Headphones for electronic drums
What types of headphones are suitable for E-Drum?
For electronic drums we recommend E-Drum headphones in closed design! The better sound insulation from and to the outside ensures that the impact noise of the drumstick and beater do not mix disturbingly with the actual sound.
Another positive effect is that you don't have to crank up the headphone volume so far to hear well. This is easy on sensitive ears! Therefore, closed over-ear headphones are usually recommended for an electronic drum kit.
The closed capsules provide good noise isolation and completely enclose the ear, which helps to block external noise and better reproduce the sound of the electronic drums.
In addition, there are special in-ear systems for musicians. In-ear monitors are compact and provide a high level of noise isolation directly in the ear, which can be an advantage during live performances or studio recordings. However, they don't deliver the sound quality of premium headphones for your electronic drums.
Noise isolation for electronic drums - high noise isolation is important to dampen the inherent noise of your drumming.
Since even E-Drums still produce impact noise, good noise isolation is of great importance. This minimizes distracting ambient noise and allows the sound from the E-Drum module to be heard in high sound quality.
Effective noise isolation also helps prevent hearing damage by reducing exposure to loud music in the rehearsal room.
Technical features for optimal sound - Wide frequency range, good dynamic range, balanced sound, high volume capacity.
When it comes to headphones for an electronic drum kit, technical features are important to achieve optimal sound. Wide frequency range allows reproduction of both low bass and high frequency ranges of the cymbals of the drum set.
Good dynamics ensure that both soft and loud passages are reproduced clearly and with great detail. A balanced sound is crucial to hear all instruments of the E-Drum, such as bass drum, snare, cymbals, etc., well differentiated.
In addition, a high volume capacity is important to have enough headroom even when playing loud.
Technical data - What is the correct impedance for headphones for electronic drums?
The impedance of a headphone is an important quantity! It denotes the electrical resistance. The impedance is measured in ohms. While it is generally true that high-impedance headphones offer better sonic resolution.
However, this is secondary for headphones for E-Drums, because their focus is not on linear sound. It's much more important that the impedance between your sound module and your headphones is right!
Electronic drums - headphones too quiet?
Then the impedance is not right. Some sound modules have relatively weak headphone outputs. If you connect high-impedance headphones to them, you may find that the signal in the headphones is far too quiet, even at the highest volume.
Which headphone jack for an electronic drum kit?
Most sound modules for electronic drums are equipped with a standard stereo headphone jack. Usually the version with 6.3 mm jack diameter is used. Sometimes, however, the mini-plug version with 3.5 mm jack diameter is also used.
Since these are the standards, you will have no trouble connecting your E-Drum headphones to the sound module.
Many headphones come with matching adapters. You can also get adapters in accessories.
Wearing comfort of headphones for electronic drums
Many models have adjustable headband. This allows you to adjust the E-Drum headphones to your head size and thus increase the wearing comfort. The ear cups should be well padded and large enough.
The headband of a good headphone for E-Drums should also have padding. Make sure that the headphones feel comfortable even after wearing them for a long time. This is important for live gigs and studio sessions.
Headphone amplifier for electronic drums?
The headphone amplifier is a sometimes much-neglected component in sound modules for E-Drums. It is usually installed in the form of a simple circuit and fulfills its purpose, which is to enable headphone connection to the module.
In addition, there are modules with first-class headphone amps. However, there are also external headphone amplifiers that go into the high-end range in terms of sound. A good or excellent headphone amp is not cheap, but it can be a revelation.
The headphone amp is connected via the line out of the drum module and has its own volume control. One advantage is that an external headphone amp provides enough volume reserves even for high-impedance E-Drum headphones.
Budget - How much do headphones for an electronic drum set cost?
This depends on the individual requirements and the available budget. As a rule, we can say that for good E-Drum headphones, a budget between 50 and 200 euros is appropriate.
Within this price range, you can find high-quality options that reproduce the sound of the electronic drums well and offer sufficient noise isolation.
