The Carlsbro EDA-50 has been a mainstay in this guide for 3 editions now, and rightly so given its consistently high ratings across retailers.

With its 50W rating and 10" bass driver, volume is enough for use on stage as an e-drum monitor. It has an uncolored sound that accurately represents what a drummer would hear when using headphones. And this transparency also means that you get to hear the nuances of the different drum kits and sounds that you have on your kit.

It does get muddy when cranked to hard, so make sure to manage the volume. And speaking of volume, it will have a harder time when other musicians set their bigger amps loud though.

Its tonal options are quite versatile for the price, sporting a responsive 3-band equalizer great for tweakers and most will find 3 knobs more than enough to find the right sound especially when you do most of the fine-tuning inside your e-drum brain. Bass has good definition but is not as deep, still it is more than enough for home practice.

Availability might be a factor since It seems to be more available from UK based sites which is not too surprising considering Carlsbro is a British brand. Because of its solid build quality, the amp is a bit on the heavy side, but still reasonably portable.

The Donner edges it out in versatility with its dedicated mic/line switch, Bluetooth and separate volume knobs for each channel allowing it to double up as a simple PA system for singing and other instruments in a pinch. But the extra 15 watts of the EDA-50 might make all the difference when it comes to being loud enough for your specific application.

If you're going more for sound and build quality over bells-and-whistles on a budget, the Carlsbro EDA-50 is worth considering especially if you can find it for a good deal...or find it at all.

Specifications

• Inputs & Outputs: x2 Drum input (left/mono, right), x1 aux , x1 line, x1 headphone out
• Bluetooth Capability: None
• Output Power: 50 Watts
• Weight and Size: 34 lbs, 15” x 14” x 16”
• Driver and Speaker Size: 1 x 10" Woofer, 1 x 2" Tweeter

Roland and Alesis are perennial competitors in the electronic drum market and it's no surprise that both companies occupy multiple spots on our recommended list.

While Roland remains to be the brand to beat when it comes to most things electronic drums, Alesis has one-upped it in the drum amp department with its Strike 12 garnering the highest Gearank Rating of this edition. Still, the PM-100 is no slouch with its lower price point and its combination of reliable performance and build quality.

Although only pumping out 80 watts, this drum monitor has respectable bass due to its relatively big 10" woofer especially compared to the Strike 8. It can go loud when needed, and provides great response notably in the bass region. It has good transparency that allows authentic reproduction of your e-drum sound and dynamic nuances. Still, if you're jonesing for more watts, the PM-200 might be better suited for you.

The PM-100 sports a more spartan tone shaping configuration with just 2 knobs that control the treble and the bass, but along with its separate inputs for your e-drums and 2 sizes of line input jacks for play-along, this is enough for most people's practice set up. Those who need more control might be put off with this limitation though.

The construction overall is high grade and durable as expected from Roland. And this, together with its sound quality, make this amp easy to recommend, who doesn't want an easy to use amp that sounds good, has good volume, and will reliably work for a long time?

Although lacking some fancy features such as Bluetooth and is not exactly stylish, this does the job and it does it well. This is a choice definitely worthy of the Roland name.

Specifications

• Inputs & Outputs: 1/4-inch Stereo phone type V-Drums INPUT, 1/4-inch Line-in Stereo phone type, 1/8-inch Stereo miniature phone type
• Bluetooth Capability: None
• Output Power: 80 Watts
• Weight and Size: 29 lbs, 20.2 lbs, 15-5/16" x 16-1/16" x 13-15/16"
• Driver and Speaker Size: 1 x 10" Woofer, 1 x 2" Tweeter

Now we come to our last and highest priced contender, the behemoth Roland PM-200, sporting a 12" woofer for deep lows.

Given its bigger profile, low frequency response is good, and thanks to its great headroom, the deep kicks sound does not drown out the mids and higher frequencies. It retains clarity across the spectrum with no problems, and it does so at loud volumes. The sound it produces is also punchy, something that you can also feel and not just hear.

Note that this amp features the same simple configuration as the PM-100 with a basic 2-band EQ but with a much higher power rating of 180 watts instead of 80.

It's pricier than the Strike 12 again possibly due to the brand cache that Roland has. But still this is an excellent alternative with a lot of power and low end. The Strike 12 has more features and flexibility which might explain the slightly higher Gearank score. But the Roland PM-200 advantage is its reliability and high headroom.

Given its bigger woofer, the PM-200 is quite bulky and heavy, but all these are justified by how well it handles drums and even bass guitars. It has enough juice to handle a jam session with a bass player plugged into the line input while you are going through the "V-Drums" input demonstrated here:

Just make sure that your bass player has a way to convert his instrument level output into a line output (more on this here), a Bass Preamp will do the trick if needed.

With its 2 XLR direct outputs you can go straight to house or into a audio interface while monitoring with the PM-200 in all its glory. This makes it a true stage ready amplifier.

All in all, this is a premium choice that works especially well if you have a set of Roland V-Drums as this was specifically optimized to that sound profile. If you want the beefiest Roland drum monitor out there, you're going with the PM-200.

Specifications

• Inputs & Outputs: 1/4-inch Stereo phone type V-Drums INPUT, 1/4-inch Line-in Stereo phone type, 1/8-inch Stereo miniature phone type
• Bluetooth Capability: None
• Output Power: 80 Watts
• Weight and Size: 46 lbs 5 oz, 18-1/16" W x 18-1/2" D x 16-9/16" H
• Driver and Speaker Size: 12" Driver, 1" Tweeter Horn

My drum monitors of choice for practice are the Audio Technica M50x headphones.

Although I'd love to have an amplifier at home for my e-drums (The Strike 12 is my personal recommendation), restrictions in sound, space and budget has relegated that dream a bit further out into the future for me (I use an older DDA50 in the rehearsal studio).

Good thing I have my Audio Technica M50x, a multi-purpose pair of headphones that excel in non-critical monitoring situations such as tracking and playing my Yamaha DTXpress E-kit.

What's good about this pair of cans is that they are foldable, easy to store, and have relatively good sound isolation due to them being a closed-back, and they come with lots of detachable wire options and a storage pouch.

The faux leather on the earcups has started to peel off which is not uncommon (I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 569's that are suffering the same fate) possibly due to the humid, tropical climate of where I live.

For those who can't afford a drum amp or have extra sensitive neighbors, the M50x is a decent, quiet option.

Specifications

• Driver Size: 45 mm
• Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 35 kHz
• Impedance: 80 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 96 dB
• Max Input Power: 100 mW
• Weight: 270g without cable (0.55 lbs)
• Connectivity: 3m coiled cable with a gold plated 1/8" plug and 1/4" adapter.

For other suitable headphones, do check out our guide to Closed Back Headphones.