Yeah, it's just different, "better" is a matter of opinion.
Losing the bell changes the overall response of a cymbal, the spread between the
attack of the stick and the resulting wash can be dramatically altered. As with everything in this game though, one flat ride can sound pretty different to others - the rest of the physical characteristics all make a difference. It goes the other way too with those rides with enormous bells. I played one of those a few years ago (can't remember which brand) but wasn't too impressed.
I think it's great to have such a range of stuff to play around with, even with tiny differences. Obviously not all new designs are good - there's a lot of simple gimmicks floating around but they have no staying power anyway.
Linear Mode
