DW Collector's Series Metal Snare - 6.5 x 14 inch - Brushed Aluminum Reviews

Love this snare drum. It is my first dw drum with more too come. I am putting together a performance series kit but, with all the videos and demos I've seen with the collectors aluminum I had to get this. I will have to say it does have a lot of ping more than I was expecting but,I do love that sound it is the character of this drum. I am not one to use moon gel or any dampening for snares or toms. I actually tried out 2 different heads one was the Evans ec reverse dot and a Evans g2 coated,they were OK but they seemed to take away to much of the life of the drum so I went back to the dw stock head and it just made the snare come back to life and couldn't be happier. The 5 position butt plate is extremely fun to play around with. I can't wait to do a studio session with this snare which is comming up in a couple months that will be the true test. All in all this snare drum rips!

I revived my snare on 6/18/23 I unboxed it and started playing it and noticed it had a five position but plate which made it even better than the three position it was advertised with. I am extremely happy with it.

I received this drum the day before a studio recording session. I spent only 5 minutes tweaking the batter head. Took it to the studio and it sounded great. Lots of pop and rim action. I love this drum!

Drum arrived this morning….3 days sooner than expected….thanks Sweetwater you've exceeded my expectations again….
Right out of the box….absolutely perfect !
Drum was tuned and sounds great which doesn't happen often when getting factory new drums ! Definitely playable outta the box….but I'll do my favorite drum heads , a little tuning and this drum will be my go to snare drum ! If you're in the market for a sweet aluminum snare drum….you'll love this drum ! It's worth every penny and more !!

Aluminum snares have recently become my favorites. This is my second Collectors Thin Aluminum model and I just love the crispness, body and sweetness these snares give me. The 5-Position Butt Plate allows for two more "middle tension" adjustments over the 3P. Well done!

Ok picked up this beast, and Oh my I do not regret my decision one bit. I wanted to add an aluminum shell Snare to my collection I was between this one, the start phonic and the Supra LM402, yes the Ludwing is the ludwig the standard for aluminum shell, but this dw Is def. worth every penny. Sometimes it takes me a bit to get acclimated to a snare drums response and dial the m in this one as soon as I started playing it with the band I gotta say it just fit perfectly 100%. yes there are many options and everyone has their favs etc. but this is is a choice you cannot go wrong with also the newer models appear to have a 5 position lever instead of just a 3 position.

This snare is by far one of the most versatile I've ever used. I've already used it on a double studio session and it has so many tuning levels, I didn't even have to swap out to another. The butt end of the strainer is amazing! I highly recommend this snare to anyone looking for versatility and sensitivity. And trust me it gets loud too!

If you need only one drum to cover all the bases this is the drum for you.
Outdoor or indoor gigs you'll find this drum to be the perfect choice.

I've read about DW drums sounding incredible right out of the box. Well, it's true. This being the first step on my long journey back to building a set, after playing for 10 seconds I knew I made the right decision. You will not be disappointed. And the awesome service from sweetwater is a nice bonus.

Well! I didn't need another snare, I just wanted this one to complete my collection. When I took the top head off to inspect I was amazed that I couldn't find a seam anywhere inside! And this a rolled shell? A very well-constructed snare drum. I compared this drum to my 10-lug Acrolite reissue and I found the DW to be slightly more resonant and just as snappy and crisp. The Mag Strainer is my favorite. My only quibble is with the True Tone wires. They just don't sound crisp enough to my ears as compared to Puresound Blasters or Gibraltar chrome wires. That's due to the design of the end plates of the wires. Angled plates offer more snap and high-end. I wish DW would offer another snare wire design option. The drum is very lightweight compared to my beloved DW Bell Brass! I would recommend this snare to anyone who hasn't experienced the magic sound of aluminum snares.

I have a LOT of snares (including some very high-end boutique drums), and this has very quickly moved to my go-to drum.

Full at a tap, throaty as you lay into it, and I can't find a way to make this drum choke out.

Highly recommended!

I wanted to add to my studio arsenal and this drum was a great choice as it has a wide range of sweet spots in tuning. Beautifully crafted instrument that delivers great sound at many frequencies.
Love it!

I love aluminum snares, I always have. This snare can cover so many different ranges as far as tunability and genres. So warm and loud sounding. Sounds great in my studio. The only 2 snares I need is this and a Black nickel over brass. If I could have only one snare it would be this one. Buy it... you won't regret it!

I purchased this Snare for my son for his High School Graduation gift. This was the last DW drum to complete his Collectors Series Kit. Needless to say, he was on "Cloud 9" when he received, and is very proud to own this new drum. Incredible, Awesome tone!!! Highly recommend this product!!!

For years I mainly used wood snares of various types (mostly maple but have had an ash snare and Ludwig cherry/gum wood snare) but was looking for something different when I stumbled upon the aluminum snare. And that's when I said it's the sound I felt best represents my sound. I tried everything the store had from heavy brass over nickel, steel, copper, birch wood and vented OCDP custom snare. While all have their unique characteristics I kept going back to the aluminum. These snares blend so well into the mix and little did I know when I discovered them that some of my favorite drummers used aluminum from Jimmy Chamberlin of the Smashing Pumpkins to Chad Smith from RHCP's and Dave Grohl (listen to Them Crooked Vultures album) and then it made much more sense why I enjoyed the sound so much. These snares naturally play well through all different types of tuning. They sound great tuned high and give you that dry sound with little to no dampening needed. This drum is great and plays great out of the box. Tuned high or low you get just a real workhorse.

Oh and one more thing these drums whether it be this DW or the Pearl Sensitone I previously had tune up with such ease.


All I can say is: Get this snare now!!

Bought this snare because i mean it's DW.. They're obviously gonna make an awesome product, Well i was blown away. I've heard this snare on various recordings such as angels and airwaves albums with Atom Willard using it and was impress from the get go, Well i've used it a couple gigs and a lot at church and every time i do someone compliments the deep tones that it puts out, It's super punchy and gives an awesome "Gun shot" snare sound. I've recently used it on our churches album and it trumps all the other snare i have such as SJC custom and chrome over brass.

Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a snare with an amazing punch little to none over tones and low tuning vintage sound.