Cymbals

SOUNDLAB
Dream
Cymbals
D
ream Cymbals entered the
global cymbal market in
2005, as a Canadian operation selling handmade
cymbals from China. The brand
may be relatively new, but its
factory in China’s Wuhan region
has produced world-class gongs
for generations.
The company offers several
Western-style lines of cymbals
based on specs provided by
its Canadian designers. The
craftsmen at Dream’s Chinese
factory apply generations of
experience working with B20
bronze (the 80 percent copper/20
percent tin alloy used for many
manufacturers’ top cymbal lines)
in their creation of Dream’s
Western-style Vintage Bliss, Bliss,
Contact, and Energy lines. At the
same time, Dream offers Chinesestyle cymbals in its Lion/China
Series, Han Series, and Jing Series.
I didn’t know much about
Dream before receiving a
selection of its cymbals, so I was
By David E. Libman
able to evaluate the models I
received without preconceptions.
DREAM ANALYSIS
Dream sent me 24" Contact rides,
24" Bliss rides, 22" Vintage Bliss
crash/rides, 22" Bliss paper thin
crash/rides, 20" Vintage Bliss
crash/rides, and 20" Bliss crash/
rides. I also received 13" and 15"
Bliss hi-hats.
When I cracked open the
boxes, my first impression was
that the cymbals look like they
were teleported — brand new —
from the 1940s or ’50s. Dream
forges, hammers, and lathes its
cymbals all by hand. The human
element comes through in their
appearance. The surface areas of
the Vintage Bliss and Bliss lines
sport ultra-thin stripes created by
micro-lathing. The Contact line
has wider lathing and striping.
Under shiny yet non-brilliant
surfaces, various indentations
and hammering marks emphasize
the Dream cymbals’ handmade
DETAILS
    
 
 B20 bronze
 B20 bronze
 Hand hammered; thin
hand-applied micro-lathe lines;
light weight; smaller bell profile.
 Hand hammered; wide
hand-applied lathe lines; mediumlight weight; larger bell profile.
  :
20" Vintage Bliss Crash/Ride ($204),
20" Bliss Crash/Ride ($183),
22" Bliss Ride ($269),
22" Bliss Paper Thin Crash/Ride ($249),
13" Bliss Hi-Hats ($199),
15" Bliss Hi-Hats ($239).
  : 24" Ride ($529)
70

Dream Cymbals
dreamcymbals.com
1-877-933-7629
look. Attractive black logos,
but generic-looking identifying
text (such as 22" crash/ride),
complete the cymbals’ decidedly
old-school appearance.
The Vintage Bliss and Bliss
lines are very thin. The Contact
line is thicker, but not much.
As a result, despite some large
diameters, these cymbals don’t
feel particularly heavy. I was
able to suspend the 24" rides
on a lightweight stand without
any balancing problems. When
played, the Dreams wobble from
bell to edge like vintage cymbals.
Nonetheless, when played hard,
these cymbals feel flexible and
sturdy. I didn’t sense that they
would easily crack or dent.
The completely handmade
aspect of these cymbals shows
through in some of their
imperfections. When placed on
an angled cymbal stand, most
of the 20–24" models settle
to a resting place caused by a
slightly heavier sweet spot. Some
of the cymbals’ edges are not
quite straight or slightly sharp
to the touch. I’ve never been
bothered much by such cosmetic
irregularities in cymbals. To
me, the most important thing
is the cymbal’s sound and feel.
However, if you’re looking for a
perfect-looking cymbal, some
of the Dreams may not live up to
your expectations.
A DREAM COME TRUE
At first, it struck me as a bit overthe-top that Dream sent me two
of each model, but it made more
sense once I started playing these
platters. None of them sound
alike — not even two identical
models. For example, I didn’t
like one of the 22" Bliss crash/
rides, but the other one may be
one of the best-sounding cymbals I’ve played. In fact, among
the batch of cymbals I received,
some are real gems. The fact that
each cymbal has a unique voice
allowed me to sound more unique
when I played them.
Despite their individual
differences, Dream cymbals on
the whole produce a decidedly
jazzy sound — in part, due to
long sustain, and a remarkably
wide overtone series that
heavily emphasizes darker,
lower tones. (I didn’t receive
any of the Energy line
cymbals, but I understand
they’re for harder hitters
and would suspect they
have a less jazzy sound.)
The Dreams’ lower
frequencies sing warmly
and more delicately than the
barking roars that sometimes
come from Chinese-style cymbals.
All of the cymbals’ bells — from
the 20" to the 24" models —
sound clear, un-choked, tuned,
and distinct from the rest of the
cymbal without being piercing.
These cymbals speak with an aged
quality and a distinct overtone
series that differentiates them
from other Western, European,
or Turkish cymbal brands that
I’ve played. Keep in mind that I
received two of each model, so my
description in each case focuses
on my favorite of the pair.
24" CONTACT
& BLISS RIDES
Both provide excellent, woody
stick definition with the ping of
a flat ride, no doubt due to their
relatively flat bow. The 24" Contact ride offers more aggressive
stick articulation and an underlying dark swell, while the 24" Bliss
is more delicate and glassy, with
a small yet distinctive-sounding
bell. I enjoyed both 24" models,
but the subtlety of the 24" Bliss
appeals more to my jazz sensibilities. Despite its large size, the 24"
Bliss ride possesses a controllable
dynamic range that allows it to
work well as a main ride cymbal
for many styles of music.
22" VINTAGE BLISS RIDE
This was my favorite cymbal
of the bunch. When played
lightly with stick tips, it projects
DRUM! January 2010 drummagazine.com
D163_70_71_Soundlab_FINAL.indd 70
11/12/09 10:07:46 AM
A SONIC
L
L
A
C
P
U
E
K
A
W
a warm, woody articulation
surrounded by a swell of low,
sizzling overtones. At louder volumes it retains stick articulation,
which is never overpowered by
the underlying overtone spread.
When crashed, this cymbal
roars and then decays quickly
enough to begin a ride pattern
again almost immediately. It
also exemplifies how cosmetic
imperfections do not necessarily negatively affect a cymbal’s
sound. Despite an obvious dent
on its edge, I found this cymbal’s
sound and forgiving feel to be
utterly fantastic.
although you may not crash it
throughout a song. Still, it’s an
excellent effects cymbal for more
selective use.
22" BLISS PAPER THIN
CRASH/RIDE
Again, Dream could drop the
“ride" part of the label, because
this cymbal plays much more like
a crash, bursting with a powerful
wash of lows and personality. But
while it provides acceptable stick
articulation, it had slightly too
much pitch and swell to work as
a main ride.
Thin enough to invert by hand,
but flexible enough that I don’t
think it would crack easily, this
cymbal explodes with a trashy
wall of sound indicative of a small
tam-tam. Despite its “crash/ride"
label, it works best as a crash,
20" VINTAGE BLISS
CRASH/RIDE
This fine-sounding crash maintains decent stick articulation
when played as a ride, but has
a dominant low pitch that’s a
bit much for my taste. While I
wouldn’t want this as a main ride,
I would certainly use it as a crash/
ride along with one of the 24" or
22" models as a primary ride.
20" BLISS CRASH/RIDE
13" AND 15" BLISS
HI-HATS
These hats lack air holes, flat or
wavy bottoms, rivets, un-lathed
bells, or any of the other features
found on many modern hi-hats.
But these cymbals didn’t need
gimmicks to consistently give
clear and crisp foot chicks without air pockets, splashy open foot
sounds, and a truly comfortable
foot feel. Even the 15" set is relatively light in weight.
When played with sticks, the
hi-hats provide an articulate
and wide dynamic range that
emphasizes the spizz-aspect of
the sound. As one would expect,
the 15" hats have a lower pitch
and more chunk to their sound,
while the 13" hats sound lighter
and crisper. I generally prefer
smaller hi-hats, so I favored the
13" set. However, if you’re a fan
of 15" hats, you should definitely
give these a try because they’re
excellent.
VERDICT
I was able to select a set of
Dream cymbals that I truly
enjoyed (24" Bliss ride, 22"
Vintage Bliss crash/ride, two
20" Bliss crash/rides, and
13" hats) because of their
comfortable feel, incredible
sound quality, and overall
uniqueness. Considering the
wide variations in each model’s
sound, this is a cymbal brand
that I would recommend
trying first at the store rather
than ordering online without
a test ride. They project a
jazzy sound, yet have a wideenough dynamic range to use
for many styles. However,
because the Dreams sound
quite different from a typical
machine-hammered cymbal,
they might be intimidating
at first if you’re looking for a
more homogenous sound. But
Dream's offerings as well as
their affordable price point will
probably pleasantly surprise
those willing to take the risk.
drummagazine.com September 2009 DRUM!
D163_70_71_Soundlab_FINAL.indd 71
71
11/12/09 10:08:02 AM