Categories: Cymbals

Zildjian 18″ K Medium Thin Dark Crash Cymbal

The “K” line of Zildjian cymbals have a characteristic “dark” sound, meaning there is quite a strong low frequency component. There is also a K Custom line which is stated to retain some of the original K sound, but with the addition of modern hammering techniques that “enhance the K character.” The Zildjian 18″ K Medium Thin Dark Crash Cymbal is reviewed here. It has mostly large hammer marks rather than the typical “K” hammer marks.

The sound is bright, but with dark undertones, and it has a very fast response. It sounds quite different than the K Custom Dark Crash. It rides nicely, and the bell is very musical.

Specifications

Manufacturer Line: K
Type: Dark Crash
Style: Medium Thin
Alloy: B20 – CuSn20 – 80% Copper, 20% Tin
Diameter: 18″
Metal Work: Machine Hammered, Machine Lathed, Buffed Finish
Weight: 2.2 Pounds
MSRP: $495 USA; Street Price $285
Zildjian

The close-up photo shows the large hammer marks. Standard “K” hammer marks are not evident, and the bell is not hammered at all. The lathing is very fine across the entire cymbal.

Spectral analysis peaks occur at 100 Hz, 150 Hz, 180 Hz, and then several between 350 Hz and 480 Hz. These frequencies give the cymbal its “Dark” character. The response declines, and then rises again to have peaks near 1 kHz, followed by numerous peaks between 3 kHz and 8 kHz before declining to 45 kHz.

The attack is almost instantaneous, with the peak response at 0.02 seconds, followed by a slow decay (meaning it has a long sustain).

Click HERE to listen to an audio sample, which will include crash (when appropriate), ride, and bell sounds (these are 24 bit, 176.4 kHz wav files, so be sure your sound card is capable of handling these high resolution sound files).

If your sound card cannot play the high resolution file, click HERE to listen to an MP3 sound file.

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John E. Johnson, Jr.

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. John E. Johnson, Jr. founded Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in 1994, shortly after publishing a hardcopy book of the same title. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity until 2022. John has been involved in audio and video for more than 50 years, having built radio transmitters, amplifiers, turntables, and speakers from scratch. He was also one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Video Association, now The Bay Area Audio Society. John holds four university degrees, including a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has published numerous scientific books, along with dozens of scientific articles on biomedical research topics as well as imaging technology. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of two medical/scientific journals for 20 years. John holds several patents, including one on high resolution image analysis and one on a surgical instrument. He has been affiliated with NASA, The National Institutes of Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Research Institute, and The University of California at Berkeley. He is President of the consulting firm Scientific Design and Information, Inc., which is based in Redwood City, California. John resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and multiple kitties! His daughter, Cynthia, who was an integral part of SECRETS for many years, resides in San Francisco.