Aquarian drumhead help

[larryace]

I can't get the info I need from the website, so I thought I'd ask here.

I am going Aquarian for the first time ever, I got my classic clears for the toms, and I will continue with them in the future. I am trying their snare batter heads now but I am confused at the makeup of some heads. From what I gather, the Aquarian equivalent of a Coated Emp is either a Performance II, a Response 2, or a Super 2. That's as narrowed down as I can get.
I want a coated head that has 2 - 7 or 7.5 mil plys. They don't give ply thickness info here and I wanted to know if anyone knew the facts here. Aquarian is closed today, I tried calling. Thanks in advance for any info.

From Aquarian website:

Performance II
A clear, two ply head manufactured with Aquarian’s Vacuum Process™ which eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles between the two plies. Remember that big, fat, low tom tom sound you heard on the classic rock and roll records? The sound that you could never get on your own? Now you can! Performance II™ drumheads were designed for “loose” tuning to get the depth and punch with no “over-ring”. This drumhead is sealed around the edge to create that really deep sound on the tom toms.

Response 2
A clear, two ply head manufactured with Aquarian’s Vacuum Process™ which eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles between the two plies. Full sound, great attack and consistent tone from drum to drum.

Super 2 - A new kind of 2 ply head
They have great attack, projection and depth unlike any other drumheads. The patented Safe-T-Loc hoop prevents the head from slipping and the Sound Curve collar design provides "Responsive Tuning." With Responsive Tuning, one turn of the drum key and Super-2™ heads react

[Winston_Wolf]

The Response II is the Emperor/G2 equivalent, according to Aquarian's handy guide:

http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/pro...ide-comparison

I agree it can be a little hard to decipher exactly what a particular model's spec's are, especially since they don't give up ply thickness info clearly in all of their descriptions. Honestly, that was my biggest stumbling block in getting into Aquarian for the longest time. Now I'm really glad I tried a little harder and started experimenting, 'cause I'm in love with all of the heads I've tried.

[larryace]

Thanks Winston. I missed that. That page is still inconsistent though. Some heads it tells you the ply mils, others it doesn't. I think that info is CRITICAL. I need to fire off an email calling them out them for confusing me so much.

OK so the Response 2 is my head, although the Super 2 sounds interesting as well. Thanks again.

I do believe I am a convert. Lower price, higher durability and just as good if not better tone than the other 2.

Edit: Just sent this email to Aquarian:

To whom it may concern:

Please, on all drumhead descriptions, drummers NEED to know how many mils your plies are. A 2 ply head in not enough info, sorry. Give me all the details you know. I love your products but don't think I should have to dig real deep to get basic construction details of your individual heads. That info should be the very first thing you list on your description. One page you have...it's inconsistent. Some descriptions tell you the ply thickness, others don't. Why not? Specifically, I wanted to know the individual ply thickness of the Response and the Performance series. You listed the Super series details, why not those? Hey, I'm on your side, I'm just trying to help you. It's a turn off when I have to go through all this for basic info that should be listed front and center. I know I'm not the only one who has this issue with your lack of detailed product info.

Thanks,
Larry Hinkel

[Winston_Wolf]

I agree, the inconsistency in head descriptions drives me crazy too. I think there's definitely an old school attitude at work when it comes to giving specifications that reminds me of Ludwig's old "select hardwoods" shell description. With today's level of marketing information where EVERYTHING is spec'd out to an insane degree it seems really odd Aquarian is still so vague about some respects.

Originally Posted by larryace

Thanks Winston. I missed that. That page is still inconsistent though. Some heads it tells you the ply mils, others it doesn't. I think that info is CRITICAL. I need to fire off an email calling them out them for confusing me so much.

Agreed. Remo has a few heads that don't give you the ply thickness or what kind of tone you should expect as well. I think all three major head company's have that issue on their site to some degree, it really does make you angry at times lol.

[wolfmoon]

Guess nobody looked here. http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/pro...s-and-tap-test

[Winston_Wolf]

Ha! Nope, I've never noticed that before.

I guess that clears up everything except why that info isn't included on the description page for the individual head.

[larryace]

Whoops I should apologize to Roy. Still, that info should be in the product info.

[uniin]

response 2 is 2ply of 7mil, super 2 is 1ply 7mil, 1 ply5mil, performance 2 is 2plys of 7mil (i think?) but with some kind of gypsy tomfoolery going on.

look at the triple threat (3ply, sounds amazing) and also the force ten is 2ply of 10mil.

[piperdoog]

The response 2 is the way to go.
If you like Emperors then this is the equivalent

[Soupy]

Originally Posted by larryace

Whoops I should apologize to Roy. Still, that info should be in the product info.

I've never seen that page before either, and I've looked for info on plies, etc, in the past as well. And the page with the Evans/Remo comparisons I can only find through google, not through their site. Wouldn't even know about the comparison page if I hadn't read about it here.

Here's another complaint: a number of the heads which they list only as snare or tom heads are available as bass heads as well! Response 2 and Studio-X to name a couple. So if I want to see what options they have for bass drums I have to hunt through every product they have?

[tard]

lol, I guess no one ever reads the home page..

[keep it simple]

Must admit, quite liking the Super II sample in comparison to others. Problem with those samples though, close mic'd & EQ'd to hell = freakin' useless. GIVE ME HONEST RECORDINGS PLEASE!!!! I want to know what it sounds like, not what you can make it sound like. If you must offer me processed recordings, at least give me a choice :(

[audiotech]

Originally Posted by keep it simple

Must admit, quite liking the Super II sample in comparison to others. Problem with those samples though, close mic'd & EQ'd to hell = freakin' useless. GIVE ME HONEST RECORDINGS PLEASE!!!! I want to know what it sounds like, not what you can make it sound like. If you must offer me processed recordings, at least give me a choice :(

The trouble is that the majority of people listening to those bites want that exact sound which they usually never get anyway. It the best, sometimes the most, processed sounds that get the worm or in this case the buyer. Unfortunately this is not what you get in real life. You may or may not believe what unprocessed music sounds like in reality. I feel that there is way too much knob twisting done in the studio, but this is what many people now perceive as the norm.

Dennis

[keep it simple]

Originally Posted by audiotech

The trouble is that the majority of people listening to those bites want that exact sound which they usually never get anyway. It the best, sometimes the most, processed sounds that get the worm or in this case the buyer. Unfortunately this is not what you get in real life. You may or may not believe what unprocessed music sounds like in reality. I feel that there is way too much knob twisting done in the studio, but this is what many people now perceive as the norm.

Dennis

Agreed Dennis, & that's a shame. Even some of the drum companies demos are designed to look like it's a handicam recording, whereas in reality, there's a ton of mic technology just out of shot. I recently visited a studio that was engaged to shoot such a drum demo recording. They went to the extent of using out of shot rifle mic's (effectively, remote "close" mic'ing), as well as some snazzy room & boundry mic technology. The whole lot then went through some very clever mastering tools. The finished result was a miraculous sound when compared to the visual representation. They even introduced a degree of camera shake & poor editing to reinforce the amateur vibe they wanted.

I'll be arranging recordings of our new series drums. I may well split the recording to offer both unprocessed room sound & studio treatment versions. I can't swim against the tide, but I can at least be honest about how we're representing our instruments.

[BacteriumFendYoke]

Originally Posted by keep it simple

Agreed Dennis, & that's a shame. Even some of the drum companies demos are designed to look like it's a handicam recording, whereas in reality, there's a ton of mic technology just out of shot. I recently visited a studio that was engaged to shoot such a drum demo recording. They went to the extent of using out of shot rifle mic's (effectively, remote "close" mic'ing), as well as some snazzy room & boundry mic technology. The whole lot then went through some very clever mastering tools. The finished result was a miraculous sound when compared to the visual representation. They even introduced a degree of camera shake & poor editing to reinforce the amateur vibe they wanted.

I'll be arranging recordings of our new series drums. I may well split the recording to offer both unprocessed room sound & studio treatment versions. I can't swim against the tide, but I can at least be honest about how we're representing our instruments.

You'd probably be shot if you did that to a violin. Don't get me wrong, people do record violins like that - absolutely - but it's frowned on very deeply by some purists.

EDIT: Odd perhaps that drummers tend to lack that attitude?

[DrumEatDrum]

I love Aquarian heads, but I agree their website leaves a lot to be desired.

My next purchase is probably going to be Super-2 Series.

[larryace]

Yea the Super 2's sound intriguing. I should know by now that I like single plys on toms. The 2 ply heads sound better to me on the toms, but worse to my recorder, and the single plys sound fine to me and fine to the recorder. Still I will probably get a set, you never know.

[DrumEatDrum]

Originally Posted by larryace

Yea the Super 2's sound intriguing. I should know by now that I like single plys on toms. The 2 ply heads sound better to me on the toms, but worse to my recorder, and the single plys sound fine to me and fine to the recorder. Still I will probably get a set, you never know.

I picked up a set of Super 2's and put 'em on my DW.

They sound closer to a single ply Ambassador, with a hint of double ply emperor tone.

Over, my drums have never sounded better.

I am really curious as to how long they last. Hopefully, closer to typical double ply then single ply.

[tard]

Originally Posted by DrumEatDrum

I am really curious as to how long they last. Hopefully, closer to typical double ply then single ply.

I use Aquarian studio x and for me they last twice as long as the g1 and 3 to 4 times as long as an ambassador.

[simmsdn]

Originally Posted by tard

I use Aquarian studio x and for me they last twice as long as the g1 and 3 to 4 times as long as an ambassador.

I've had coated Studio-X (w/dot) on my drums for over a year now...not a dent in them. Still sound great.

[DrumEatDrum]

Originally Posted by tard

I use Aquarian studio x and for me they last twice as long as the g1 and 3 to 4 times as long as an ambassador.

I had been using the Aquarian Texture coated. The 10 and 16 were still going strong, but my 12 was getting shot.

I'm not complaining mind you, they lasted an appropriate length of time for being a single ply head, they did what was asked of them and I would use them again if I wanted that sound.

I'm just curious how the Super 2 compare to those vs the clear Emperors I previous used for years and years. I guess I'll eventually find out!

But so far, I'm very happy with the tone of the Super 2.

[RobertM]

I use Modern Vintage and Jack DeJohnette heads for jazz and like them enough. From what I gather, the Super 2 heads seem to be the cat's meow. They are two plies of 5 and 7, unlike the Emperor or Response 2 (which are two plies of 7). So, they are kind of in between a Coated Ambassador and Emperor.

I'll be trying those soon for my toms.

[JesusMySavior]

Originally Posted by larryace

I can't get the info I need from the website, so I thought I'd ask here.

I am going Aquarian for the first time ever, I got my classic clears for the toms, and I will continue with them in the future. I am trying their snare batter heads now but I am confused at the makeup of some heads. From what I gather, the Aquarian equivalent of a Coated Emp is either a Performance II, a Response 2, or a Super 2. That's as narrowed down as I can get.
I want a coated head that has 2 - 7 or 7.5 mil plys. They don't give ply thickness info here and I wanted to know if anyone knew the facts here. Aquarian is closed today, I tried calling. Thanks in advance for any info.

From Aquarian website:

Performance II
A clear, two ply head manufactured with Aquarian’s Vacuum Process™ which eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles between the two plies. Remember that big, fat, low tom tom sound you heard on the classic rock and roll records? The sound that you could never get on your own? Now you can! Performance II™ drumheads were designed for “loose” tuning to get the depth and punch with no “over-ring”. This drumhead is sealed around the edge to create that really deep sound on the tom toms.

Response 2
A clear, two ply head manufactured with Aquarian’s Vacuum Process™ which eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles between the two plies. Full sound, great attack and consistent tone from drum to drum.

Super 2 - A new kind of 2 ply head
They have great attack, projection and depth unlike any other drumheads. The patented Safe-T-Loc hoop prevents the head from slipping and the Sound Curve collar design provides "Responsive Tuning." With Responsive Tuning, one turn of the drum key and Super-2™ heads react

I have owned and used all three of those. In my experience, Performance II's are great for the low toms if you are looking for nothing but thunder. They are a very dead sounding head, but in a good way. They give you a low rumbling thud with minimal resonance. I would NOT use them on high toms unless you were looking for a thuddy, low sound. The deadest head I have heard out of the box.

Response 2's are very natural sounding (in the clear model) and very warm (in the coated version). Speaking of clears (because I like them better in this model) : they remind me of water. It's a watery warble that accompanies the sound when tuned low, and when tuned high they give a "true" watery "dooom" sound with projection and depth. They are the lightest sounding 2 ply head Aquarian makes IMO.

Super 2's are out of this world. I have tried the coated version and they sound the same on almost every drum set, but they make the entry level and intermediate kits sound good. They hold their tuning better than the other two heads and are deep, dry, and dark sounding. It's the happy medium between the dead sound of the P2 and the watery warble of the R2. It's probably the most versatile of the two.

So bottom line - if you're looking for more tone, go with the Response 2. If you're looking for attack and thud, the Performance II is good. If you want a happy medium, the Super 2 will do you fine.

[larryace]

THAT is an awesome review, thanks for that JMS. Now I have a real sense of the differences in those heads. Did I thank you?

THANKS!