Electronic drum sets have their advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits is that with one set, you get many different percussion sounds, and you can mix and match the sounds until you find something you like. Plus, they are perfect for silent practice.
One of the disadvantages is that if you want to play live with a band or with friends, you need an amp so that people can hear you playing.
There are many different types of amps that you can use to connect your electronic drum set, but not all sound the same. Plus, if you need to buy an amp for your drum, why not chose the best amp for electronic drums that would give you the most value for your money?
In this post, I present a list of the best amplifiers available in the market today that would be a perfect match for any electronic drums.
The Best Amp for Electronic Drums Are:
- Alesis Strike Amp 12
- Roland Drum Monitor PM-100
- KAT Percussion KA1
Let’s explore each one of these amplifiers in detail to see what makes them the best amps for electronic drums.
Alesis Strike Amp 12
To get the most out of your electronic drum set, you need an amp that could deliver deep bass, punchy mids, and clear, crisp highs. Such an amp also needs enough power so that when the volume is cranked up, it doesn’t distort.
The Alesis Strike Amp 12 can deliver all of the mentioned features because this amp was designed specifically for digital drums. From all of the available amps for drums, this one can be considered the best because it gives you the most value for your money. Let’s see why.
Features
The most outstanding feature of this speaker is the power it can deliver. At continuous RMS power, it delivers 1000W, and at peak power, it can provide 2000W. Translating this to SPL (Sound Pressure Level), it’s 128dB at continuous and 131dB at peak power.
This speaker is bi-amplified, meaning that two separate amps take care of the woofer and tweeter, respectively. The amp for the woofer is 650W, and the one for the tweeter is 350W. This power is more than enough for playing a gig in a small or medium venue.
The 12” low-frequency driver has a 3″ high-temperature voice coil that will deliver deep bass and punchy mids. A speaker with these characteristics will make the kick drum, snare, and toms sound with the same amount of volume as an acoustic one.
Also, with that size woofer, it will move more air making the sound travel farther covering more area. If you want to sound even louder, use two of these speakers for an excellent stereo sound.
The 1.4” high-frequency driver has a neodymium-magnet that produces a stronger, more concentrated magnetic field. With a neodymium magnet, the coil works much better in higher volume situations resulting in less distortion and better sound quality.
Plus, the tweeter comes with what Alesis calls precision waveguide, which is a design that distributes the sound in an efficient way to get better results at dispersing the sound evenly.
This drums amplifier will deliver precise drum sounds with a full response across the entire frequency range without any artificial sound coloration.
At the back of the amp, you have 2 XLR/TRS 1/4-inch combo inputs, each with its independent volume controls and clip indicator.
To chain this speaker with another, it comes with an XLR output to link another Strike Amp 12 or use it to send your performance to a mixer or input device.
The drum amplifier is lightweight to move or haul around. Plus it can be used as a floor monitor or mount it on a pole
There is a Contour EQ switch that, when pressed, activates a preset EQ to control your sound and give it a perfect tone.
Another button is the Ground-Lift switch that can be used if you have hum noises, by activating it, it eliminates unwanted noise.
Advantages
- High power drums amplifier.
- Lightweight and easy to setup.
- Simple controls are straight forward.
- This amp includes protection circuitry like electronic clip, thermal & transducer overdrive.
- Frequency Response 53 Hz – 20 kHz
Disadvantages
- The EQ is a preset setting. You cannot change anything directly in the speaker. If you don’t know how to correctly EQ an amplifier, it is better to have a preset. So just consider this a disadvantage only if you want to mess with EQ.
In my opinion, this is the best amp for electronic drums because you get a 12″, 1000W RMS amplifier that sounds awesome. Other brands offer smaller, less powerful, uglier looking drum amps for the same price as this one. Plus Alesis is a well-known brand that makes good quality gear.
I believe that this amp would work perfectly well for beginners, intermediate, and advanced drummers. Although the product is designed for Alesis digital drum sets, it will work perfectly fine with other drum brands.
Roland Drum Monitor PM-100
With over 40 years of experience producing all kinds of musical instruments and gear for musicians, Roland has set precedence in manufacturing good quality equipment. Such is the case of the Roland Drum Monitor PM-100.
This drum amp can deliver high-resolution sound because it’s fine-tuned for electronic and acoustic drums but specially designed for Roland’s V-Drums. Although this amplifier was designed by Roland specifically for its renowned V-Drums, it can also be used with other electronic drums without any problem.
Let’s check this amp in more detail and learn what makes it so unique.
Features
The rated power output of this amplifier is 80W. With this amount of power, you will have more than enough power to use it as a personal monitor when playing live or as a practice speaker when rehearsing with the band.
Use it if you are playing at a small venue such as a coffee shop or as part of a group. Don’t use this drum amp as the main speaker for concerts or gigs. It’s not powerful enough, just keep that in mind.
It has a 10″ woofer and a 1″ tweeter. The low-frequency driver can pack a punch to make your kick drum, snare, and toms sound real. Plus, the 1″ high-frequency driver takes care of all the high frequencies from the cymbals and hi-hat.
The amp was carefully designed to provide a full frequency range so that all the percussion sounds coming from the drum controller sound expressive and realistic.
The front panel has the following controls: power switch, volume, line input volume knob, bass, and treble. Use the line input to connect your phone, iPad, or MP3 player to play along with your favorite songs. Use the bass and treble knobs to fine-tune the equalization and get the sound you want.
This drum amp comes with a 2-channel integrated mixer. Channel 1 is a 1/4” jack labeled V-Drums, it’s where you would connect the audio coming from the drum controller. Channel 2 has two types of connector, 1/4″ and 1/8” line inputs labeled line.
With its integrated mixer, the PM-100 allows you to monitor backing music and external devices along with your kit.
There’s a dedicated V-Drums input, plus 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch line inputs for connecting electronic percussion pads, smartphones, and music players. It comes with independent volume controls for the V-Drums and line input sections.
Thanks to its angled design, it provides ideal sound coverage for the seated player, thus making it a drum monitor.
All of the mentioned features make the PM-100 to be one of the best amps for electronic drums. But if you like the design but need more output power, you can check the Roland Drum Monitor PM-200.
It is the same design as the PM-100. Still, it delivers a total of 180W, plus it also offers a direct output XLR connectors to connect the amp to a mixer or any other input device.
How It Sounds – Roland PM-100
Advantages
- Rugged cabinet design, with a full-range speaker specially optimized for electronic drums.
- It is easy to carry the amp around thanks to its full-width bar handle on top of the cabinet.
- Perfect angle for adjusting its floor position.
Disadvantages
- This is an overpriced amplifier. For the same price, you can get a much better deal buying the Alesis Strike Amp 12.
- It is heavy to carry around, weighing 29.8lb or 13.5Kg
I think that beginners, intermediates, and advanced drummers can use this amp, the only concern I have is the price. As most amplifiers sold by Roland, they tend to be overpriced. Of course, they are of good quality, but you can get other better deals in this price range.
KAT Percussion KA1
Kat percussion was founded in 1985, and they specialize in electronic drums and drums accessories. The KAT KA1 is the first of two electronic drums amp that they offer. This one is intended as a personal monitor for a small room or studio. Let’s check out the features of this amplifier.
Features
The KA1 has a rated power output of 50W RMS at 8 Ohms. What this means is that the amplifier can continuously deliver 50W when connected to an 8 Ohms woofer.
It comes with a 10” 8 Ohms woofer and a 2.5” piezo tweeter.
This amplifier was designed especially for digital drums. It is a convenient way to monitor while you play. Whether you’re on stage or practicing in your garage with your band the KA1 has everything you need.
The wedge design angles the sound directly at you; that way, you don’t need to use any stands.
It can accommodate up to four signals with three 1/4” jack inputs, and one 1/8” line input and one 1/8″ headphone output. A single knob controls the volume of channels 1 and 2. Channel 3 is controlled by knob labeled AUX.
The line input doesn’t have volume control. It must be controlled from the connected device itself.
It also offers a 3-band EQ for low, mid, and hi frequencies so that you can finely tune your sound until you shape it to the way you want it.
How It Sounds – KAT KA1
Advantages
- It comes with enough inputs to accommodate all your needs.
- 10” woofer provides punchy undistorted bass.
- 3-band EQ helps you fine-tune your sound.
Disadvantages
- The installed piezoelectric tweeter doesn’t sound as good as neodymium compression drivers. The latter can deliver crisp detailed highs that piezoelectric will never match.
- It is a heavy amplifier weighing 37lb or 16.7kg.
- The enclosure material is MDF, which is not as durable as Injection-molded Polypropylene or plywood. Especially if it gets wet.
In my opinion, this product would work best for beginners or intermediate drummers.
Conclusion
In this article, I have presented the top 3 best amps for electronic drums that provide enough power for personal monitoring while practicing or playing live.
In case you need a louder more powerful system, I recommend buying a PA system because it will provide better results and it would be cheaper than buying a bigger drum amp.
I hope this article helps you make the right choice. If you have any questions about this post or any other on my site, please contact me or leave a comment. I will respond within 3 business days.