This snare sounds great and you gotta love the wood hoops! It gives a very warm sound and has been well received by fellow musicians and sound guys. My only complaint is that I had to replace the throw off as the snare tension kept coming loose when played at higher volumes. I spoke to DW about it and it sounds like it is an isolated incident. After DW replaced the throw off, its been smooth sailing. Its been great experimenting with the tuning as it is a more versatile snare than i originally thought it would be.