Zildjian Alchem-E e-Drum Kits – Going For Gold
4,4 / 5,0 | 
Zildjian Alchem-E Gold EX · Source: Zildjian
Zildjian Alchem-E Gold · Source: Zildjian
Zildjian Alchem-E Bronze EX · Source: Zildjian
Zildjian Alchem-E Gold EX · Source: Zildjian
Legendary cymbal manufacturer Zildjian enter the e-Drum market with three premium, full-shell kits that look set to challenge the top end of the market.
Think cymbals and you undoubtedly think of Zildjian. There are few companies that can lay claim to being in business since 1623! And now, this 17th century company is pulling itself firmly into the 21st. Announced today, we have three premium e-Drum kits from this illustrious brand.
The Zildjian Alchem-E range does not mess about. They’ve gone in hard at the very top end of the market with these three hybrid kits. All of them feature wood shells, with the Bronze model featuring the shallowest versions. The Gold and Gold-EX go the whole hog with full-size shells.
Let’s take a look at the headline specs of each kit:
Bronze
- Poplar/basswood shallow Matte Black wrapped Shells
- 18″ Kick
- 14″ x 5″ Snare
- 2x 10″ x 4″ Toms
- 12′ x 4″ Floor Tom
- 14″ E-Family triple-zone Hi-Hat
- 16″ E-Family triple-zone Crash
- 18″ E-Family triple-zone Crash/Ride
- E-Vault Drum Module
- Cymbal, Hi-Hat, module stands and kick pedal included
Gold
- Poplar/basswood Matte Black wrapped Shells
- 18″ Kick
- 14″ x 5″ Snare
- 10″ x 7″ Tom Tom
- 14″ x 12″ Floor Tom
- 14″ E-Family triple-zone Hi-Hat
- 16″ E-Family triple-zone Crash
- 18″ E-Family triple-zone Crash/Ride
- E-Vault Drum Module
- Cymbal, Hi-Hat, module stands and kick pedal included
Gold-EX
- North American Maple Shells in Black Gold Foundry Smimmer finish
- 20″ Kick
- 14″ x 5″ Snare
- 10″ x 7″ Tom Tom
- 12″ x 7″ Tom Tom
- 14″ x 12″ Floor Tom
- 14″ E-Family triple-zone Hi-Hat
- 16″ E-Family triple-zone Crash
- 18″ E-Family triple-zone Crash/Ride
- 20″ E-Family triple-zone Ride
- E-Vault Drum Module
- Cymbal, Hi-Hat, module stands and kick pedal included
The E-Vault Drum Module
The compact E-Vault module packs a lot into its relatively small frame. Featuring professionally configured kits, many of them customisable. There are 6 additional drum and 6 additional cymbal inputs. Audio outs consist of 8 balanced individual outs as well as main outs and Bluetooth audio outputs.
MIDI is catered for by 5-pin DINs and USB, and 8 channels of audio can be output via the USB port too. The unit comes with a USB flash drive to upload and swap data around. There’s an onboard mixer, Ambience, EQ and compression functions and a separate headphone output.
Zildjian even throw in a pair of Alchem-E sticks, a bass drum patch, bass drum pillow and rubber bass drum hoop protector.
E-Family Cymbals
All the cymbals provided are from the new E-Family range. Each perforated cymbal, including the Hi-Hats, is triple-zoned across the bell, bow and edge. It remains to be seen, or indeed heard, if these will fare better than other metal e-Cymbals, but if anyone can crack it, Zildjian can. They all feature 360º choking.
The Drums
Each triple-zone drum features a mesh head and wooden shells. The Gold EX has 7-ply North American maple shells, with the rest having poplar/basswood construction. Both the Gold and Gold EX feature double-headed toms. On the Gold models, the mesh heads can be replaced with real heads, have the triggers lowered out of the way and be converted to acoustic drums!
More Information
Zildjian’s Alchem-E kits are some of the most expensive e-Drum kits you can buy. I hope that the build quality and module performance justify it. The Alchem-E kits are available to order now. Check out our affiliate links below for the latest and best prices!
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