The Avedis Zildjian Company is a cymbal manufacturer founded in Istanbul by Armenian Avedis Zildjian in the 17th century during the Ottoman Empire. At nearly 400 years old, Zildjian is one of the oldest companies in the world.

Zildjian’s Gen16 system is an acoustic electric percussion instrument. Gyre9 was tasked with developing the integration and embodiment of a new sensor technology. The goal of the technology was to eliminate feedback and cross-talk inherent of the out-going microphone based system. Materials selected for the design of the DirectSource sensor and pre-amp were informed by Zildjian’s 400 year history of quality, precision and elegance.