Black Suede vs Onyx

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I've been using Evans now for years and have been very happy overall. Recently I've been reading a lot of great reviews about the Remo Black Suede Emperor heads and I was thinking of giving them a shot. I'm not particularily brand loyal, but was wondering if anyone has tried the Evans Onyx heads? They seem to be Evans attempt at a similar product.

Thoughts on either one? Thoughts on one vs the other?

Thanks!
 
Hey I've got the remo black suede emperors on all six of my toms. I have remo clear ambassadors on the bottom which I got the same time as the black suedes. I got the clear ambassadors because they don't really add "flavor" that would render it difficult for me to judge the characteristics of the black suedes. Also clear ambassadors go perfect with everything.

My drums are 6 ply maple Keller shells.
(Note:the remo black suede comes in both 1 and 2 ply, the onyx is only a two ply. I use the two ply remo version)
On the higher toms they produce quite a pure tone with not very much over tone, at least on my drums. Since the heads were two ply, I had to crank it pretty high on the 8" tom, before it started to resonate well. But this is typical of two ply heads, you always gotta crank up the 8 a little.

In general, there is an immense attack with these heads. I'm not saying there is no tone, but the attack is very defined. I mitigated this slightly by tuning each drum a tiny bit higher, to squeeze a bit more sustain out of the drum, but the strong attack is ever present. I say again, VERY defined attack.

All my drums are square as in 8"x8" and 18"x18".
The 8", 10", 12", all have very clear fundamental pitches, and the 13" starts to growl a slight bit. The 16" and 18" are absolute monsters, and I can tune very low with these heads. Make sure you time these well, I found a very exaggerated difference in the quality of sound when it was in tune compared to when it was only slightly out of time. I pride myself in having a sharp ear, so it may not be as apparent as I make it out to be.

I also got a black suede powerstroke 3 and it is the worst head I've ever heard on a bass drum. The attack dominates fully and there is no such thing as tone, even when tuned up uncomfortably high. The muffling ring on the head takes away what minuscule resonance the head had in the first place.

I tried a black sure ambassador on my snare and I hated it. It chokes the drum, and I feel like a non rimshot sounds like the sound you get when you crank the snares wayyyy past any form of response.
But the rimshot sounded really good, but that's all I can say about it. I out it on a steel drum and I had the same problem, lack of response and a general choked sound.
Keep in mind that this was the ambassador 1 ply.
 
He described them pretty well. I own a jazz fusion mapex meridian maple. 10x8, 12x9, 14x14, and 20x18. Don't use suedes or evans heads on bass. Toms have clear ambassadors on resonate side. Tops are remo black Emperor suedes (2 ply). They sound a bit choked, but since they are a thicker head and they have a deeper and darker tone. They bring out the mids very nicely and then kind of darken them at the same time. I prefer them to the coated ambassadors I had on top first.

Its technically on the far end of the spectrum of darker/deeper drumheads so go figure. Durability and tuning has not been a problem but have only owned them for 4 months. Since they are suede they show every stick mark which bugged me at first but I got over it, not really a big deal.

Not familiar with evans onyx but they have to be the equivalent to the remo's.
 
We launched the Onyx heads in order to provide two things-

1. Tone- Deep, with a clear fundamental pitch but warm tone, easy to tune
2. Aesthetic- Matte black batter head

Which heads have you been using recently? What do you like/not like about them? What resos are you using?

Cheers!
 
We launched the Onyx heads in order to provide two things-

1. Tone- Deep, with a clear fundamental pitch but warm tone, easy to tune
2. Aesthetic- Matte black batter head

Which heads have you been using recently? What do you like/not like about them? What resos are you using?

Cheers!

Sorry to barge in on this thread. How would you compare the Onyx heads to the Black Chromes?
 
I was looking at those black suede heads too to replace my tom heads soon. I haven't looked at the onyx ones much at all since I thought they were glossy...probably just got them confused with the black chromes. Very interested to see more reviews/comparisons.

Right now I've got clear EC2s over coated ambassadors. They're all getting old and the EC2s were always a bit dead for me. Also the black muffing stuff printed on their insides has flaked off a bunch on most of them, leaving a boring black glitter in my drums. Weird but doesn't really bother me.

Also, to EvansSpecialist, why do you put those tiny holes on the edge of the back ply? One on each head, and they seemed semi-sneakily hidden in the hexagon pattern of that printed muffling. Is it from part of the manufacturing process for vacuuming out any air between the plys or something?
 
Sorry to barge in on this thread. How would you compare the Onyx heads to the Black Chromes?
The Black Chromes are a much deeper, punchier sounding head than the Onyx heads. They've got a "fat" response unlike any other head available. I prefer using these on big drums. My favorite combo has been Black Chromes over EC Resos. If you happen to have a Birch/Bubinga kit, you NEED to try this combo out. It's powerful.

I was looking at those black suede heads too to replace my tom heads soon. I haven't looked at the onyx ones much at all since I thought they were glossy...probably just got them confused with the black chromes. Very interested to see more reviews/comparisons.

Right now I've got clear EC2s over coated ambassadors. They're all getting old and the EC2s were always a bit dead for me. Also the black muffing stuff printed on their insides has flaked off a bunch on most of them, leaving a boring black glitter in my drums. Weird but doesn't really bother me.

Also, to EvansSpecialist, why do you put those tiny holes on the edge of the back ply? One on each head, and they seemed semi-sneakily hidden in the hexagon pattern of that printed muffling. Is it from part of the manufacturing process for vacuuming out any air between the plys or something?
Just FYI, we changed the ink and the process being used for the edge control SST muffling on the bottom side of the EC2S in order to combat this issue. Regarding the tone, I'd recommend trying either G1 clears or Genera resos (for more projection) on the bottom side with the EC2S.

The hole used is a vent hole that allows the pressure to equalize between plies. As a result, you get a much more lively two-ply head than the alternative. We don't vacuum out any air from between the plies because that would create a "dead" head, restricting the independent motion of the two pieces of film. </geek>

:)
 
A local practice studio has their kits equipped with onyx heads...they're freagging amazing. Time is limited i practice so I dont have time to tune drums that have been ****ed with allll day. I show up and play them, and they sound freaking amazing! can't go wrong with them.
 
Evans Specialist, thanks for making yourself available! What are your thoughts on the Black Reso 7.5 Mil with the Black Chromes for toms? I have the chromes and like them and need to replace my stock resos. I like the deep punchiness of the chromes.
 
Evans Specialist, thanks for making yourself available! What are your thoughts on the Black Reso 7.5 Mil with the Black Chromes for toms? I have the chromes and like them and need to replace my stock resos. I like the deep punchiness of the chromes.

Personally, I'm not as much of a fan of the Resonant Black with the Black Chromes, as they end up with too short a sound for my taste. I think the EC Reso is the golden pairing for the Black Chromes, though we do have a killer sounding reso in the works that might change my mind...
 
We launched the Onyx heads in order to provide two things-

1. Tone- Deep, with a clear fundamental pitch but warm tone, easy to tune
2. Aesthetic- Matte black batter head

Which heads have you been using recently? What do you like/not like about them? What resos are you using?

Cheers!

Thanks for popping in! I've been using G2 over G1 forever and was looking for a change. Recently started using a birch Mapex kit as my primary gigging set and have been having trouble with the G2 on the 10 and 12 drums. Possible that I got a couple dead heads (I hear it happens). Made me think that I'd try a change.

I play in a rock (not metal) trio. Most gigs are unmiked small clubs, or outdoors with a PA and mikes. I'm guessing the Onyx will allow me to tune lower than the G2s?

I haven't experimented with different heads much. I find what I like and stick with it for the most part. Was also looking at the EC2S heads. For those or the Onyx I'd probably keep the G1's on the bottom (they are brand new). I may also just be tired of the G2's and just looking for a change. Thanks again!
 
Thanks Mr. Evans. In the works huh? I guess that is a bit in the future before we know about what that is?
 
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