kHz, then a decline, followed by a rise beginning at 2.5 kHz, with a maximum at 9.9 kHz, a rapid decline, then a slow decline from 15 kHz to 50 kHz.

The ping has a long sustain (the loudness does not drop off rapidly as it does with many other cymbals).

Click HERE to listen to an MP3 audio sample, which will include crash (when appropriate), ride, and bell sounds.

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