The 7 Best Electronic Drum Headphones (2023) for Sound Quality and Noise Isolation

The ability to plug in headphones and personally monitor your playing is one of the great features of electronic drum sets. Headphones are great for quiet practice, as well as for isolated monitoring while playing with a band.

There are a wide variety of headphones available, but this article specifically covers the models that are best suited to electronic drumming.

My top recommended headphones are the Vic Firth SIH2 Isolation. These are popular, quality, and affordable headphones with good noise isolation.

My second recommended headphones are the Alesis DRP100. These are very comfortable and affordable headphones with decent noise isolation levels.

The 7 Best Electronic Drum Headphones (2023)

Let’s compare these in more detail.

Electronic drum set players are extremely fond of the Vic Firth SIH2 Isolation. They are cost-effective, good-quality headphones with good noise isolation levels.

These headphones allow you to protect your hearing by blocking outside noise. They also allow you to listen at a lower volume because you will not be struggling to compete with other noises. This set of headphones isolates you from outside noises by up to 25 dB, which is a very noticeable difference.

The SIH2 headphones come with thick pads that align with the player’s ears, so they are very comfortable to play with. That makes a big difference during long sessions.

If you want a pair of decent headphones with natural and clear sound, these are a really good choice. You can read more about the hearing protection technology that Vic Firth implements in their headphones.

Alesis is a big name in affordable drum kits and accessories. I’ve already reviewed their Alesis Nitro Kit drum set and now we’re going to talk about the Alesis DRP 100 headphones.

These headphones are a great choice for electronic drummers and they are of decent quality. The DRP 100 is a responsive model and the headphone design allows for good noise isolation.

The isolation of this model provides you with good-quality sounds in different playing environments. From studio sessions and home practice, to live gigs, their quality remains at a good level. The Alesis DRP 100 comes with a silicone headband, which is also useful for longer playing sessions.

The frequency response ranges from 10 Hz to 30 kHz and the drivers on this model are 40 mm. The cable you get in this package is 6 feet long and it has a 1/8-inch plug.

These headphones are a low-cost option. Although you shouldn’t expect world-class sound from them, they are a very decent model for those on a budget.

The Roland RH-300V are high-quality headphones from a juggernaut of a company – Roland! They are optimized for e-drum and electronic percussion use and deliver dynamic and quality sounds to your ears.

These closed-back, over-ear headphones have 50mm drivers that also include neodymium magnets and CCAW voice coils. A truly professional choice! The sound quality you get is unprecedented, with solid bass and clear highs.

Not only is this a quality-sounding headphone set but it is also sturdily built, with a fold-up design that also makes them portable as well as durable. They are extremely comfortable with a snug fit, ideal for practice sessions.

From the wide frequency response to the dynamic range, the Roland RH-300V are top-notch, quality headphones for e-drum use.

When talking about renowned manufacturers of audio equipment, Beyerdynamic is an important company with a long tradition that dates back to the 1920s. Because of this, they make one of the most popular headphones for electronic drummers – the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm.

As the word PRO in their name suggests, these headphones can be used for professional playing sessions, which also makes them more than suitable for home practice. They are a very well-respected model of headphones and come at a very affordable price range for this class.

What makes this pair of headphones so popular is the quality of manufacture. As for the technical aspects, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 covers the frequency range from 5 Hz to 35 kHz. There are 32-Ohm, 80-Ohm, and 250-Ohm versions, respectively. The cable is one-sided, which is a practical design feature for electronic drummers when playing live sessions.

Higher OHM levels will require more power from your sound source to amplify the volume (or high OHM levels will require an external amp). The 80-Ohm is a good model to go with. If you want to use it additionally straight from your phone or mp3 player then the 32-Ohm would be the best one to use.

The Sony MDR-7506 are great, inexpensive headphones for e-drum use. The closed-back, Circumaural design is very comfortable and the headband is fully adjustable. With passive noise-isolating technology, they eliminate background noise to a good extent when playing.

This affordable headphone set features 40mm drivers that deliver a detailed sound, despite the affordable price tag. They have an almost full-spectrum frequency response (10Hz-20kHz) accompanied by gold connectors and an oxygen-free copper cord that for quality sound transmission and reproduction.

It’s no wonder that you can spot the Sony MDR-7506 in virtually any studio. They are great for studio monitoring, casual listening, and of course, e-drum use. The value-for-price ratio is one of the best. They feature a 1/8″ jack and a 1/4″ adapter jack.

Overall, these cost-effective headphones by Sony are among the best you can get for a low price that offer quality sound reproduction for electronic drums.

Another Roland pair on this list, this time a more affordable option – the Roland RH-5. The good sound, attractive design, and comfortable ergonomic features of these headphones make them a great choice for long home-drumming practice sessions.

Thanks to their 40-mm drivers, the Roland RH-5 headphones deliver a lively, balanced sound, which is important for electronic drummers.

Since its manufacturers wanted to cover as many settings as possible, these headphones come with a conversion plug that helps you to easily adjust them to different connectors. They have a 10 Hz – 22 kHz frequency range and an impedance of 32 Ohm. The cable in the standard package is 3 meters long, which will suffice for home-based electronic drumming.

While these Roland headphones will meet the demands of home practice or amateur recording, they don’t deliver the sound you need for professional studio sessions.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M70X are closed-back, around-ear, high-end headphones from a respected manufacturer. If sound quality is what you want, then you’ll unlikely find a more well-balanced choice out there.

These headphones have 45mm large-aperture drivers with copper-clad aluminum wire voice coil for clear sound reproduction, a wide frequency response of 5Hz-40kHz, and a 35-ohm impedance level. The passive noise-isolating technology makes them great for studio and e-drum use.

The ATH-M70X are comfortable headphones with a certain aesthetic appeal. They are also quite rugged due to the metal design. You’ve likely seen this pair in studio environments as they are top-notch for monitoring, post-production, mastering, and many more situations.

If your budget can handle it, the Audio-Technica ATH-M70X headphones are an excellent choice for electronic drums. They have an amazing sound quality and are built to last.

What Headphones are good for Electronic Drums?

The best kind of headphones for electronic drums are ones that provide good sound isolation while having good sound quality across a broad range of frequencies. 

Purpose-made electronic drum headphones are perfect for this because they should tick all the boxes. However, if you have a set of other decent headphones lying around then these should also work quite well. 

If your current set of headphones does not fit into your drum module then you might need to get a 1/8″ to 1/4″ jack connector, which is quite easy to come by.

Can I use any Headphones for Electronic Drums?

Any types of headphones work for electronic drums, provided that they will fit into your drum module. If the connection does not work then you can simply get an adapter, which can be quickly, pretty easy to find in most music stores. 

However, purpose-built drum headphones or studio headphones tend to work better because they will have a more flat frequency response and good sound isolation. These will help you hear the sounds coming from the headphones more clearly without listening to the tapping sounds from the electronic drums.

Can I use Bluetooth Headphones for Electronic Drums?

You CAN use Bluetooth headphones with an electronic drum kit but I wouldn’t recommend this option. Bluetooth headphones have some latency issues most of the time which will result in sound delay. A corded pair will always be superior in this situation.

Can you hear Electronic Drums without Headphones?

You can hear electronic drums without headphones provided that you have an electronic drum amplifier.

An amplifier can be a better option as it can be less fatiguing on your ears than listening to headphones for long periods. However, they also come with their disadvantages because they will make more noise which might cause issues with your family or neighbors. Therefore, each of them has its pros and cons.

Verdict

Since electronic drums are sophisticated instruments, they require proper accessories if you want to get a perfect playing feeling. This is why every electronic drummer needs to have at least one pair of headphones by their side. Alternatively, you could also consider getting a pair of in-ear monitors, which many drummers prefer to use when playing live.

My top pick is the Vic Firth SIH2 Isolation, a popular, quality, and affordable headphone set with good noise isolation.

My budget pick is the Alesis DRP100, a very comfortable and affordable headphone set with decent noise isolation levels.