Evans 14" Hydraulic Blue Snare

This is more about the 'features' of this drum head which does actually do exactly what it is supposed to do, but I didn't get on with it in the end, it was an experiment.

Yes, it dampens and deadens a ringing steel snare, but then maybe don't use a steel snare or get a better one with a middle ring or a little more mass to it? Yes it is durable and allows you a better tuning range for a drum which usually would ring when taken to high, but at the loss of other qualities which other heads preserve.

Basically I had to tune up to get the musicality and responsiveness out of it to counteract the dead character it introduces which defeats the point somewhat. A bit of a gimmick/one trick pony maybe for me, others may love it though.

I have always played with a power centre snare head for the increased attack and availability of different tones but this head actually packs an equally strong attack. It was bought purely for aesthetic reasons and has turned out to actually sound superb and is very very durable too. When playing more aggressively the head does not mark unless you have poor technique or you are hitting it ridiculously hard. I like my snare to be more open (slight ring) and this suits very well indeed. I haven't needed to dampen the head at all. It also brings a degree of warmth to your drum, a well rounded sound that comes from the hydraulic range. I would highly recommend this snare head, I bought it purely because it looked cool, but it has certainly surprised me.