Best Electronic Drum Set

Electronic drum sets have come a long way over the years with the quality improving to the point that they're now used not just for practice, but everywhere that you would find acoustic kit being played from cover bands, to major concerts, and recording sessions.

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Today's premium kits offer impressive realistic playing surfaces and sounds that could easily trample the best electronic drum kits of past years. After reviewing all the major brands available, we have selected the very best electronic drums currently on the market - ones that feel and respond remarkably close to acoustic drum kits, while providing the advantage of digital audio convenience and sound flexibility.

Roland TD-30KVS

At the top of this list is the latest monster electronic drum kit from Roland, the TD-30KVS. It features Roland's SuperNATURAL sound and behavior modeling technology giving you supernatural expressiveness, feel and sounds! On the outside, the TD-30KVS looks and responds like an acoustic set, but it does not end there because it will greatly expand your sound palette while remaining rooted to the drum setup familiar and comfortable to you. Its advanced sensing technology, combined with its powerful sound processor results in convincing and impressive responsiveness, faithfully reproducing the nuances and dynamics of your strikes, chokes, and other drumming techniques. With the Roland TD-30KVS, you are truly getting the best of both worlds - acoustic and electronic. Get the latest Roland TD-30KVS price & reviews at Amazon.com.

Yamaha DTX950K

The DTX950K is Yamaha's current flagship electronic drum kit, the result of combining Yamaha's experience with digital audio technology and acoustic drum manufacturing. The feel, response and rebound of the Textured Cellular Silicone pads used on this kit is claimed by many as the best there is. It has the expressiveness of acoustic drums while having a uniquely modern and ergonomic look, making it more convenient for quick setups and teardowns. The functionality and response of the hardware is matched in quality by Yamaha's digital sound technology, allowing you to use various pre-installed or even personalized samples. Be it for quiet practice, or playing live, the Yamaha DTX950K continues to be among the cream of the crop. Get the latest Yamaha DTX950K price & reviews at Amazon.com.

Pearl e-Pro Live

If you love acoustic drums but you want to try your hand at electronic drum kits, then this is the best transition drum kit for you. Pearl's quality acoustic drums are well known, and so they used their expertise with acoustic drum hardware as a leverage to create the e-Pro Live, a sort-of hybrid acoustic-electronic drum kit. The Pearl e-Pro Live is an electronic kit that actually uses electronic pads on real acoustic drum hardware. It gives you the expanded sonic capability of electronic drums while having real brass cymbals, real wood drum shells, and real drum set hardware. And another cool thing about this set is that you can easily convert the e-Pro Live back into an acoustic drum set by simply swapping the electronic pads with real drum heads! Get the latest Pearl e-Pro Live price & reviews at Amazon.com.

Roland TD-9K2

If the flagship model of Roland is too much for your budget, you don't have to fret because they have a whole range of electronic drums that are more affordable while retaining high quality. Case in point is the Roland TD-9K2-S, giving you convincing acoustic feel and loaded with hundreds of Roland quality percussion samples. It has dual-mesh pads that are responsive and the entire kit is rock solid sturdy. Aside from having quality sounds and hardware, the TD-9K2-S is a great practice kit, offering nifty features like Scope mode and Quick Record/Play. The Roland TD-9K2-S highlights the many advantages of electronic drum kits over traditional acoustic sets. Get the latest Roland TD-9K2 price & reviews at Amazon.com.

Alesis DM10X

Alesis is well known for their drum machines and other electronic percussion instruments, so it wasn't much of a surprise to find that they have a great electronic drum kit - the DM10X. It features upgraded "RealHead" pads instead of the rubber pads used on their cheaper models, these new pads come with real mylar drumheads and counterhoops that allow for good playing feel and response. Alesis knows their way around drums and percussion samples, and as expected the DMX10 produces quality sounds. Expressiveness is provided for by Alesis Dynamic Articulation multi-sample technology, allowing the pads to capture the minute details of your drum playing. Its ergonomic design, great sounding samples, sensitive pads and reasonable price make for a great portable and practice drum kit. Get the latest Alesis DM10X price & reviews at Amazon.com.

So there you have it - the electronic drum sets that we rate as the best. If you're looking for a less expensive set than the ones above, then stay tuned because we are currently reviewing the budget range of electronic sets and we'll be bringing you our recommendations for those soon.

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Best drumkit

The Roland stuff is by far the best playing and sounding period.

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