Low Volume Cymbals | What are the best ones for you?

Low volume cymbals are fast becoming a favourite amongst drummers looking for that natural cymbal feel whilst practising at lower volumes. It is easy to see why as cymbals have a unique and distinct feel that is hard to replicate with rubber pads. 

Low volume cymbals have gone from novelty to a category every major brand takes seriously, so we are going to help guide you through what is currently available on the market and what you should be looking out for.

So which ones should you actually buy? Let’s start with the short answer, then dig into the detail.

The best low volume cymbals at a glance

• Best for practising at home: Zildjian L80 Low Volume. Zildjian claims they are up to 80% quieter than a traditional cymbal, and they come in ready-made packs (13/18”, 13/14/18” and 14/16/18”) plus single hi-hats, crashes, crash rides, rides, splashes and a china.
• Best alternative to the L80s: Sabian Quiet Tone. Built to respond and sustain like a normal cymbal, with a defined bell. Packs run from 13” hats with a 14” crash and 18” crash ride up to a 14/16/18/20” full set.
• Best for Meinl fans: Meinl Practice HCS. A perforated brass practice range that Meinl says cuts the sound by around 15 dB. The 14/16/20” set covers hats, crash and ride.
• Best for quiet gigs: Agean R series. Real B20 bronze with thousands of holes, so they still sound like proper cymbals at a lower volume. The catch is the price.
• Best on a budget: Millenium Still Series. A 14” hi-hat, 16” and 18” crashes and a 20” ride for much less than the big names.
• Best for teaching rooms: the Zildjian and Sabian sets. Both brands pitch them at drum lessons as well as practice, and two kits in one room is exactly where you want the volume taken out.

None of these are silent. They are dramatically quieter, which is a different thing — more on that below.

What are low volume cymbals?

Low volume cymbals give you the feel of full volume acoustic cymbals but at a reduced volume. These are ideal for drummers who are wanting to practice but aren’t able to make much noise. 

For example, if you live in a flat and you still want to get your practice in. Put on your mesh heads and low volume cymbals and away you go. I’m pretty sure the neighbours wouldn’t be happy if you were playing your full acoustic drum kit!

The only downside is that although low volume cymbals have the natural feel and response of cymbals, they don’t sound as nice as their full volume counterparts. 

How do low volume cymbals work?

Low volume cymbals achieve their reduced volume through two different methods.

The material they’re made from

 Traditionally cymbals are made from an alloy combining copper, tin and other trace metals. For example, B20 bronze is 80% copper, 20% tin.

Low volume cymbals often use a different selection of materials to achieve reduced volumes. The materials used vary by brand.

The unique holes in the cymbals

A distinctive feature of these cymbals is the unique holes that are in them. The holes are added to the cymbals to remove harsh frequencies and reduce the sustain of the cymbals. 

The amount and size of holes in these cymbals differ by manufacturer. On average though you can expect to see that many holes have been made as it is proven to be effective in reducing the volume of the cymbals.

What are the best low volume cymbals?

This is a challenging question as this will come down to your budget, personal taste and brand loyalty. 

There is also another factor to consider. Some brands focus purely on getting the lowest sound and sacrificing some sound quality, but other brands focus on getting a higher quality sound and sacrificing noise reduction. 

That being said here are our top picks from each scenario.

Zildjian L80 Cymbals

If you are looking for the best low volume cymbals that focus on noise reduction, the Zildjian L80 Cymbals are the choice for you.

Promising to reduce the volume by up to 80% with the natural cymbal feel, Zildjian has done a great job. They are so quiet that the sound of the stick hitting the cymbal is louder than the sound of the cymbal. Very impressive.

How do they get there? A hole pattern combined with Zildjian’s own alloy and a matte finish, which takes out a lot of the high frequencies. The 80% figure comes from Zildjian’s own sound level meter tests against a traditional Zildjian, so treat it as “up to” rather than a guarantee.

There is also a good selection of cymbal types available covering hi-hats, crashes, crash rides, rides, splash and china cymbals. The easiest way in is one of the packs: 13” hats with an 18” crash ride, the same with a 14” crash added, or 14” hats with a 16” crash and 18” crash ride.

Agean R Low Volume Cymbals

If having that great cymbal sound with some noise reduction benefits is what you are after the Agean R Series cymbals are a great choice. 

They are made from B20 bronze giving them the cymbal sound you expect but with the holes in the cymbals to reduce the volume. 

Agean now makes four low noise series — Regular R, Natural R, Flat R and the newer Dark R — so there is a flavour for most tastes. That bronze is why they are our pick for quiet gigs: in a coffee shop or a small bar they sound like real cymbals, just turned down.

There is also a great range of cymbals available with multiple styles of hi-hats, crashes, rides, splash and china cymbals. 

There are two things two keep in mind if you decide to purchase Agean R Series Cymbals.

1. They are expensive. You will be pretty much paying full cymbal prices for these. If you are just using these for practising, it might not too realistic for you to spend this kind of money.
2. They aren’t as easy to find and purchase. Because the Agean brand is smaller it does mean they can be more difficult to find online.

How do these cymbals compare?

Hear the two compared back to back in the demo at the top of this page.

Sabian Quiet Tone Cymbals

Sabian’s answer sits nicely between the two above. The Quiet Tone practice cymbals are made from a tough alloy that Sabian says will not dent or break, and they are designed to respond and sustain like a normal cymbal — right down to a clearly defined bell — so you do not have to change how you play.

They keep a little more musical tone than the L80s whilst still being neighbour-friendly. The practice sets run from 13” hats, a 14” crash and an 18” crash ride (QTPC502) up to 14” hats, 16” and 18” crashes and a 20” ride (QTPC504). They are easy to find at most big retailers and are priced close to the Zildjian sets, so this one often comes down to which brand’s feel you prefer.

Meinl Practice HCS Cymbals

Meinl’s entry is the Practice HCS range. They are brass, like the regular HCS cymbals, with a hole pattern across the bow and bell that kills resonance and volume.

Meinl says they reduce the sound of your cymbals by around 15 dB. The set gives you 14” hi-hats, a 16” crash and a 20” ride, and the cymbals are sold individually too.

There is one thing to mention. HCS is Meinl’s entry-level line, so do not expect the Practice versions to sound like a Byzance. As a practice tool, though, that does not matter much.

What are the best budget low volume cymbals?

If you are wanting to use low volume cymbals for practising you are likely going to want to spend less money so you can spend it on your main kit. Luckily many great cheaper alternatives are coming to market. 

Millenium Still Series

Available from Thomann the Millenium Still Series is a great alternative on a lower budget. They offer up to 80% volume reduction without breaking the bank. You can buy a basic set including a 14” hi-hat, 16” and 18” crashes and a 20” ride, and then expand down the line with splashes and crashes if you want to.

WHD Low Volume

Available from Gear4music the WHD cymbals are very similar to the Millenium offering but with a different finish. They have a nice contemporary nickel finish and still offer the up to 80% volume reduction.

Low volume cymbals vs electronic cymbals?

Apart from practising, the other reason you may want low volume cymbals is to use on your electric drum kit rather than pads. In the right situations this can be a real benefit. 

Here are some of the pros and cons of using low volume cymbal rather than electronic cymbal pads.

Pros

• Real cymbal feel, swing and stick response — no pad can quite match it
• Nothing to trigger, so no mis-hits, no latency and nothing to configure
• No module input needed, so you can add as many as your stands will hold
• They never wear out a sensor, because there isn’t one

Cons

• No sound through your headphones — the acoustic tick is all you get
• Quiet is not silent: they are still louder than rubber pads at night
• You can’t change what they sound like, unlike a module’s cymbal sounds
• A full set can cost as much as decent electronic cymbal pads

Low volume cymbals and electronic cymbal pads are very hard to compare as they are both very different in what they are trying to achieve. If you mainly play at home and your main kit is your electronic one, adding low volume cymbals into the mix is probably worth a go.

Where can I buy low volume cymbals?

The right shop depends on where you are: Guitar Center in the Americas, Gear4music in the UK, or Thomann for Europe and the rest of the world.

Practice cymbals do not wear out the way gigging cymbals do, so the used market is worth a look too — try low volume cymbals on Reverb.

Are you looking for cymbals perfect for smaller gigs? Check out the Sabian FRX cymbals.

Final thoughts

Low volume cymbals are a great way to get more out of your practice sessions. Cymbals have a unique feel and there is no way to properly replicate that without having one. These cymbals truly open the doors to more effective practice session no matter where you are. Pair them with our free tempo trainer and those quiet sessions will genuinely move your playing on. 

Since we first wrote this guide the category has properly matured — Zildjian, Sabian, Meinl, Agean and the budget houses all compete now, and prices have only got friendlier.

If you want one answer: the Zildjian L80s for quiet practice, Agean’s R series if they need to work at a gig, and the Millenium Still set if money is tight.

If you’re building the whole quiet setup, pair these with mesh heads — and when it’s time to choose your loud cymbals too, our cymbal buying guide covers that side of the collection.