My choices of hi-hats are a journey from light to darkness: I started with the 14-inch Zildjian A New Beat, switched a year later to the 14-inch Paiste Signature Dark Energy Mk I and, two years later, to 14-inch Zultan Dune. All these cymbals are great, but I slowly realized I wanted something darker, drier and thrashier and the with the 15-inch Meinl Byzance Extra Dry I reached the darkest, driest and trashiest sound one can have – and an excellent stick definition too (there’s a 16-inch version but I thought that such a large hi-hat would not suit my playing style).
Probably these hi-hats will be seen as appropriate only for jazz but I think they are very versatile. One of the reasons for this is the fact that, although being dark and dry, they are not dull at all and have a loud bark when played open. I guess they’ll fit into many genres, except, perhaps, the metal genres that demand bright cymbals with a strong cutting power.