They play pretty good. If you go with these, you will be searching out an 18 pretty fast. The 18 plays great.

Modern A's trying to sound vintage.

They don't live up to it.

They sure don't. I have a pair (16" and 18") that sounded GREAT in the store together. When I got them home and played them side-by-side with several like-sized 50s/60s/70s As, they didn't even come close to matching. I have some 80s A Med. Thin Crashes that sound more like the old As. I guess it's that high-end shimmer that has appeared in Zildjian cymbals since the 90s. I play the Armands with some HHX cymbals in a cover band, and they go well together. If I put them with my 21" 50s A ride, they sound so out of place.

By the way, does anyone know why their newer cymbals (90s until present) all have that high-pitched "shimmery" quality? Any rumors of them modifying the recipe or manufacturing process? Did they get a new cast roller?

From the little I got to play them, I can see that they sound great together in the store - I kinda like the little bit of bright shimmer. At the same time I am thankful that they didn't sound as good as some of your older stuff. Everyone here seems to like their cymbals aged with patina and crud, so I would hate to think that you could just pick up that sound at the store for cheap.

I do like the Armand cymbal sound. My intent would be to play them together as a set, not really mix them in with the vintage stuff I have. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I am really tempted to get them. I am just having a hard time deciding between the Armands or a set of Dream Bliss. The sets are at different stores, so they are kinda hard to compare. I really like bothe sets, but only have cash for one of them.

I read that they left the Armands uncoated so they can age more like older Zildjians did. Would be kinda neat to see what happens over time with them.

Hi there, thought I would add my 2 cents on my first post!

I am not a conossieur of vintage cymbals but for what it is worth I enjoy playing the Armand. I have both the 20" and 21" rides...which i use both as rides and crashes. They both feel great under the stick, have a nice amount of wash without going on forever. There is a slightly bigger difference between the two though than I would expect though. The 20 seems a bit more firm than expected than the 21 and the 20 also seems noticeably brighter even though finishes/lathing are the "same"...note that my 21 is a bit more tarnished than the 20. But for what it is worth they both sound great for what they are...oh and I bought mine lightly used for a bit over half the price of brand new. hunt around, they are out there for much less than brandy new prices. If you can deal with a little tarnish and some stick marks that you yourself are going to put there anyways, it is the way to go.

I really like the Armand 18" crash I bought to replace a crash that was stolen. It reminds me of the old Zildjian cymbals I have owned. Cool1