I think the Dreams would be closer than Wuhan's......they claim theirs to be like the early A's K's, but the only decent sounding Wuhans I've ever come across were the Lion Chinas.

The vintage bliss series is mainly rides and crash/rides. Splashes are limited to the contact series I believe......why not go for an Armand splash if you want that 60's A sound?

...actually, Stagg makes a REALLY low line that is REALLY thin and REALLY dark and airy. I use a 14 inch top hi hat for my splash. You can breathe on it and it hisses. That's the sound I'm looking for. You might like 'em. They cost in the neighborhood of 75 bucks for a set of hats. Really really really thin and expressive. Worth the effort it takes to listen to one.

The Dream Contact series is closer to the old Avedis sound than the Bliss series. The Contact splash cymbals would probably have the sound you;re looking for.

Chris at VirtualCymbals has video and sound files on almost all the Dream cymbals he has in stock - and he's got a lot of each series. Tell him what you're after, and he'll probably have it nailed right down, man. He knows Avedis, old Ks, Istanbuls - I mean, he's been around, and he really knows cymbals. I'll bet he has exactly the splash you're looking for.

Yeah, the Dream Bliss I series had a trashier "dragon's breath" kind of Chinese hiss to them, more so than the Bliss II series, and way more than the Bliss IIIs. The Vintage Bliss series is their attempt to regain that breathy hiss the Bliss Is had.

That's still a relatively new series, the Vintage Bliss, which may be why there are no splash cymbals yet. But they'll probably be some evevntually.

I dig that deep, dark, trashy, breathy roar. Like you said, they're great for jazz, but not much for rock. When my band kicks it up a little for something in a fusion feel, my 22" Bliss I sorta fades in the wash, so to speak - but it's a killer crash for louder volume stuff !

I believe my 22" Bliss is a II series. To new to be a I and not new enough to be a III or vintage. It definitely has the roar when you lay into it, but if played gently, has a nice balance of stick and wash.

Mallet rolls are the best I've heard on any cymbal.

I find I can crash it light or heavy and it sounds great either way.

I've been using it live on some blues trio gigs and I find it works very well in that style. The band plays at a low to moderate level, so it never gets lost.

I also own Wuhan S Series 16" and 18" crashes, supposedly their higher end cymbals. Quality is pretty good, but they have a distinct chinese sound to them. Useful as accent cymbals, but you wouldn't want them to be your *only* cymbals.

I could never quite like the S series from Wuhan. I loved some of the first run Western cymbals. I had an 18 C/R that was oh so sweet. I gave it to one of my students and have missed it ever since.

I have yet to find a Wuhan cymbal, other than a china type, that I have liked......