Born in 2005 from a partnership between Canadian instrument designers and generations of Chinese gong-smiths, the Dream Cymbals and Gongs company has seen a steady increase in reputation, earned through offering quality hand-crafted cymbals whilst keeping prices uniformly low.
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The TriHat concept has been created by dividing three pairs of Dream’s popular hi-hats into two sets of three mix-and-match cymbals. The 14" Energy, Contact and Bliss series hats have been split up and repackaged to create two possible configurations within each group.
These packs are ‘Elements’ and ‘Diversity’. The Elements set contains the Bliss bottom, Contact top and Energy top; the Diversity set is made up of the Bliss top, Contact Bottom and Energy bottom. Both sets come in a strong, wallet-style black carry-case complete with front pocket containing an included hi-hat clutch.
Except for the bottom Energy hat which is completely un-lathed, every cymbal has a traditional matte patina. The Bliss cymbals are very finely lathed for a smooth finish, designed for a warm vintage sound. The Contact hats have a deeper profile, a much coarser lathing pattern and more subtle hammer marks.
The top Energy hat appears more similar to that of the Bliss except for the completely un-lathed bell (both inside and out). The Energys are by far the weightiest of the three.
Hands on
Truthfully, the differences between the various pairings are rather subtle. They all share a dryness to their sound which lends itself well to more traditional jazz vibes (particularly the Bliss over Contact combo) but can also cut through for more dirty funk or hip-hop grooves (Contact over Bliss).
Within the Elements set, switching the thinner Contact top for the heavier Energy brought out not only a quicker attack and more definition, but also a lower pitch.
The difference within the Diversity set, ironically, seemed even less than that of the Elements and the overall tone was dictated more by the Bliss top.
When concentrating a bit harder, it does become apparent that the much thicker and completely un-lathed Energy bottom does, as you may expect, make the sound a little darker and drier.
