EVANS SOUND

LedFoot65

Head Questions with no end...
Is it me or do Evans heads sound sort of dead or flat compared to Remo? They seem to be plasticky.What do you think.
 
Some kits do sound great with Evans and some sound horrible.I don't think any of there kick drum heads are as good as a Powerstroke 3.There kick heads don't have any projection.They sound nice and fat but they get lost in a band situation IMO.If i'm wrong tell me and I'll try it.
 
Some kits do sound great with Evans and some sound horrible.I don't think any of there kick drum heads are as good as a Powerstroke 3.There kick heads don't have any projection.They sound nice and fat but they get lost in a band situation IMO.If i'm wrong tell me and I'll try it.

I don't know if you're wrong about this, but I know aquarian kicks have plenty of projection (at least in my experience).
 
The only way to really compare is to try the similar heads from the different manufacturers on the same drum tuned the same way.

The OP didn't mention what style of Evans head that he was referring to and what Remo head he was comparing.
I don't think that it is fair to say that Evans heads in general sound dead and plastic.
 
I don't think that my heads sound plasticy at all. i have evans coated ec2s on my toms and a genera on my snare. I have heard both evans and remo heads that do sound like plastic. i think the secret lies more in the tuning of the heads and the making of the drums.
 
Having used Remo heads for over 45 years and Evans for just about 5 years now, I believe Remo and Evans heads are very comparable to one another in sound quality. If Evans sound plasticky, they're probably tuned a little too low. I hear that with my bass drum heads at first when tuning them after head changes. The only reason I switched from Remo is because of premature coating wear. My new kit that I bought about three weeks ago came equipped with Remo coated heads and I'm seeing the exact same results as I did 5 years ago. As for sound, both are genuinely great sounding heads.

Dennis
 
This seems to be a contentious thread idea. Is it to create argument?

That said, all the brands have their own character. Yesn Evans are most certainly drier than Remo. No question to me having fitted and tuned hundreds of Evans and Remo heads in the drum shop.

After 32 years playing Remo I recently switched to Aquarian on most of my drums. I find them to be very resonant, but one must choose the right head for the individual character of each drum. I have certain drums that sound better with a Remo head than an Aquarian. So Remos stay on those drums.

Having choice is not about choosing teams, it is about keeping choice. For example, I recently fitted an Aquarian head to one of my Yamaha snare drums, but the CS coated suits it better. Then on another drum a Modern Vintage medium coupled with an Aquarian snare side suits one of my Sonor Designer snares much more than Remo.

So there you go. I will say one thing though, Aquarian make the best snare side heads I have ever seen and heard. Unbelievably great! I was shocked.
 
I agree with wy yung,
I find the right heads for the drum.
I use Remo and Aquarian mostly.
I do use some Evans heads also.
I'm not loyal to any particular head brand.
I choose all of my heads for the drum and the sound that I am seeking.
I mix heads on drums all the time.
I will use an Aquarian batter and an Evans or Remo reso for example.
It depends on the sound that I am after mostly.
I have about 70 heads at the moment in my home studio.
I also use different kits for different gigs.
I currently have four kits that I select for their different sounds.
 
Having used Remo heads for over 45 years and Evans for just about 5 years now, I believe Remo and Evans heads are very comparable to one another in sound quality. If Evans sound plasticky, they're probably tuned a little too low. I hear that with my bass drum heads at first when tuning them after head changes. The only reason I switched from Remo is because of premature coating wear. My new kit that I bought about three weeks ago came equipped with Remo coated heads and I'm seeing the exact same results as I did 5 years ago. As for sound, both are genuinely great sounding heads.

Dennis

Well said.

I believe that Evans and Remo (and Aquarian for that matter) use different films for their heads; they sound different to me, and I don't agree with those who say that similar models sound the same across the brands. Each has its own flavor. All can sound great in the right context, and of course tuned well.

As an example, I use Remo everywhere, but my kid uses Remo for the kick and snare, Evans for all the toms. His drums sound great for the music he plays.

After all these years it's become my conclusion that the drum chooses the heads it likes best, and our job is to keep spending money until we discover what it is. ;-)

I don't know if you're wrong about this, but I know aquarian kicks have plenty of projection (at least in my experience).

They sound that way from the driver's seat, and under the mics they can sound fabulous. But to my ear the SKs are quite soft, really, so if you play out unmiked a different choice would be in order.
 
Aquarian make the best snare side heads I have ever seen and heard. Unbelievably great! I was shocked.
And from someone who's got more snares than anyone has a right to own, that gets my attention. Is there a particular Aquarian snareside head you like Wy. I've always used hazy 300 for general stuff, maybe hazy 100 if I want extreme articulation for something like world music experimentation.
 
And from someone who's got more snares than anyone has a right to own, that gets my attention. Is there a particular Aquarian snareside head you like Wy. I've always used hazy 300 for general stuff, maybe hazy 100 if I want extreme articulation for something like world music experimentation.

Just wondering, who makes a Hazy 100, or was that a typo? I do use Evans Hazy 200s from time to time when I know that I'll be doing a lot of brush work, but most of the time it's a 300.

Dennis
 
And from someone who's got more snares than anyone has a right to own, that gets my attention. Is there a particular Aquarian snareside head you like Wy. I've always used hazy 300 for general stuff, maybe hazy 100 if I want extreme articulation for something like world music experimentation.

All the Aquarian snare side heads I have seen have been perfectly formed, no crinkles, excellent collars and high quality mylar....and they are easy to tune and long lasting. Aquarian heads are now on 80 % of my drums. I became so overwhelmed with Aquarians quality I was motivated to write to the company. I am still in love with Remo. After 32 years it is hard to shake. And I was hesitant to try Aquarian. In fact I put it off for 3 years! I regret that now. My favorite Aquarian heads are the Modern Vintage series. Stunning!
 
Hazy 100 comes on a rolled labeled Saran Wrap

Lolz. ;-)

All the Aquarian snare side heads I have seen have been perfectly formed, no crinkles, excellent collars and high quality mylar....and they are easy to tune and long lasting. Aquarian heads are now on 80 % of my drums. I became so overwhelmed with Aquarians quality I was motivated to write to the company. I am still in love with Remo. After 32 years it is hard to shake. And I was hesitant to try Aquarian. In fact I put it off for 3 years! I regret that now. My favorite Aquarian heads are the Modern Vintage series. Stunning!

Thanks for that. It doesn't hurt that Roy Burns is one of the classiest guys in the business, and stands behind his products.
 
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