DDrum is the fastest-growing drum kit brand in the United States in recent years. After being acquired by Armadillo in 2005, DDrum, which was originally only an electronic percussion instrument, also began producing acoustic drum kits. As an emerging manufacturer, DDrum's drum kit is not as good as traditional entry-level drum kit manufacturers such as Mapex and PDP in terms of workmanship and configuration, but with its trendy and fashionable appearance and advantages in electronic triggers, its popularity is increasing among young drummers.
Like Gretsch, DW and Sonor, DDrum has launched its own line of custom drum kits, USA Custom. However, given that the brand has just set foot in the field of acoustic drums, and there are flaws in many hardware workmanship, it is easier to choose its custom series. For drummers on a budget, the Dios drum kit will be a more reassuring choice after several improvements.
Made in Taiwan, Dios features a thin maple drum cavity with classic bullet lugs, a kick drum with deep bass, and a tom with a bright and powerful hue. However, since Dios only has two snare sizes, this can be confusing for drummers who aren't used to the 13"x7" mini size. In terms of finishes, Dios uses lively patterns and colors such as cherry red and glitter gold, which are more in line with the aesthetics of young people. In practice, Dios' drum ears and rims were found to have subtle imperfections, and the edges were too sharp or unpolished. These problems should not appear often in the 18,000 yuan drum set, but they are also forgivable for a brand with little seniority.
Compared to the flagship Dios series, the Reflex is positioned lower, but has a unique tone. The Reflex is the only drum kit on the market that uses Alder wood. This wood, commonly found on guitars, has the aggressive tone of birch and a short sustain, but is not as rich as a birch drum kit. Like Dios, the Reflex had some flaws in the drum mount, and the side rings were not perfectly parallel to the bottom bearings, which affected the vibrations. Even so, Reflex performed well in some of the tougher Jazz and Funk music and was worth the $8,700 price tag.
It's worth noting that DDrum has launched a new acoustic drum kit, Hybrid, which comes with its own triggers. The series includes DDrum's Pro Acoustic triggers, which are DDrum's traditional strengths, and the performance is undeniable. However, the acoustic drum kit didn't perform well in the entry-level drum kit, dragging down the series' overall rating. For drummers who need to output electronic sounds, adding Yamaha or DDrum triggers to an intermediate acoustic drum kit is a more sensible solution.
