Adding Aero crashes to the HHX Complex series

This March, SABIAN added to the successful HHX Complex Series, introducing the Complex Aero Series of thin crashes and the HHX Complex 15″ Big Cup Hi Hats.

Mark Love and the SABIAN product development team have brought their unique Aero design to 3 sizes of thin crashes (16”, 18” and 20”) within the HHX Complex Series. Whereas the Aero design tends to accentuate high end while reducing mids and lows, the aggressive HH and HHX hand hammering on these Complex Aeros balances those boosted highs with the darkness and lows that the HHX Series has become known for.

“The Aero design makes these cymbals louder and a bit more flexible and responsive,” said Love, SABIAN’s Director of Research and Development. “We’ve made Aero crashes in other series for quite some time, but we got really excited about these Complex Aeros, because they seemed quite different than what we were seeing with the AAX Series. You have some of the dark from the hammering and then you have some of the brightness and highs from the Aeros. They really mix together to create a great blend and a cymbal that sits well in the drum set mix.”

“From the arena to the studio, these cymbals cut through the mix and sound amazing!” – Marcus Thomas

The HHX Complex 15″ Big Cup Hi Hats, meanwhile, resulted from experimenting with different bell sizes during the initial Complex Series design process over three years ago. Featuring a medium-weight top, a heavy bottom, and a much wider bell that’s over twice the normal size, the 15″ Big Cup Hi Hats offer the fullness of 15’s with the feel of 14’s.

While the initial Complex line went with 14” Hi Hats, SABIAN Product Specialist Randy Ross later discovered the larger, 15” Big Cup Hi Hats in the factory and was drawn to their tighter feel, normally associated with smaller-diameter hats.

“The Big Cup hats give me the versatility I need, for whatever situation I am in. Great balance. A mean BITE, with a subtle chew,” – Tony Royster Jr.

“Feel is as important as sound,” said Love. “They have to be fun to play and they have to feel nice under your sticks. And the Complex certainly do that. Because they’re hammered multiple ways, it gives them that flexibility and warmth as well as that buttery feel that we get in an Evolution. There’s a lot of value in that design, a lot of hand craftsmanship that goes into them. They’re not just cookie cutter cymbals.”

Using trickle down technology gleaned from years of developing some of the world’s top selling cymbals lines like Evolution, Legacy, and even Artisan, SABIAN HHX Complex is a line of exquisitely dark cymbals. These cymbals employ a combination of HH and HHX hammering, a raw bell, and a number of the aforementioned proprietary techniques – resulting in the richest and sweetest rides and crashes, and the fattest sets of Hats SABIAN has ever produced.

“If your kit is the bread, then these new designs have to be the butter. Dress your kit with the new Complex Aero Crashes & the Big Cup hats, and you’ll have yourself a good meal.” – Haze Amaze (drummer for NAS)