Best Drum Amp: The Definitive Guide for Electronic Drum Amps

Donner has had their share of highly rated affordable gear making it into our lists over here at Gearank, and it's easy to see why. They often pack a lot of value into their products to make up for being a relatively lesser-known brand and are steadily gaining a good reputation for that.

A case in point is the Donner DA-35 coming in at 35 watts of power, the lowest-watt drum amplifier currently on our recommended list. It's a long-time recipient of favorable feedback regarding its convenient size, weight, and versatility. This drum amp doesn't go loud enough for most gigs, but it has enough power for intimate settings, such as an informal jam-along in the living room. This is geared more towards practice and home use.

It has a flat balanced sound that you can shape via its built-in 3-band EQ, but given its small woofer, the low-end is not as deep.

A small, well-appreciated touch for beginners is the included cable to connect to your e-drums. While most drum amplifiers will only come with the power cord, Donner chooses to give you one less thing to worry about. This electronic drum amp is big on flexibility with its Bluetooth mode for audio playback and DI out for connecting to external active speakers or PA systems.

Despite it being the cheapest choice currently on our list, it packs a lot of features and can even be a small all-rounder PA system for occasional small get-togethers.

If you want a practice drum amp that's packed full of features but is light in both weight and price, this one should be your pick of the lot. Just manage your volume expectations, and you should be good to go. 

This is the best drum monitor for those who want an affordable practice and small-venue amp.

Specifications

• Inputs & Outputs: x1 mic/line, x1 line, x1 aux, x1 headphone output, D.I. out.
• Bluetooth Capability: Music playback from external device
• Output Power: 35 Watts
• Weight and Size: 17.6 lbs, 13.78" x 11.02" x 11.02"
• Driver and Speaker Size: 2" Tweeter, 8" Woofer

The Carlsbro EDA-50 has occupied its place in this guide for 4 editions now. Rightly so because it receives consistently high ratings across retailers.

With its 50W rating and 10" bass driver, the 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. 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 too hard, so make sure to manage the volume. In rehearsals or performances, you might have a hard time keeping up with musicians with bigger amps.

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 a 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, this quality drum 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.

The Carlsbro EDA-50 is the best amp for electronic drums when it comes to ease of use and build quality. It is worth considering for those who want a reliable plug-and-play amp.

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

Alesis is one of the leading brands when it comes to electronic drum amps and related amplification. The Strike 8 is one of their flagship offerings--2000 watts peak and 1000 watts continuous is a significant jump from the electronic drum amps that come before it on this list. This translates into louder volume entering stage use territory where it's getting to a level where I would comfortably use this in a gigging situation.

Note: At this moment, they've released the Strike 8 mkII version but there aren't substantial reviews in the market as of the moment. We will update this guide, once we've tested it out.

This has more input options sporting 2 XLR/TRS combo jacks with independent volume controls and a clip indicator to ensure you are within a safe volume range. This drum amp also comes with a nifty contour switch that gives you the option of a flat sound or an exciting "V" shaped sound accentuating the lows and highs for maximum impact. Though some might prefer the more traditional 3-band EQ, this is a welcome addition.

It might be hampered by its 8" woofer which might not be big enough to reproduce the very low frequencies of some drum modules, but is good enough for basic rehearsal and monitoring duties. If this is a major deal breaker for you, skip straight to the Strike 12.

Its cabinet design allows it to be positioned in multiple ways: as a wedge monitor, placed vertically to shoot the sound at band members, and even on a pole for projection to an audience during show time. 

I especially appreciate the ability to pole mount, because having the high frequency compression driver at ear level is a much better sound experience. The option to use it as a floor wedge monitor is also good to have depending on your space situation.

With only a small bump in price compared to our prior products you get a whole lot of drum amp with its high wattage. This is certainly a big step up in perceived quality and fit and finish. Being positioned squarely at the mid-point in terms of price on our recommended list, you're getting a great balance of power, price, portability, and quality.

Possibly due to it being geared towards more professional use cases, I am missing the Bluetooth capability found in the much cheaper Donner DA-35. Also, a more customizable EQ setup would be more useful in gigging situations where the room response tends to vary between venues.

The Strike 8 is for musicians who want a handy practice amp for home use as well as light gig use.

Specifications

• Inputs & Outputs: 2 x XLR/TRS 1/4-inch combo inputs, 1 x XLR line out
• Bluetooth Capability: None
• Output Power: 2000 Watts Peak / 1000 Watts Continuous
• Weight and Size: 20.2 lbs, 17.1” x 10.1” x 9.6”
• Driver and Speaker Size: 8" Woofer, 1 x 1.4" Tweeter

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

While Roland remains the brand to beat when it comes to most things electronic drum kits, Alesis has one-upped it in the drum amp department with its Strike 12 electronic drum amplifier. It continues to garner 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. However, 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 setup. Those who need more control might be put off by this limitation though.

The construction overall is high-grade and durable as expected from Roland. This, together with its sound quality, makes this electronic drum amp easy to recommend. Who doesn't want an easy-to-use drum 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 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 the Alesis Strike 12, which has maintained its status as the best drum amp for many years now. Sharing a lot of what's good with Strike 8, the Strike 12's larger woofer size serves as the breakaway feature that helped it edge out Strike 8 by 2 whole Gearank Rating points with many recommending this over Strike 8 just for the bigger speaker system alone.

Although Alesis chose to promote this drum amp's peak power rating instead of the more common continuous rating for pro gear, it is loud enough for use as a Stage Monitor with a band and has enough projection to be the main drum amp for small venues.

And it's not just about volume, because it does a good job of providing the low-end punch needed for kick sounds while still producing crisp highs on cymbals.

Note: Alesis has already released the Strike Amp 12 mkII recently but it still hasn't received lots of user feedback. We still vouch for the effectiveness of the first version. Stay tuned for more updates in the future!

This features the same great build quality of the Strike 8, XLR output for chaining with a second drum amp or external mixer, and a clip indicator that lets you know when things are about to get distorted. Like the Alesis Strike 8, this can be positioned and many different ways and will serve multiple needs from the house to rehearsal space, to stage.

Note that controls are on the back of the drum amplifier, so you'll have to stand up and move to the back to make adjustments. Also, this shares the limited EQ options of the Strike 8 with only a contour switch.

There's a reason why the Strike 12 continues to be the highest rated among the many best electric drum amp options today. It is a great choice for the discerning e-drum player, it would be hard to go wrong with this electronic drum amplifier.

Specifications

• Inputs & Outputs: 2 x XLR/TRS 1/4-inch combo inputs, 1 x XLR line out
• Bluetooth Capability: None
• Output Power: 2000 Watts Peak / 1000 Watts Continuous
• Weight and Size: 35.12 lbs , 23.76" x 13.68" x 13.92"
• Driver and Speaker Size: 1 x 12" Woofer, 1 x 1" Tweeter

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

Given its bigger profile, the 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. By its sound alone, many consider it a quality drum amp.

Note that this e-drums 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 established brand reputation that Roland has. The price though, is also justified by it being a high-quality drum amp 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. It can easily beat out guitar amps and keyboard amps, and can even handle bass guitars. It has enough juice to amplify a jam session with a bass player plugged into the line input while you are going through Roland's V Drums input as 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 Dual XLR direct outputs, you can go straight to the house or into an audio interface while monitoring the PM-200 in all its glory. This makes it a true stage-ready electric drum speaker.

All in all, this is a premium choice that works especially well if you have a set of Roland V-Drums. 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

The Audio Technica M50x headphones is known to be a go-to headphones. As e-drum monitors, it will give you the clarity you need for silent practice.

Although I'd love to have a drum 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.

So for those late night practice, you might want to plug these in to avoid disturbing your family and neighbours. The M50x is an affordable alternative that's has good clarity for a silent 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.