hi-fi stereo amp for electronic drums

sk42

Junior Member
I'm in the process of buying an amplifier for my hi-fi system. In couple of months I'll also buy an electronic drum kit (no idea which one yet) and am wondering if I'll be able to connect the kit to my stereo loudspeakers through the hi-fi amplifier?

If this is even possible, should I look for something specific in the amp? The intended usage is just for playing in my flat, possibly jamming with friends.. no concerts or anything of that magnitude..

Thx in advance
 
No problem. All that you need is a cable that fits the drum brain and amp that you have.
Just plug the drums into one of the aux inputs on the stereo amp.
 
Cool, thanks.

Additional Q: would it make a huge difference if I had a subwoofer in addition to the two stereo loudspeakers for playing the drums?
 
Cool, thanks.

Additional Q: would it make a huge difference if I had a subwoofer in addition to the two stereo loudspeakers for playing the drums?

If you want to hear the bass drum than a sub is a must. You need a sub for music and movies anyways.
 
Cool, thanks.

Additional Q: would it make a huge difference if I had a subwoofer in addition to the two stereo loudspeakers for playing the drums?

Subwoofer placement is very difficult. Be careful with how you place it in a room because a badly-placed subwoofer can drastically alter any mix for the worse (look up room modes and standing waves). Subwoofers typically work in the 40-100Hz range (with some extension up to 120Hz) and these frequencies can be generally reproduced with a set of good-quality pair of woofers. To be honest, if you're setting up a home system, the subwoofer can wait until you can afford a good-quality one (try to avoid ported subwoofers - which are generally cheaper, but only really emphasise one frequency) and buy yourself a really good amplifier and stereo speakers to start with. The subwoofer is much less important and makes a home system much more complicated - in terms of cost and placement. Getting it wrong will make your home system suffer and will cost significantly more for what is actually a fairly limited benefit.
 
I agree. The sub woofer is not necessary. The woofers in your stereo system will reproduce the bass frequencies of the kit.

This is also contingent on having decent size speakers in your hi-fi system. A woofer in each cabinet of 8 inches or more will do the trick for the bass response.

Dennis
 
An electronic kit can be connected to a hifi stereo amp and you may get a decent sound out of it. However, generally it is not considered the best way to amplify an E kit, (active) PA speakers do a better job. More info here.
 
You can use a home stereo for your eKit, sure. But even if it sounds good, chances are you will push it and your speakers too far because the sounds you're producing are hitting harder than if you were playing CD's or your iPod through it. Circuitry is everything, and instrument amplifiers are built more battle ready than home stereos. It may not be enough to jam with your friends, unless you're playing so quietly you hear more stick clicking on pads than actual drum sounds.

One of those small Roland KC amplifiers would be a better investment. Hell, the slightly bigger ones make great full-frequency amps as well.
 
Using home audio gear for any musical instrument is a bad idea. Stereo speakers cannot handle it. I worked for an audio/video store for most of the 80s, and have been in bands since 1970. I have learned the hard way. And, no, today's stereo speakers are not better. It is kinda the same as using your car as a dump truck. It may work to haul a load of rocks, but it will screw up the car. You will most likely blow your speakers.

What will work is using a stereo power amp for PA or instrument use. I have done that successfully. But you need a PA speaker or guitar, bass, or keyboard speaker. A powered PA speaker is a good way to do what you desire, or a keyboard amp/speaker combo. Some bass amp/speaker combos have tweeters, so they will work too.

What hi-fi amp are you buying?

Never play a musical instrument through a stereo; it is not worth the risk to the stereo.
 
Using home audio gear for any musical instrument is a bad idea. Stereo speakers cannot handle it. I worked for an audio/video store for most of the 80s, and have been in bands since 1970. I have learned the hard way. And, no, today's stereo speakers are not better. It is kinda the same as using your car as a dump truck. It may work to haul a load of rocks, but it will screw up the car. You will most likely blow your speakers.

What will work is using a stereo power amp for PA or instrument use. I have done that successfully. But you need a PA speaker or guitar, bass, or keyboard speaker. A powered PA speaker is a good way to do what you desire, or a keyboard amp/speaker combo. Some bass amp/speaker combos have tweeters, so they will work too.

What hi-fi amp are you buying?

Never play a musical instrument through a stereo; it is not worth the risk to the stereo.

This is what I had always heard too. I think if you are playing through headphones a home stereo would be okay. You can get good quality, low-cost audio gear on Craigslist.

I have been using my JBL EON 15 powered speakers for home stereo use. But I don't like it because of all the hiss. They really don't work well at low volumes - it's like trying to drive a high-powered, high performance sports car at low speeds all the time.
 
An electronic kit already does the magic for you and there’s generally no need to connect extra amplifier. About the subwoofer, I think a rightly placed subwoofer gives you a much better output than normal speakers. As said earlier there might be standing waves at one or two frequencies in a wrong room configuration but I don’t think that’s an issue considering the fact that all rooms can’t be studios with no sound reflections or standing waves.
 
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