This was purchased to replace the standard heads on our drummers relatively modest Yamaha (great value for what you pay) kit. To be fair to those original heads, they weren't at all bad... just old and well used. The drummer was after black drum heads and after a lot of reading, these were chosen.
So, the top film is clear over black, no transfer of colour off of these, so a plus point there. What the film does however, is give the head a slightly off-black (deep grey/anthracite) hue with a bit of oily rainbow effect, depending upon the lighting and angle. Don't worry about this though, it is not something that is particularly noticeable or distracting when playing.
What about when played, you may ask? Well, simply put, quite astounding! Without changing the bottom drum heads or any other business, the difference in sound dynamic is significant and to me, sounds incredibly warm, deep, full of tonal heart, with nice articulation. The drummer doesn't beat the heck out of the kit and to me, listening to and playing along, these Aquarian Reflector heads work beautifully, whether played gently, or when playing with a bit of intensity. If you like your drums to sound huge, these would definitely do the job! Play with more grace and panache? Looking for a sound with more acuity? Again, these heads are more than capable of being your friend!
For what it's worth, it is not just me, yes, the drummer likes them!
