How Much Does an Electronic Drum Set Cost?

If you’re looking to buy a new drum set, you may be wondering how much gear will cost. You first have the choice of getting an acoustic or an electronic kit. Once you’ve decided on an electronic kit, you need to establish a budget.

Electronic drum sets cost between $300 and $10,000, depending on how many features and parts they have.

The electronic kits with the highest specs cost over $2500, while intermediate electronic drum kits will cost between $1000 and $2500. Entry-level kits cost between $300 and $1000.

A good way of setting up a budget is understanding what different levels of electronic drum kit tiers will offer you. You should know their price ranges so that you can make an informed buying decision.

There are multiple brands that offer competing electronic kits, but most of them tend to have similar prices for what they offer. This article will break down everything you need to know about electronic drum kits at different price points.

How Much Does an Electronic Drum Set Cost? (At a Glance)

How Much Does an Electronic Drum Set Cost for Beginners?

You can expect to pay between $300 and $1000 for a good beginner electronic kit. 

Electronic drum sets have a bit of a reputation for being expensive. This comes from decades of products coming out that weren’t accessible due to their high price tags.

Thankfully, technology has advanced dramatically, and drum companies have been releasing surprisingly affordable e-kits over the past ten years or so.

You can get a fairly decent electronic kit for $300 that is large enough for an adult to play, has several preset drum kit sounds, and has the ability to plug into a computer via MIDI for recording purposes.

All of the most affordable electronic drum sets have kick drum triggers instead of pads and pedals. This means that you don’t hit a surface with a drum pedal as you normally do with an acoustic kick drum. You need to pay a bit extra to be able to use a kick drum pedal.

The most inexpensive electronic kits also have rubber pads instead of mesh-head pads, which don’t feel as realistic or responsive to play. Alesis is the exception here, as most of that brand’s kits have mesh heads, even in the lower price ranges.

Most electronic kits that cost between $500 and $1000 have kick drum towers and mesh pads, offering you a more realistic playing experience.

Here are some great beginner electronic drum kits to check out: 

• Alesis Nitro Mesh
• Roland TD-1DMK
• Behringer XD8USB
• Yamaha DTX-452K

How Much Does an Electronic Kit Cost for Experienced Players?

Intermediate electronic drum kits typically cost between $1000 and $2500.

The big reason for intermediate kits costing more is that they have larger drum pads with more trigger zones and drum modules with higher specs.

The bass drum pads on these sets are always larger, making them feel more comfortable to play and accommodating for a double bass drum pedal.

You’ll also find that many intermediate electronic drum kits require the use of a hi-hat stand for the hi-hat pad. You usually need to buy that separately, but the upgraded design costs more to make, further boosting the price of the kit.

Drum modules in this price range are a lot more jacked up. They have hundreds of sample sounds to use, and it’s normal to get a kit that has up to 50 preset drum kits.

When a drum pad has more trigger zones, it means that you can play varying sounds when striking different areas of the pad. Intermediate kits often have multi-zone snare drums and cymbal pads.

Take note that the term “intermediate” just refers to the price range. All the kits in this tier are perfectly good kits for professional drummers to use.

Here are some great intermediate electronic kits to check out:

• Roland TD-17KVX
• Yamaha DTX6K2-X
• Alesis DM10 MKII Pro

How Much Does a Professional Electronic Drum Kit Cost?

Professional electronic drum kits have the largest price range, costing anywhere from $2500 to $10 000. 

Professional electronic drum sets have the largest and most responsive drum pads. You’ll find that the snare has three trigger zones while the toms have two. All the cymbals will have multiple trigger zones as well.

Another distinct feature to look out for in pro e-kits is that they have large snare drum pads that typically rest on snare drum stands as opposed to mounting to the rack.

When it comes to the modules, professional electronic kits have the most versatility in their sound design. While they have plenty of sounds to use, the selling point with these kits is the sheer amount of customization that you can get.

You’re able to tweak the sounds as much as you want to get the desired outcome, and you can layer sound effects on top of those as well.

One of the more recent options with pro electronic drums is hybrid kits. These are electronic drum kits that have wood shells, giving them the appearance of standard acoustic drum kits. They cost a bit more, depending on the brand and which drum module they use.

Here are some great professional electronic drum kits to check out:

• Alesis Strike Pro Special Edition
• Yamaha DTX8K-MRW
• Roland TD-27KV
• Pearl e/Merge e/Hybrid
• Roland VAD706

What are the Most Popular Electronic Drum Brands?

Roland, Yamaha, and Alesis are the leading electronic drum brands on the market. They have the longest list of drum kits to choose from, and you can easily find a kit from any of these brands in any music store.

When it comes to cost, Alesis is the most affordable brand. They make amazing kits for beginner drummers that have mesh heads and large sound libraries. Their drum pads are also a lot bigger than the ones from Yamaha and Roland in the beginner price range.

However, Roland and Yamaha’s electronic kits have far superior sounds. The pads are also more responsive, reacting better to intricate playing techniques.

If you want better sounds and a better authentic playing experience, it’s worth spending more on an electronic kit from Roland or Yamaha.

With that being said, the Alesis Strike Pro Special Edition is a unique exception. It’s an amazing professional kit with great sounds and excellent playability. It also costs less than half of the flagship kits from Roland and Yamaha.

Why are Electronic Drums Expensive?

Electronic drum sets are considered expensive due to several factors. Firstly, they are designed with professional performance in mind and with high-quality components, materials and construction.

Manufacturing high-quality electronic drum sets involves complex circuitry, wiring, and specialized components, such as advanced drum modules which contributes to their higher cost.

Drum modules incorporate advanced technology and features that allow for a wide range of sound customization options. The development and implementation of this modern technology with sophisticated sound processing algorithms can be rather expensive.

The cost of electronic drums is also influenced by the current technologies used in their production facilities.

Overall, the advanced technology, quality materials, and production processes involved in creating electronic drum sets contribute to their higher price point.

Can You Upgrade Electronic Drum Kits?

A good way of saving money on an acoustic kit is buying more affordable components and then upgrading them at a later stage. The same can be done with electronic kits, but it’s not as easy.

The drum module is the brain of an electronic kit, and it determines whether you can add better pieces of gear to your setup or not.

If you have an entry-level drum module, you won’t be able to connect a premium drum pad and get all its benefits. So, upgrading is only possible when you have a good intermediate or professional module before anything else.

If you want to add more drums or cymbals to your kit, intermediate electronic drum modules typically have one or two extra input slots. Professional modules have a few more.

What is a Fair Price for an Electronic Drum Set?

The price you should pay for an electronic drum set depends on the stage of drumming that you’re at.

If you’re a new drummer, you don’t need to spend more than $1000. A good $400 electronic kit will serve you well, but you can spend a bit more than that to get a kit with a great drum module, mesh-head pads, and plenty of playability.

If you’re a seasoned drummer, you’ll need to get a kit that costs over $1000. Otherwise, you’ll lack the needed features that make the playing experience feel authentic. Any drum kit in this price range from Roland, Alesis, or Yamaha is a great option, even for pro drummers.

The electronic drum kits that cost over $3000 are luxury options. They have fantastic features and the best-quality sounds, and they feel the best to play. These are the electronic drum kits that feel most similar to acoustic kits, so it’s worth investing in one of them if you can.