- Find the best electronic drum amps!
- All budgets and applications are covered!
- Do you need a special amp for drums? Answer below
Your drum amplifier is a vital part of your sound and a key part of locking in with the band. Today we’re laying out the best electronic drum amps and monitors,<span style=”font-weight: 400;”> so you can practice and perform confidently and get the sound you want!
We’ll evaluate the drum monitors based on value for money, wattage, setup options, and connectivity.
What are the Best Amps for Electronic Drums?
Our pick for the best electronic drum amplifier is the Roland PM-100. This little beast packs 80 watts and a 10” woofer, which will cover you for practice, rehearsals, and low-volume gigs. You can pick it up for around $270 (USD), and the quality is excellent for the price.
The best premium model is the Alesis Strike Amp 12 Drum Amplifier, which packs a huge 2000 watts of power for around $300! (USD)
If you’re on a tight budget, the best electronic drum amp is the KAT Percussion KA1 50-watt amplifier. The KA1 costs around $230 (USD) and packs a 10” woofer and a three-band EQ.
Our picks for the five best electronic drum amplifiers are:
- Roland PM-100 Personal Drum Monitor (Our Pick)
- Alesis Strike Amp 12 Drum Amplifier (Best Premium)
- KAT Percussion KA1 Digital Drum Amplifier (Best Budget)
- Ddrum 50-watt Electronic Percussion Amp
- Coolmusic DM20 20-watt Bluetooth Personal Monitor
1. Roland PM-100 Personal Drum Monitor
When you need clean, full-range reproduction of your electronic drums, you want the Roland PM-100. This personal powered monitor is optimized to reproduce the enveloping lows and crisp detail of Roland's V-Drums.
The Roland PM-100 is the best electronic drum amp if you want a portable, affordable option, which can be picked up for around $270 USD.
Features
- Portable format
- 80 watts
Review
The Roland PM-100 packs 80 watts via a 10” woofer and an onboard tweeter. The speaker is more than enough for practice, jams, and low-volume gigs.
The speaker has additional 1/4” and 1/8” inputs for jamming along to tracks from a device or other musicians.
The PM-100 has a wedge-shaped build, pointing the speaker up to your ears, which makes a massive difference in terms of hearing what’s coming out of the speaker.
Roland are the electronic drum kit gurus, so as you’d expect, the speaker is high quality and voiced well for electronic drums. There’s also a two-band EQ included.
The PM-100 is pretty light at 29.8 lb. It also has an easily-accessible handle that runs along the top rear edge of the speaker to help with load-in.
Finally, the amp is built tough with consistent build quality.
If you need to play high-volume gigs, you may prefer the larger Roland PM-200, which runs 180 watts, a larger 12” woofer, and more connectivity options.
Pros
- Good value for money
- Portable
- Good build quality
Cons
- Only two-band EQ
2. Alesis Strike Amp 12 Drum Amplifier
Get the most out of your hybrid or electronic drum setup, onstage and in practice, with the Alesis Strike Amp 12 from Sweetwater. This 2000-watt personal drum monitor serves up massive bass, punchy snares, enveloping toms, and detailed cymbals and FX courtesy of its powerful two-way 12" speaker system.
The Alesis Strike Amp 12 is available for around $300 and pumps 2000 watts. Furthermore, this speaker can be set up in three positions, making it incredibly versatile!
Features
- Pumps hard with 2000 watts
- Versatile setup choice
Review
The Alesis Strike Amp 12 can sit as a typical wedge monitor, pointing upwards, standing upright, or even mounted on poles. As a result, it’s one of the best electronic drum amps for players looking for a versatile setup!
These 12” speakers are also designed to run as a stereo pair, which can be used as a monitoring setup or even to run to the front of house for a performance.
A single Strike Amp 12 is under $300, so to get two and create a stereo pair is only $600, which is great value.
There’s no shortage of oomph under the hood here as a single Strike Amp 12 puts out a huge 2000 watts of power.
Despite the big wattage, the Alesis Strike Amps are lightweight, with the Strike Amp 12 coming in at 35.1 lbs. It also features molded handles on each side for ease of transport.
Alesis provides dual XLR 1/4” line-level combo inputs with level controls. You also get a contour switch that dips the mids, although that’s it in terms of EQ control.
If you want a smaller speaker, Alesis also offers the Strike Amp 8, which is lighter and has an 8” speaker. It still packs the 2000-watt power of its bigger brother, though.
Pros
- 2000 watts
- Easily to transport
- Three setup options
Cons
- EQ can only be altered by a single switch
3. KAT Percussion KA1 Digital Drum Amplifier
The KAT Percussion KA1 digital drum amplifier provides you with a cost-effective and super-convenient way to monitor your digital percussion rig as you play. Loaded with a punchy 10" woofer and .25" tweeter and driven by 50 watts of clean amplification, the KA1 lets you hear each and every note you play with perfect clarity.
The KAT Percussion KA1 is one of the best electronic drum amplifiers for those on a tight budget. For under $230, you get a versatile three-band EQ and a range of connectivity options.
Features
- Versatile three-band EQ
- Practice-sized 50 watts
Review
The KAT Percussion KA1 is an electronic drum monitor that packs 50 watts, which is on the smaller side, but hey, it’s plenty of punch for the price.
It offers a standard 20Hz-20khz response, and there’s a three-band EQ, which is more versatile than some of the high-end speakers on the list today.
The KA1 has a floor wedge design and no other mounting options. But the upward-facing floor wedge is perfect for drum monitoring, so it gets the job done well.
The inputs are 2 x 1/4″ main, 1 x 1/4″ aux, and 1 x 1/8 stereo aux. There’s also a 1 x 1/8″ stereo headphone output for connecting a device for playing along to tracks or a metronome.
The KAT Percussion KA1 has a 10” woofer and .25” tweeter, about what you’d expect for an entry-level budget monitor. It weighs in at 31.4 lbs, making it easy to carry.
If you wanted a beefier option, Kat Percussion also previously offered the KA2 200-watt drum amplifier. This now seems to be out of production though some dealers still have stock listed for the time being.
Pros
- Very affordable!
- Versatile EQ
- Easy to hear with wedge speaker positioning
- 1/8” output to connect a device for playing along to track
Cons
- Only 50 watts
4. ddrum 50-watt Electronic Percussion Amp
A high-quality drum amp like the ddrum DDA50 BT can keep your practice routine on track and skyrocket your live performance potential. Just think: now you've got the output you need to keep up with a live combo during practice or onstage without isolating yourself inside headphones.
The ddrum Electronic Percussion Amp is a great-looking 50-watt amp with Bluetooth connectivity for playing along to tracks.
Features
- Under $300
- Practice-sized 50 watts
- Three-band EQ for tweaking your tone
Review
The ddrum Electronic Percussion Amp is under $300 and has quite a good feature set for the price, including Bluetooth connectivity and a three-band EQ.
Otherwise, the features are pretty much what you’d expect for a budget electronic drum monitor of this size.
This 50-watt Bluetooth drum amplifier has two channels and a 10” speaker with a 2.5” tweeter.
The inputs are 3 x 1/4″ (channel 1/2, aux) and 1 x 1/8″, while the output is 1 x 1/8″ (headphones). The 1/8” input can be used to connect a device for playback, in addition to playback through the Bluetooth connection.
There are no mounting options besides using it as an angled floor wedge.
The red and black design looks great, which is a nice touch. Ddrum always has a knack for creating visually striking products, so this is no surprise.
The ddrum Electronic Percussion Amp weighs 38.4 lbs, which is pretty heavy for a 50-watt drum amplifier. There’s no carry handle, so despite its small footprint, it’s not that well designed for portability.
Pros
- Jam along with Bluetooth connectivity
- Change your tone with three-band EQ
- Stylish looks
Cons
- Heavy for a 10” speaker
- No carry handle
5. Coolmusic DM20 20-watt Bluetooth Personal Monitor
The Coolmusic DM20 Amplifier is the perfect choice for the traveling musician. Whether you’re running to a family practice, lesson, or any situation that requires portability and versatility, the Coolmusic DM20 is in a Classic Portable Size that’s ready to travel fast.
The Coolmusic DM20 is the cheapest electronic drum amplifier on this list, at under $100! It has a two-band EQ and can connect to devices via Bluetooth or USB.
Features
- Ultra-low budget!
- Smaller 6.5” woofer and 2” tweeter
- Play along via Bluetooth and USB
Review
The Coolmusic DM20 is one of the best options for electronic drum monitors under $100. This model does not have the quality or power of the higher-end amps on this list, but it does have a few tricks up its sleeve.
The DM20 packs 20 watts, making it suited for practice or low-volume rehearsals. When cranked, it will start to distort, though.
You get a 6.5” woofer and a 2” tweeter, which is not full range frequency-wise but will get the job done.
This monitor weighs 9.3 lbs, making it the smallest and lightest drum monitor we’re looking at today.
Coolmusic has included a two-band EQ, as well as the ability to connect devices to play along via Bluetooth or USB.
The DM20 monitor is designed for use with not only drums but also keyboards and other instruments.
Pros
- Under $100!
- Two-band EQ
- Good connectivity for the price
Cons
- Don’t expect top build quality at this price
- Distorts at high volumes
- 6.5” woofer is not full range
FAQ
Do you need a special amp for electronic drums?
The short answer is no. You don’t need a special drum amp for electronic drums.
A quick disclaimer: Double-check the specs of any speaker before connecting it to your drum kit. You may damage your equipment if it’s not compatible or if you’re using it at high volumes.
I’ve found that a PA can do an excellent job at reproducing electronic drum sounds. Also, amps that have a neutral EQ, like a bass or a keyboard amp, can do a decent job.
I wouldn’t recommend a guitar amp, though, which we’ll discuss more in the next question.
Also, it’s better to use pro equipment, i.e., a PA or a speaker designed for an instrument. I have used consumer Bluetooth speakers before with my electronic drums, and they did work. But it sounded a bit weird, and the levels of the drums didn’t sound right. For example, the snare came out ridiculously loud, and the kick was too soft.
All that said, if you’re in the market to buy something specifically for your drum kit, then the features and response of a drum monitor will usually be the best choice.
Can I use a guitar amp for electronic drums?
Using a guitar amp for electronic drums is not a good idea. Guitar amps have a very particular voicing that’s designed specifically for guitars. As a result, just about everything else sounds terrible on them.
See the previous question for other options for electronic drum connectivity.
Another disclaimer: Double-check the compatibility of any amp before connecting your electronic drum kit to it to avoid damaging your gear.
How many watts should my drum amp be?
| 20 – 50 watts | Solo practice |
| ~50 watts | Low volume rehearsals |
| 50 – 100 watts | Rehearsals and low-volume gigs |
| 100+ watts | Loud rehearsals and gigs. Add more the louder the gig is. |
Note: This answer addresses a drummer’s personal drum amp for stage monitoring. If you’re talking about how many watts your PA needs to be to pump out your drums to the front of house, then the answer would be different.
Now that you’re all covered for the top electronic drum amps check out the five best headphones for electronic drums!