11 Best Roland Electronic Drum Kits 2025

Roland is undoubtedly the top brand when it comes to electronic drum sets. You’re spoiled for choice when looking through the Roland lineup, and every single kit has amazing sound and build quality.

The brand has a large number of electronic sets available, ranging from compact beginner kits to large kits made for gigging.

Here’s a list of all the best Roland drum sets to consider getting.

Roland TD-50K2 – Best Overall

The Roland TD-50K2 (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is an incredible kit option from Roland’s top range. It’s a compact version of the TD-50KV2 kit, coming with smaller tom pads and a more affordable price tag.

The kit is powered by the TD-50X drum module, which is Roland’s most prestigious module. With the Prismatic Sound Modeling and Acoustic Ambience Technology, you get an incredible amount of control over all the sounds.

The kit comes with 70 kits, but you can alter those very extensively to get drum sounds that suit your tastes.

The whole selling point of this kit is that you get all the sounds and features of Roland’s flagship kits, but it has a much smaller footprint. It’s very compact, allowing you to fit it in small areas.

The other selling point is the inclusion of Roland’s digital snare, ride, and hi-hat pads. They give you the most realistic playability out of any electronic drum pads on the market.

The downside of this kit is that it’s very pricey. Although it’s a few thousand dollars cheaper than Roland’s top-line kits, the price tag is still no joke.

Drum Module: TD-50X

Number of Drum Kits: 70 preset kits

Drum Pad Type: Digital and mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 14” snare, 3 x 10” toms, 14” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 14” hi-hat, 14” & 16” crashes, 18” ride

Roland VAD706 – Premium Option

The Roland VAD706 (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is the most technologically advanced electronic drum kit available. It’s also the most expensive, but you’re paying for all the best features that Roland has to offer.

When looking at this kit, many people won’t realize that it’s electronically powered. It has the full appearance of an acoustic kit, and you even have the choice of four different finish options.

The kit has the same digital pads that come with the TD-50K2, but the improved aspects are the larger drum and crash cymbal pads.

The toms feel incredible to play on, as their size gives you the same feeling that standard acoustic toms give you. The 16-inch crash cymbals also feel very responsive, having multiple trigger zones to play the bells, bows, and edges.

The bass drum is 22”, and it gives you the same full and beefy feeling that you get from playing a large acoustic bass drum.

Overall, this kit has the best playability out of any electronic drum kit out there. It’s the perfect option to get if you want to use an electronic drum kit on stage without losing the aesthetic factor of an acoustic set.

Drum Module: TD-50X

Number of Drum Kits: 70 preset kits

Drum Pad Type: Digital and mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 14” snare, 10” & 12” toms, 14” floor tom, 22” bass drum

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 14” hi-hat, 2 x 16” crashes, 18” ride

Roland TD-1K – Best Budget Option

The Roland TD-1K (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is a very small kit that is most suitable for children. It’s set up in a way that isn’t ideal for older and more experienced drummers, so I’d only suggest getting this if you’re an absolute beginner.

The kit has a simplistic drum module with 15 preset kits to use. Although there aren’t many kits on it, these are some of the best-sounding preset kits out of any entry-level electronic kit that I know of. So, you’re still getting great Roland sounds with this set.

The kit has single-zone rubber pads that are very responsive for what they are. Rubber pads aren’t ideal when it comes to electronic sets, but these feel good to play. I was impressed to see that the cymbals can be choked. However, you can’t get different sounds out of them by playing different in areas.

Another great aspect of this kit is its small size. It’s the perfect option for a child to fit in their bedroom, as you can easily fold it up when you’re not playing.

Drum Module: TD-1

Number of Drum Kits: 15 preset kits

Drum Pad Type: Rubber

Drum Pad Sizes: 4 x 6” pads

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 4 x 8” pads

Roland TD-17KVX

The Roland TD-17KVX (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) would be one of my top suggestions for anyone looking for the best Roland kit possible without paying the price for a pro kit. This kit is an intermediate option, but it’s a very popular practice tool for professional players.

It has all the playability features needed for a pro drummer who simply needs something to practice on. These include a hi-hat pad mounted to a stand, a large snare drum pad, and fully responsive cymbals where you can play the bells.

The TD-17 drum module is also very impressive. It takes a lot of inspiration from the flagship Roland module, utilizing a few of the more popular drum sounds. It doesn’t use the Prismatic Sound Modeling Engine, but you get a few handy editing tools, such as virtual tuning, compression, EQ, and reverb.

You can also stream songs through to the drum module via Bluetooth, which is one of my favorite features of this kit.

If you need a solid electronic kit with professional features that won’t break the bank, this may be your best pick from Roland’s lineup.

Drum Module: TD-17

Number of Drum Kits: 50 preset kits and 50 user kits

Drum Pad Type: Mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 12” snare, 3 x 8” toms, 6” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 10” hi-hat, 2 x 12” crashes, 13” ride

Roland TD-27KV

The Roland TD-27KV (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is the middle-ground option between the TD-17 and TD-50 drum kits. This is an amazing kit worthy of live stages.

The TD-27 drum module uses the Prismatic Sound Modeling Engine, so you have full control over all the sounds that come with it. The 55 preset kits are all incredible, and you get 45 slots to make your own kits.

The kit comes with Roland’s digital snare and ride pads. The inclusion of these makes it feel amazing to play, and the responsiveness you get is why I’d happily suggest using the TD-27KV for live settings.

The tom pads are the same PDX-100 pads that you get on the TD-50K2, making this kit a very attractive option. I’d say the biggest weak point is the KD-10 kick drum pad. It’s the same pad that you get on the much cheaper TD-07 and TD-17 kits, and it would be great to have a kick pad that is slightly larger.

Drum Module: TD-27

Number of Drum Kits: 55 preset kits and 45 user kits

Drum Pad Type: Digital and mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 14” snare, 3 x 10” toms, 6” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 12” hi-hats, 12” crash, 13” crash/ride, 18” ride

Roland VAD306

The Roland VAD306 (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is one of the more affordable options in the VAD line. It’s most similar to the TD-17KVX from the V-Drums line, and it even uses the same TD-17 drum module.

This kit is an excellent option to go with if you want your drums to be a bit more spaced out. Electronic kits often give a false sense of positioning with their pads being so small and close together, so it’s good to have a kit like this where you can place the drums in the exact same way you would with your acoustic kit.

The kit has shallow acoustic shells, giving you a hint of the appearance of an acoustic. However, it’s nowhere near as effective as the full shells of the VAD706.

You get the same playability from this set as the TD-17KVX, but it feels slightly better due to the large bass drum pad.

Overall, it’s a great practice option if you’re happy to spend a few hundred dollars more than you would on the TD-17. If you’re happy to spend even more than that, then the TD-27KV would be a better option.

Drum Module: TD-17

Number of Drum Kits: 50 preset and 50 user kits

Drum Pad Type: Mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 12” snare, 2 x 10” tom, 12” floor tom, 18” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 12” hi-hat, 2 x 12” crashes, 13” ride

Roland TD-07KVX

The Roland TD-07KVX (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is another excellent kit from Roland. This is the most affordable kit from the brand that has all the attractive playability features, such as playable bells and dual-zone tom pads.

The TD-07 drum module is a solid module with 25 high-quality kits available to use. You can also create 25 of your own kits with the 143 available sounds on board. The sound editing tools are quite as extensive as the ones on the TD-17, but they’re detailed enough to make you feel like you have a good amount of control.

While the KD-10 kick drum pad was the weak point of the TD-27, I’d say it’s the strong point of this kit. It feels amazing to play, and it’s great to see Roland giving such a good pad at this price. The same goes for the PDX-12 snare pad. It’s large and has great playability.

If you’re looking for the most affordable kit that will still allow you to play everything that you would on an acoustic kit, this is your best option.

Drum Module: TD-07

Number of Drum Kits: 25 preset and 25 user kits

Drum Pad Type: Mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 12” snare, 3 x 8” toms, 6” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 10” hi-hat, 12” crash, 13” ride

Roland TD-1DMK

The Roland TD-1DMK (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is the superior version of the TD-1K that we looked at earlier. This kit is more spaced out, and it has a full set of mesh pads that feel a lot better to play.

It has the same TD-1 drum module, giving you 15 solid drum kits that sound very good for the cost of the kit. However, the drums are a lot more responsive here, so you’ll get more out of the sounds than you will from the TD-1K.

The kit has a small bass drum pad that attaches to one of the rack legs. It keeps the kit very compact, which makes it great for drummers with little space.

I’d suggest getting this kit if you’re a beginner drummer who wants mesh pads and high-quality sounds.

Just note that you can’t play the bells of the cymbal pads, and the bass drum pad on the leg can make the kit feel uncomfortable for a few people.

Drum Module: TD-1

Number of Drum Kits: 15 preset kits

Drum Pad Type: Mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 8” snare, 3 x 6” toms

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 3 x 8” cymbal pads

Roland VAD506

The Roland VAD506 (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) used to be the top kit in the VAD line before the VAD706 came into the picture. The kit acts very similarly to the VAD706, but it has a few downgraded features.

It has the digital snare and ride pads, but it doesn’t have digital hi-hat pads. It also has a 20-inch kick drum, whereas the VAD706 has a 22-inch kick drum.

Lastly, this kit uses the Roland TD-27 drum module. This module doesn’t have as many features as the TD-50X, but it’s still incredibly good.

The biggest benefit of this kit is that it’s almost half the price of the VAD706. So, it’s a much more attractive option for many people. You lose a bit of playability, but it still feels much better to play than the TD-27KV.

I highly recommend this kit for people who want an electronic kit that will look great on stage and don’t want to pay the high price of the VAD706.

Drum Module: TD-27

Number of Drum Kits: 55 preset and 45 user kits

Drum Pad Type: Digital and mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 14” snare, 10” and 12” toms, 14” floor tom, 20” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 12” hi-hat, 14” crash, 16” crash/ride, 18” ride

Roland VAD103

The Roland VAD103 (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is the most affordable option in Roland’s VAD line. The first thing you’ll notice about this kit is that it doesn’t have a middle tom. That’s fairly strange, as the majority of electronic drum kits available have three toms in the setup.

This is the only kit in Roland’s VAD line to use the TD-07 drum module. As I said earlier, the TD-07 is a fantastic drum module that has a decent amount of control over all the sounds.

The selling point of the kit is the shells, though. They’re shallow acoustic shells, and they allow you to space the kit out in the same way that you would with a small gigging kit. Most of the VAD kits have large footprints, but you could fit this one into a very small space.

The downside is that this kit costs more than double what you’ll pay for the TD-07KVX kit. You get the exact same sound quality, but you’re paying more for the physical components.

Drum Module: TD-07

Number of Drum Kits: 25 preset and 25 user kits

Drum Pad Type: Mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 12” snare, 10” & 12” toms, 18” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 12” hi-hat, 12” crash, 13” ride

Roland VAD504

The Roland VAD504 (compare price on Sweetwater and Amazon) is an excellent alternative option to the VAD506. The price is very similar, but a few things are omitted to make space for other features that you may prefer.

Unlike the VAD506, this kit doesn’t have a middle tom or a second crash cymbal. It has Roland’s digital hi-hat pad, though, which is much better than the hi-hat pad from the VAD506.

The kit also has the second-generation version of the TD-27 drum module. It adds ten new preset drum kits, and many of the features have been tweaked to perform a lot better. The overall user experience is a lot smoother than what you get with the base TD-27.

This kit has much better playability than the VAD506. You’re just sacrificing a middle tom and a second crash cymbal to get it.

Drum Module: Gen 2 TD-27

Number of Drum Kits: 75 preset kits

Drum Pad Type: Digital and mesh

Drum Pad Sizes: 14” snare, 10” rack tom, 14” floor tom, 20” kick

Cymbal Pad Sizes: 12” hi-hat, 14” crash, 18” ride

What To Look For In a Roland Electronic Drum Kit

Drum Module

The drum module is the most essential part of any electronic kit, as it controls all the sounds and features. It should be the main thing you look at when checking out different kits.

Roland use several drum modules across all their electronic kits. The most basic one is the TD-1, while the most advanced one is the TD-50X. You’ll find that the sound quality differs quite drastically between those two.

When checking drum modules out, you should see how many preset drum kits come included, as well as how many spaces there are for you to make your own kits.

You should also look at what the editing options are. The most basic Roland module won’t have any editing tools, while the top-tier Roland modules have the Prismatic Sound Modeling Engine that allows you to alter sounds extensively.

The other features to check out would be play-along tracks, Bluetooth connectivity, and input options. Some modules allow you to add pads to your kit, so you should see how many extra inputs there are.

It’s important to remember that you can upgrade your drum module to a better one at a later stage, so don’t let the drum module be the ultimate deciding factor for getting a certain kit.

Rubber vs Mesh Pads

The next thing to look out for is whether the drum kit has rubber or mesh pads. Thankfully, most Roland electronic drum sets have mesh pads. The brand created the mesh pad, so they have the best-feeling mesh pads on the market.

You’ll just find a few Roland kits that cost under $1000 that have rubber pads. If you’re a beginner drummer, you won’t mind the feeling of rubber pads. If you’re a bit more experienced, you’ll do much better with mesh pads.

All the cymbal pads will be made of rubber, but you should check to see how much of the surface is playable. The most affordable Roland kits have cymbals that are only partly covered with a playable rubber surface. The rest of the surface is made from hard plastic.

Higher-quality Roland kits have cymbal pads that can be played all around, so you won’t see any hard plastic. The full rubber pads can also be played on the bells, while the partly rubber pads don’t have any bell playability.

Size

One of the benefits of electronic kits is that they’re mostly smaller than acoustic kits. Roland kits, in particular, have very small footprints. The most affordable kits are the smallest, while the footprint gets a bit bigger as the price and quality of the kit increase.

I’d suggest getting any of the V-Drums kits if you’re limited on space, as they all have shallow pads, and the toms and cymbals are connected to a single rack.

If you want a larger kit, then the VAD drums are a better option to go with. They’re closer to the size of acoustic drums, as they use the same drum and cymbal stands.

Just keep in mind that you’ll need to fit an amp in your setup if you want to hear the drums without using headphones. Amps can be quite big, so be sure to keep open space for that.

V-Drums vs VAD Series

To elaborate more on the V-Drums and VAD Series, these are two of Roland’s electronic drum kit lines. The V-Drums are the classic electronic drum kits that everyone knows and loves. These kits have a single rack with small tom pads. Even the most expensive V-Drums kits only 10-inch or 12-inch floor tom pads.

The VAD Series is a line of drum kits that have acoustic shells. These kits are designed to look closer to acoustic drum kits than standard electronic kits do. They also use standard acoustic drum kit hardware.

The VAD drums don’t have their own drum modules. They use the drum modules from the V-Drums kits with the same names. For example, the Roland VAD103 uses the TD-07 drum module that typically comes with the Roland TD-07KV kit.

The VAD kits are more expensive, so the VAD103 is a fair bit pricier than the TD-07KV, even though it comes with the same drum module. That’s another thing to keep in mind.

I’d suggest getting a VAD kit if you plan on using your electronic kit to play live gigs with. You should also get one if you love how they look.

Otherwise, you’ll get more for your money by getting a kit from the V-Drums line. If you’re just getting a kit to practice at home, any of the V-Drums kits would be a more affordable option.

Trigger Zones

Different Roland kits have various numbers of trigger zones on the pads. Every Roland kit has at least two triggers on the snare drum, allowing you to play standard sounds and rimshot sounds.

The most affordable Roland kits only have single triggers on all the toms, meaning you can’t play rim sounds with them.

As the drum modules get better, the number of trigger zones increases. When looking at a Roland drum kit, you should check out how many trigger zones the drum and cymbal pads have. If you want the most playability possible, you should get a kit with multiple trigger zones on every pad.

You may think that you don’t need them, but drummers often find themselves getting frustrated when they realize that they can’t play certain things on an electronic drum kit due to the lack of trigger zones.

Digital Pads

Digital pads are one of the biggest selling points of the high-end Roland drum sets. The brand currently has three digital pads, which are the PD-140DS snare pad, VH-14D hi-hat pad, and CY-18DR ride pad.

These pads have the best playability that you’ll feel out of any pads on the electronic drum kit market. They have dozens of sensors in them that let you play them the same way you would their acoustic counterparts.

Playing the digital snare pad feels exactly the same as playing an acoustic snare, as you can play incredibly nuanced things with your sticks, and the pad will be extremely reactive to them. The hi-hat and ride pads do the same thing.

You’ll only find these digital pads available in the top Roland drum sets, and the inclusion of them boosts the prices significantly. However, you won’t want to go back to normal pads after using these.

Price

After looking through all these factors, you need to establish whether they fit your budget or not. The unfortunate truth about Roland is that their drum kits are very expensive. Alesis and Yamaha both have more affordable kits with more diversity in their sounds and features.

However, none of those kits are as high-quality as the options from Roland. Roland kits are the most reliable electronic drum kits available, so it’s worth putting your money into one.

As I said earlier, the VAD kits are more expensive than most of the V-Drums kits, so keep that in mind when establishing a budget.

Another thing to mention is that Roland’s kits have incredible resale value. If you want to get a better kit in the future, you’ll have no problem selling the one you currently have. Selling a kit from Alesis or Yamaha isn’t as easy.

If you’re an experienced drummer, you’ll need to spend at least $1000 on a Roland kit. Beginners will be happy with the options that cost less. If you’re a pro drummer needing a kit to play on stages with, you’ll need to spend a lot more.

Top Roland Electronic Drum Kits, Final Thoughts

While Roland drum kits aren’t known for being affordable, you get what you pay for with quality and value. No other e-kit brand has matched Roland, and I’ll always suggest a Roland kit over something else if you can afford it.

When looking at kit options, decide whether you want a kit from the V-Drums or VAD line. From there, set your budget and look at what kits fall within that.