It's more of an "ear" thing ... and an inconsistent quality thing.

I own several Dreams and love them. It really all comes down to your own ears. You like 'em, you buy 'em. You don't, you won't.

There are several different lines of Dream cymbals that cover quite an array of "styles". There's the jazz line, the old traditional jazz line, the oldschool rock line, the more modern line, and blah blah blah. It all depends on what does it for you.

Nobody's gonna bash you because you have a differing opinion. That would be silly.

I have a 22"Dream Bliss that I really like. I played before I bought it. I tried several other Dreams that I didn't like at all. I suspect that would apply to any brand of cymbal.

I have a bliss vintage 22" crash ride and a bliss 19 crash ride and they are really nice. very low pitch with tons of wobble. The 22" is SUPER light...

Any stores around Nashville carry these? Haven't seen them at Fork's.

The Dream cymbals are very hit and miss as they are hand hammered and each has it's own unique voice. I have hit 4 of the same model and size and not one sound's the same. I'm kind of lucky as I live an hour away from the Dream warehouse here in Canada and the person I used to deal with at my semi local drum shop is a friend of the guy's that started Dream so they stopped by his shop on occation and he got to hand pick the cymbals he wanted from the one's they bring so every cymbal I've gotten from that drum shop has been the best I've heard. Except the last time I was thier he moved on to teaching music at one of the university's around here and some kid took over the drum department and the cymbal I went in to get didn't sound all that good so I didn't pick it up.Now I'm kicking myself for selling my 14"bliss" crash with a set I sold a month ago.Violin

Forks in Nashville - they have a couple in the cymbal room but you gotta hunt for them

If I may proclaim myself the resident VDF Dream Expert (after all, I own over 40 of them!)..........

I really like them, obviously. It's all about what you like, how you play them and how you hear them. To me, they sound better than K Constantinoples, Sabian HHX Legacy, Meinl Byzance etc. They have a much "softer" feel under your stick than other modern cymbals. I prefer thin dark and washy cymbals, as I play mostly jazz. For as thin as they are, you still get a surprisingly articulate and woody stick sound. I also play in an all original rock band and use Bliss crashes for that gig, and they sound awesome. Still plenty of cut, but with a dark complexity that blends into the music rather than overpowers it. Best of all, compare the price to a K Con, Paiste Traditional or Byzance and look at the difference!

As far as the incosistent quality thing...........I agree it's there, but to a small degree. Almost all Dreams I have heard sound really good. There are a few odd or trashier sounding models, but the quality on these is outstanding. I've played Sabians and Zildjians and have said to myself "Man, how did that make it off the production line", so it happens with all cymbal companies.

Hey, it's cool that Dreams don't do "it" for you. I totally know what you mean. Lots of people rave about Paiste 2002's and Zildjian A Customs, but those cymbals don't do "it" for me. If everyone liked the same kind of cymbal, that would be boring and we would have MUCH less to choose from!

[COLOR="Purple"]I think their biggest asset is the fact that, for their price, you can get a cymbal which possesses SOME of the more obvious qualities of a vintage handmade B20.

I think folks go way overboard when they try to press the issue and say they are "vintage-K like" or things such as that. I cannot particularly agree that they top a nice, Turkish contemporary handmade like a Byzance or an Istanbul, Masterwork, or Bosphorous. I have never heard one which is that complex yet controlled.

I find the larger ones tend to be a bit out of control in the wash/overtone dept.; I find the 'hats suffer from too much 'white noise' (which is an attribute of chinese cymbals); but cannot disagree that many do make nice Jazz cymbals if you have limited funds.

I have played on sets outfitted with 'em and they were interesting....OK....kinda fun. And yes, overall they do give that sorta Jazzy vibe. But while the impression may be wide, it only goes so deep.

Nevertheless, it is a plus that they are on the market...but as this thread shows, certainly not everyone's cup of tea....[/COLOR]

I have a 16" Dream Bliss crash, and it is VERY obviously thinner on one side than the other.. One half of the edge tapers to a blade-like edge, the other side is much thicker, maybe like a mm or 2, and flat. I really like it though. It's soft, dark, tons of overtones, yet still shimmery and its really explosive.