new crash sound vs used crash sound

I would agree that a cymbal changes sound over time. But gradually over a VERY long time. Due to oxidation, dirt accumulation, loss of metal, dents, small defects, cracks etc.

Breaking in over a relatively short time by playing it. I don’t buy it.
 
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I'm gonna push this a bit farther. I know with PA speakers, weather comes into play. At work when testing some cabinets, we must calibrate the computer everyday to accommodate for atmospheric pressure. If we don't, the cabinets will fail the frequency portion every time, unless the atmospheric pressure is the same as the default setting on the machine, which it never is. The machine defaults at 124.0 bar. Our facility is about 1100' above sea level. The atmospheric pressure there is typically 123.5 to 123.65 bar. High and low pressure weather systems as well as temperature and humidity alter this even more.

Now I am not a sound engineer. I build and test the things to the tune of about 15,000 - 20,000 a year. Been doing it for over 5 years. And I work directly with the engineers. There is more in play with the sound you hear coming from it's source than just a turn of the knob or a hit with a stick. Did the weather change? Did you add something new to the room? Is your environment overly dusty (live on a dirt road)? Did you move the sound source? Did you clean your ears today? The considerations are endless.

So sure, the sound can change, but what else changed in the equation to alter said sound?
 
I'm gonna push this a bit farther. I know with PA speakers, weather comes into play. At work when testing some cabinets, we must calibrate the computer everyday to accommodate for atmospheric pressure. If we don't, the cabinets will fail the frequency portion every time, unless the atmospheric pressure is the same as the default setting on the machine, which it never is. The machine defaults at 124.0 bar. Our facility is about 1100' above sea level. The atmospheric pressure there is typically 123.5 to 123.65 bar. High and low pressure weather systems as well as temperature and humidity alter this even more.

Now I am not a sound engineer. I build and test the things to the tune of about 15,000 - 20,000 a year. Been doing it for over 5 years. And I work directly with the engineers. There is more in play with the sound you hear coming from it's source than just a turn of the knob or a hit with a stick. Did the weather change? Did you add something new to the room? Is your environment overly dusty (live on a dirt road)? Did you move the sound source? Did you clean your ears today? The considerations are endless.

So sure, the sound can change, but what else changed in the equation to alter said sound?
Good observations. I'd forgotten that you work for a speaker manufacturer.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Bought a new K Custom Dark 17 and almost returned it because it wasn't opening up as nicely as my 16 and 18 (the other two would "crash" with much lighter hits). But after playing it only a few days it now opens up like the others. Is this common, especially after such a short time?

I think they do get broken in but it’s also like a few other people said: your ears get used to the sound of the cymbals. I do have a vintage 14 Zildjian that has become much better sounding over time, though.
 
So if the cymbal changes so much during a few days of hitting it, hoe does it know when to stop when the owner likes it? It's not a shoe that gets adapted to a foot. The cymbal would keep changing like a bottle of wine in a cellar, and cymbal manufacturers would be the first to claim it can be hit 10000 times and then replacement is recommended. Who would still buy vintage cymbals? God knows who hit it with what and how often and how hard. I'm not talking about visible cracks.

If they changed only the first few days, it would be easy for manufacturers to pre-hit a cymbal and make it sound better than any other brand in the shop.

Also, unles they're perfectly horizontal, cymbals tend to always hang in the same position so you always hit it in the same spot. If they changed over time, turning them 180 degrees would make them sound very different. But they don't.

If they changed over time, a recording on the first day and a recording in same conditions on day 7 or 30 or 365 would sound different. I haven't tried that yet, I don't have a new cymbal right now and not planning to buy one, certainly not for such a test ;)
 
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