Whether you are practicing or performing, it’s vital to get the best amps for electronic drums. While it’s very easy to just get any amp if you want to amplify a guitar, but with drum sets, it’s very difficult.
You need an amp that can capture the low-pitched kick pad and the high-frequency cymbal pads and snare.
Not all amps are designed to capture a wide range of sounds produced by your electronic drum set. So, we made a list of the amps you can use for your electronic drums.
Don’t panic if you don’t have the right drum amps, just pick one of the amps here and you’re good to go. We also include a buying guide if you want to do your personal hunting.
Contents
Top 10 Best Amps for Electronic Drums Reviewed in 2024
- Roland PM-100 Drum Monitor
- Alesis Strike Amp 12
- Behringer Ultratone KT108
- Ddrum DDA50 Electronic Percussion Amplifier
- Roland PM-200 Drum Monitor
- PowerWerks PW50 PA System
- Peavey KB1
- Simmons DA50
- KAT Percussion 50W KA1
- Simmons DA200S
Also Great | Editor's Choice | Budget Pick |
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Roland PM-100 Drum Monitor
Primarily designed for the popular V-Drums, the Roland PM-100 Drum Monitor could be your best electronic drum amp. It’s an all-in-one monitor that has enough power and volume to accommodate any drum set. This amp has full-range audio with 80W of power, 10-inch speaker and tweeter.
It has an angled design for drummers to get maximum feedback. There are knobs for volume and a global EQ that lets you adjust the frequencies. You’ll find ¼-inch and 1/8-inch inputs to connect any electronic devices like iPads, smartphones, and other music players.
- Quite loud if you need such amp
- Angled cabinet for efficient sound coverage
- Has great response and authentic drum sound production
- Not loud enough if you play in a band
- Some users report the failure of tweeters after a year of use
Alesis Strike Amp 12
To perfect your drum style and performance, you need this amp from Alesis. The Alesis Strike Amp 12 is a portable and lightweight amp that lets you give the best performance you’ll ever have. It comes with 2000W power that provides you with enough headroom for loud and clear performance wherever you may be.
The 12-inch woofer and high-frequency compression driver lets you get a full response of the kick drum and brilliant snap of the snare and cymbals, respectively. You can hook two XLR/TRS 1/4-inch combo inputs with independent volume controls. You can also customize your sound with the EQ control onboard and the ground-lift switch to get rid of all the unwanted noise.
- Works great and has a good build quality
- Easy to use and straightforward controls
- No distortions at high volumes
- Not loud enough to cut through a guitar and bass sounds
- No other issues found
Behringer Ultratone KT108
The cheapest on the list is the Behringer Ultratone KT108, yet we found a few features that make it deserve to be on the list. First, it’s versatile with two channels that have individual volume control and two instrument inputs. It has a 15W, 8-inch dual-cone BUGERA speaker is perfect to deliver great sound output for smaller venues.
This amp is super compact with Virtual Tube Circuitry (VTC) to help you extract tube-like sound. It has an ultra-musical 3-band EQ that helps you shape the overall drum sounds you want to achieve. It has a robust metal enclosure and is made with a high-grade wood cover and durable vinyl.
- Good-sounding amp for the money
- Portable and lightweight
- Has headphone output for silent practice
- Doesn’t have a strong bass response
- No XLR and no other outputs except the headphones
- The volume output is just good for smaller venues
Ddrum DDA50 Electronic Percussion Amplifier
A perfect practice amp for the shed and the stage, Ddrum DDA50 Electronic Percussion Amplifier is a worthy buy. It comes with a 10-inch woofer so you can get the thumping bass of the kick drum, plus a 2.5-inch tweeter for brilliant sounds and cymbals and snare. You’ll enjoy different input and output ports.
There are three ¼-inch inputs, XLR line out, MP3 input and headphone out. This model has 50W power that you can maximize for your needs. It comes with a 3-band EQ so you can shape the sound you want to get from your drum kit.
- Very portable, good for gigging drummer
- Has AUX volume control
- Amplifies both high-pitched and low-end sounds
- It’s a bit heavy, weighs 33lbs
- Some users hoped for more inputs like RCA
Roland PM-200 Drum Monitor
An all-in-one monitor primarily designed for Roland’s popular V-Drums, the Roland PM-200 is the larger brother of the PM-100. It’s the most expensive on that list, but with 12-inch woofer and 180W power, you can play as loud as you need. It has a 2-band EQ for you to control the sound and get just the right volume you want.
We use this amp for the best electronic drums we frequently play. It has two dedicated ¼-inch inputs to connect a few instruments and playback devices. It’s robustly built good for touring and transporting, but you must know that this is a bit heavy.
- Clarity and sound quality is great across the spectrum
- Low-end response is unexpected from a 12-inch woofer
- Wedge-shaped to get direct feedback for sitting players
- Fits for certain music styles only
- The most expensive on the list
- Heavy and not that portable, weighing 50lbs
PowerWerks PW50 PA System
Packed with 50W power and a boost 3-channel mixer, you’ll get an ultimate sound from the affordable PowerWerks PW50 PA System. Since it’s a PA system, you are assured of a wide frequency output through its twin 4.5-inch speakers. The high-frequency drivers give the ideal balance between the mid and high-end sounds.
It’s designed to be portable and durable with a heavy-duty steel grill and well-built corners. You can connect many units on this PA, but you might experience some distortion and cracking as you crank up the volume. However, if you don’t want to lose some bass notes when you connect to some speakers, you can rely on the PW50 PA.
- An inexpensive amp with some exciting features
- Has headphone output and music input
- Good vocal support, especially from the twin speakers and high-frequency driver
- Some users experience cracking sound on upper registers
- Doesn’t have much thud on the low-end
Peavey KB1
Do you want to get more bass out of your amp? Then, you need a Peavey KB1 with a large 8-inch extended range speaker. It has two channels with a 2-band equalizer for each channel to have more control over your sound production. Though these channels don’t have XLR input, you can easily amplify two sources of different frequencies.
It has a headphone output to practice your drums silently. It’s a compact amp good for voice, keyboard, guitars and electronic drums. With 20W of clean power, you can hear a loud and clear audio performance.
- Two channels and 2-band EQ per channel
- Has good sound quality especially for smaller venues
- 2-band EQ is still limited
- Some users find this inadequate to capture low-end drum sounds
- No AUX input
Simmons DA50
The Simmons DA50 is the little brother of the Simmons DA200S which you can see below. This amp has a high-frequency tweeter and a heavy-duty 10-inch woofer to capture clear cymbals and punchy bass, respectively. It’s a compact and flexible drum monitor with a powerful output.
This amp has 50W workhorse perfect for small venues, practice sessions, and small gigs. You can find 1/8-inch MP3 in and ¼-inch AUX in for additional connectivity. These inputs have individual volume controls, plus a 3-band equalizer for you to shape your drum sounds for better performance.
- Has enough volume for small venues and rehearsals
- Well-built and has a sturdy construction
- Comes with CD and MP3 inputs so you can play along with your favorite songs
- Isn’t loud enough for a band setting
- Doesn’t have a good high-end output, needs treble adjustment
- Pickups noise no matter what cable is used
KAT Percussion 50W KA1
If you need a good amp for small venues, the KAT Percussion 50W KA1 is more suitable for electronic drums. The best amp from KAT offers the most accurate acoustic response. Specially tuned for drums, this amp is portable and has a powerful 50W sound output.
You can take advantage of the 3-band EQ to fine-tune the drum sounds. The three ¼-inch inputs help you connect musical devices and other sound sources. This is a durable amp, weighing 37.1 lbs. and it’s built to last.
- Has 3-band EQ and three inputs
- Overall sturdy construction and loud even at low volume
- Offers great response for both kick and cymbal pads
- The sound output is a bit thin
- Not that loud for larger venues
Simmons DA200S
The bigger sibling of Simmons DA50, the Simmons DA200S has the tri-amped design to provide power and full-stereo response. It comes with 100W low-frequency amp plus two 50W mid and high-end frequency amps. The former is a 12-inch down-firing subwoofer speaker, while the latter are two 6.5-inch mid-range speakers and two 2.5-inch high-frequency tweeters.
This Simmons has 3-band EQ and two channels. It has two drum inputs (1/4-inch mono and stereo jacks), an AUX ¼-inch stereo and one 1/8-inch stereo line input. The outputs are two XLR balanced Line out, a 1/8-inch headphone jack and extension speaker jacks.
- Has clear and loud sound without any noise or distortion
- Clear high-frequency response with boomy lows
- Versatile and can be used with any other instruments
- It has a very sturdy built weighing 57lbs, so it’s heavy to carry
- Some users said their unit completely stopped working after a few weeks
Factors to Consider When Buying an Amp for Electronic Drums
This buying guide allows you to understand four critical points you should consider when picking your drum amps. It includes explanations of trusted websites and also some helpful tips from our in-house professionals. If you’ll strictly, but willingly follow this guide, you can get the right amp for your electronic drums.
How Much Power do You Need?
There are a lot of amps available in the market. So, it’s better if you have to ask yourself where you use it and how much power you need. If you intend to buy an amp for practice and rehearsals or small venue gigs, you can get smaller amps.
If you want to play in a large venue, you really need a PA system. However, there are also amps designed to give more power. A 40W guitar or keyboard driving 10-inch speaker is good for jamming sessions, but not be good for loud drums.
Keyboard and guitar amps with 60W power and 12-inch speaker are loud. Additionally, a 30W class A tube amp is good for a loud rock band. And, lastly, 60W solid-state bass combo amps are good for small and big venues, but need either 10-inch or 12-inch speaker for louder environments.
Portability and Sturdy Construction
Some electronic drums are designed to be portable, you also need an amp that you can bring to gigs or rehearsals. Find the one that isn’t too heavy because you still have other instruments to bring. You must find an amp with a strong and comfortable handle grip so you don’t have any problem while carrying.
Likewise, you should see to it that the construction is sturdy. The speaker grill is well-made and the corners are strong. The amp will experience some bumps along the way, so ensure you have a compact and reliable amp.
Multiple Channels
Most amps have more than one channel, where you can plug more than one instrument or even a microphone. Some amps have XLR inputs. This is excellent for singer-songwriters who need to play drums or keyboard, at the same time, sing along.
EQ Settings
Most amps have an equalizer. This will help you control the sound output. The treble and bass controls for most 2-band amps and an additional middle with low-middle and high-middle of 5-band amp. The more reliable your EQ, the more you have control and access to more nuanced tonal tweaking.
Multiple I/O
There are amps with a headphone output for silent practice. While this isn’t necessary for electronic drums since they have that capacity, you might need it. If you want to integrate other devices, having to play without disturbing others is essential.
Some amps let you connect to other electronic devices — smartphones, computers, and even other audio interfaces to be able to be flexible and versatile. It’s very important to consider multiple inputs and outputs to be able to maximize your capacity and deliver an all-out performance whether you may be.
This YouTube video explains how you’re going to use keyboard amps on your electronic drums. Additionally, you’ll get to understand all amplification methods you can use for your drum set and why it’s challenging to achieve the right amplification for your drum set.
Our Top Pick
To be able to get a wonderful drum performance, you must have a reliable amp that can take on a wide range of frequencies. Though all the products above prove themselves to be among the best amps for electronic drums, there’s one in particular that stood out. The Roland PM-100 Drum Monitor offers loud sound output for nearly any application.
Get the Roland PM-100 Drum Monitor here.
Though this amp has a bigger and more powerful brother, the Roland PM-200 it’s expensive. So, weighing the price and the features, we get the balance of the two in the smaller PM-100. The 80W 10-inch speaker and tweeter are more than enough to power your performance.
Like most amps, it has an angled design to get optimized feedback, especially to the player himself. It has just enough inputs and outputs to connect other electronic devices like smartphones and music players. The global EQ, it helps you achieve a wonderful performance without the need to spend too much.
