Are you guys even reading you own posts?A few years back I stumbled onto the cymbamholic site to be greeted by the register page. Asking a couple of friends / pro drummers if I should bother, I was greeted by words like “pretentious” and “self important”. So I never ventured further.
I've known other drummers like your friends back in the day, and know some today as well. Some people have no time, and/or interest in understanding or discussing the often subtle qualities that differentiate mediocre from great cymbals. Nor are they interested in understanding how the materials and techniques used in their construction contributes to the sound of their cymbals.
Cymbalholic is (was) a specialist site meant for those who have that interest. It was the premier site to learn about cymbals. For a long time much of the information shared there simply was not available anywhere else. Like any forum, things change over time. People come and go, feathers get ruffled, and the dynamics can change. However, I will never regret having been a active member for several years.
In some ways Cymbalholic is not unlike VDF which is also a specialist site. Most drummers out there have no interest in what is discussed here, and I'm sure a number of them would describe some of the topics discussed here as pretentious.
With regard to some of the negative responses you've received, I believe its because Cymbalholic and its changes over the years is a very sensitive subject to many of us who have been around for a while. Your comments, and the reference to it being a "pretentious" and "self-important site", didn't help. At one time a number of us here called Cymbalholic home. Although he left Cymbalholic many years ago, Drumaholic taught us all about vintage K and A Zildjian stamps there, and his stamp designations are the standards used by everyone today. I believe that JDA, himself, has been a member from just about the beginning if my recollection is correct. Although I know it was unintentional, your post was probably construed as insulting by some people here, thus the strong reaction.