Without giving you my life story, I've got some experience that I hope makes this review useful. I studied drums at music school, and one of the best things about it was getting to play different kits and setups every day in different situations and spaces, playing a ton of different genres and just getting used to the different tones available from cymbal sets. All were high end Zildjian, K, A, you name it, they had it. Around that time I invested in my 'for life' cymbal set which was mostly A Custom Zildjians, which I adored, but sadly they got lost on tour and I could never afford to replace them.
Until recently I didn't play as much but I've got back into gigging and session playing and needed a setup that was musical, dynamic and had that special 'pro' sound that I previously believed you could only get from spending the big bucks on the set like I used to have. The fact is I just don't have €1000+ to spend on cymbals, so I looked into these instead.
These cymbals are amazing. Don't let the low price point put you off, they absolutely stand up against the more expensive sets in every single way. They're bright, and really dynamic (if you've ever played cheaper B8 or brass cymbals you'll know they're normally all or nothing, sort of 'bin lid' sounding with lots of gross, muddy overtones and resonances, but these being B20 bronze are beautiful and crisp with a nice explosive projection and just the right sort of decay).
They're a fantastic all-round set, not too loud and not too distinct in any direction sound-wise (not too dry/jazzy, not too loud/rocky). If I walked into a gig and saw a set of these sitting on the kit I'd be thrilled.
The only thing I feel is missing for my setup now is some sort of trashy, perhaps darker FX crash, something with a bit of vibe maybe, as these are - in the best way possible - not overly characterful. The great thing is at this price point you can add in things like that without having to save up for years. The other sets like the Dune or Dark Matter probably more characterful sound but I needed something to fit all genres.
Also, the ride cymbal feels great to me, some reviewers had concerns the 20" didn't sound as good as the 22" that can be bought separately. I think it's great, personally. Nice bright bell sound, decent projection on the ping/ride, I don't crash on it a lot as the 18" crash washes out really nicely. Maybe Thomann could offer the 22" as an upgrade to this pack as I'm sure many would happily pay the difference. The fact that you can buy three of these for the price of an equivalent Zildjian set just blows my mind. Amazing.