These are Amazing cymbals. I picked these up at my local guitar center after researching what kind of hats I should get. They sound great. The Salesman had me compare them next to a pair of K custom hybrids, and they were the clear winner. There was one set of mastersounds in the store that even came close to these. I also use an AAX Stage Hats and the Byzance have twice the cut. Beefy chick, big stick sound, and crunchy/full semi-opened sound. Clear, dark and loud fully opened. My only problem; I tried to clean some marks from the store, and afterwards I didn't want one circle to look different from the rest of cymbal, plus it looked cool with dark hammer marks and bright unhammered section, so I cleaned the whole bottom Hat. When I wiped the Groove juice off,80% of the cymbal turned an almost ashy pink color. I can't change the color back by any means. Luckily, it was the bottom side and I'll just have to wait for it to re-oxidize. The top looks Gorgeous.

These hats are some of the most musical cymbals I've ever played or heard. They are very expressive; depending on your technique and stick placement these hats range from crisp and dry to wet and gritty. The open bell sounds are clear and totally usable. Foot chicks are defined but not sterile. The slightly open sizzle on these hats is one of the coolest features of all. You can get a smooth, glassy sizzle by sticking across the top of the hats and you can get a gritty, overdriven crunch out of them by sticking across the lip. In general, these hats have a ton of character and produce sounds to die for. They're the only cymbals in my entire (substantial) setup that I'd immediately buy again if they were lost, damaged or stolen. Why are you still reading... go buy these hats!

Great sticking definition, devoid of piercing high tones that offend my ear on so many other cymbals. Anytime I play other hats I come back to my Darks and enjoy them all the more for their diverse, rich sound and musicality. They are beautiful to look at as well.

These hats have a great dark sound, not too dry, but with plenty of stick definition and a complex mix. Loads of texture. I could use these hats for the lightest to the hardest of rock, and they would still feel at home. They are very dynamic. Definitely worth the money.

I bought the 14' inch Meinl Byzance Dark Hi-hats and was nervous to hear if they were too dark for me. They are the best hi hats I have ever played. They are thick and loud. The "chick" sound is sharp. They are not dark like most would think.