Mark7 said:
Okay, so ZBTs are awful and B8s are tolerable. Beginners cymbals it seems, at least according to the general consensus so far, are meh.
Sort of. You get what you pay for, to an extent. ZBT's or whatever might be preferable or even tolerable compared to the brass cymbals that came with the cheap drum kit that actually dent when you hit them.
B8 is the name of a product line from Sabian. It's also the name of the bronze alloy used to make the cymbals. B8 alloy is workable enough to be rolled into a sheet of plate, which can then be stamped into the shape of a cymbal like a hole punch or cookie cutter. It's an economical way to make cymbals to a price point. It's difficult to generalize, because there is another manufacturer that uses a very similar alloy and process to make more expensive cymbals that might be better regarded.
B20 bronze is a different alloy that can't be worked in the same way. It needs to be cast to shape and then hand lathed and hammered to finish the cymbal. There's more work involved, so these types are more expensive.
Mark7 said:
New Beats, Ks, AAs and XSRs appear to be the ones to look at. Are these mid range or premium hats though? Also... Who makes them?
I've never used New Beats, but this is a very old and specific product line from the Zildjian A range. They're sometimes regarded as the most recorded hihats through history. They're not cheap.
K's, AA's and XSR's are different product lines from Zildjian and Sabian. They are all cast cymbals, mid to premium range. The problem is that there are literally hundreds of choices. If you're looking at ride cymbals for example, one product line from one manufacturer might include the rock ride, the polka ride, the smooth ride, the rush hour ride and the bumpy ride. There are also different weights to consider - paper thin, medium heavy, etc...
There are 4 major cymbal makers - Meinl, Paiste, Sabian and Zildjian. They all make multiple products across multiple product lines. There are other choices as well that might be worth considering.
For hihat cymbals you can get ones that dent easily, ones that don't dent easily, loud hats that have a lot of projection on a big stage, dark and sizzly hats that don't project too much but might sound great in a recording studio, hats that have a cutting and distinctive "chick" sound, "sloshy" hats, all rounders...
Big music retailers usually have websites that list and describe all their products. There's also Google and Youtube for reviews and sound clips. You can research everything to help you make a good decision, but sometimes even trying something out in a store isn't the same as experience using the product in context. Having said that, if you do the research you'll be able to identify a good deal on the used market a bit better. A respected set of cast hats for around the same quid or less than what you'd pay for stamped cymbals might be a good deal if they're not cracked or keyholed. It might be hard to find a deal like that, but it does happen.
Without having a better idea of what sounds you're after, anything we can suggest at this point is a stab in the dark as to what you might like.