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The thin crashes have a harmonious opening swell, while the following note is mellow and dark

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Launched in 2007, Paiste's Twenty Series cymbals are the first B20 cymbals the company has made since its Formula 602 and Sound Creation ranges. The brief was to bridge the gap between the classic sparkling, harmonious Paiste sound and the darker, more complex characteristics typical of cymbals of Turkish descent.

Build

Twenty Series cymbals are made through a unique collaboration between Paiste and its Turkish partner Murat Diril. Raw blanks of B20 bronze are cast by Murat in Turkey before being transported to Paiste's Swiss manufacturing base, where they are worked into finished cymbals. Paiste emphasises that every crucial stage of the production is completed by hand, from the initial casting to the lathing and hammering

The cymbals are a distinctive shade of gold and have been buffed to a gleaming shine. Wide and fairly deep lathing bands cover both the top and bottom of each cymbal from the centre hole to the edge (with the exception of the splashes and the normal weight rides, which have raw bells). Numerous hammer marks abound as well, so beneath the brilliant finish the cymbals have a busy surface. These new additions to the Twenty Series are a mixture of alternatively sized versions of existing cymbals and completely new models.

Hands on

First out of the box was a pair of splashes (8" and 12"). The 8" cymbal explodes immediately with a high-pitched snap. Although it is only 8" wide it seems alive with overtones. The 12"splash is big step up from the 8" and is altogether calmer. It's quite a thick cymbal and could almost function as a miniature crash. The weight gives it impressive volume and it possesses a similarly silvery, trashy voice to the 8".

A new model – the Mini China – is represented in 8", 10" and 12" diameters. Of the trio, the 10" and 12" models sound the best, fizzing instantly in the style of a China while also possessing a proper note. The 12" is the most aggressive and also has the deepest note, making it an attractive add-on cymbal. The supplied 8" Mini China sounded nothing like the example on Paiste's website; we found it impossible to elicit anything other than an ungainly clang from it.

Three new Thin Chinas (14", 16" and 18") and a 20" regular China bring the total number of Twenty Series China options to an impressive nine. The Thin Chinas' combination of white-hot attack and underlying shimmering darkness is impressive. Again the larger pair perform strongest, opening with searing aggression while brimming with trashiness. The 20" China doesn't have the same level of immediacy as the Thin models but it is louder and even more complex.