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The jaw-dropping finish of the kit is only possible due to its shell-within-shell design

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Any concerns about the strength of such heavily perforated shells were, in my time with the kit, unfounded. The cylinder is an incredibly strong shape – that's why underground tunnels are invariably dug in this shape – and the shells feel quite rigid.

Another useful payoff of drilling the shells out is the weight loss. Double-shelled drums are normally quite heavy on account of the extra wood used. The Edgevent drums, while not as light as single-shell equivalents, weigh less than you'd expect.

When it came to the inner shells, Spaun was unwilling to comment on many aspects due to fears that designs could be plagiarised. Without wishing to contribute to its worries, it's our duty to describe what we found.

Most twin-shell drums have reinforcement rings glued to the top and bottom of the outer shells. The strengthening properties are not really required; they're there in order to grip the inner shell and maintain a gap between the two shells.

The Edgevent design isn't a million miles away from this, but there are crucial differences. The reinforcement rings – if that's what they were originally intended to be – are divided into segments running around the inner circumference of the outer shell. The vents that separate each portion of ring were devised because Spaun thought that without them the drums sounded choked.

It's from these edge vents that the drums get their name. Such an involved piece of design suggests a significant effect on the sound.

In each drum the inner shell, which is wrapped in contrasting White Swirl, is sprung between the two sets of Edgevent ring. While the outer shells are eight-ply maple and .5mm thick, the inner shells vary in ply and thickness, but are generally thinner (in some drums as slender as 3.5mm).

Spaun's double 45 degree bearing edges (ie an equal angle either side) are cut on the outer shells. From the bearing edges the shells rake down across the Edgevent rings to the inner shells.

Hands on

This Spaun kit is made up of a 22"x18" kick drum, 13"x 6½" snare, 12"x8" tom and 16"x14" floor tom. The extra-thin inner shells point to a deep, dark response and the moment we attached a pedal to the kick drum a thunderclap of sub-frequencies ensued, making the wooden stage we were on vibrate in sympathy.

What could be discerned of the note was murderously low and drenched in warmth. The kick was reminiscent of one of those dance instrumentals where each hit from the bass drum momentarily obliterates everything else. An Evans EMAD batter fitted with a single foam ring ensured a clean response with near-perfect decay.

The toms gave similar performances to the bass drum delivering fat, powerful tones that mainly registered at the deeper end of the spectrum. Despite the prevalence of low-end, the toms had an aggressive edge, which enabled them to cut through rather than end up as muffled thuds within the mix.

The snare was every bit as impressive as the rest of the kit. It produced everything from a tight snap at the edges to thick backbeats in the centre. The darkness of the wood shone through, adding warmth to the unquestionable power. Rimshots were delivered with metallic precision, while at the other end of the dynamic scale the drum proved highly sensitive, responding to the smallest flick of a brush.