Rule of thumb on cymbals:
Weights - Heavy cymbal = Projection, articulation, High Pitch and long duration.
- Thin cymbals = Smoother attacks, quieter, darker pitches and short sustain.
Treatments - When a cymbal has tight consistent lathing, it has a simple consistent tone or pitch.
- When it has a more inconsistent lathing pattern and hammering the tone becomes complex and sometimes trashy.
Materials - B8/10/12 formulas have a penny color to them. This number is referring to the amount of tin content in the cymbal. The lower the tin content, the more metallic and thin the cymbal sounds.
- B20 formulas have a higher tin content. (You guys don't have Loonies in the states but thats the color of a B20 bronze cymbal.) The end result is more body and broader tone.
These are good general rules to follow but there is more than just that. I would describe Jazz tones as smooth, dark, quiet, trashy and warm. Sabian HH series, Zildjian K's, Paiste Traditional series and Meinl Byzance. There's also a company called Bospherus who IMO make the sweetest sounding cymbals, but they aren't aggressive enough in most cases for rock or metal. Metal sounds I would describe as Loud and powerful. Sabian Metal-X and Paiste Rude Series. Two very different sounds.
From What I've heard, the Sabian HHX would fall into the best hi-bred category but their price point might be high. The Zildjian Z-Customs would be maybe another good bet, but Zildjians consistency is so shitty, one might sound right and the other might not. For cost efficiency and overall value, Paiste PST5's might do the job and I think these are great sounds for metal but still hold a musical tone about them. In the end, you gotta go play em and decide for yourself though.