Roland HD1 V-Drums Lite All-In-One Electronic Drum Kit

Feature:
The mesh-head snare is nice, and the gum-rubber pads are responsive and easy to play. There is not a great deal of adjustment that the user can make to the individual drums. The snare is the most adjustable. The other instruments pretty much just move up and down. The cymbal rods are fixed on their angles and cannot be adjusted for tilt. The toms can be spread and slid up and down their mounting bars, but cannot be tilted. Roland obviously used drummers to set this up because stuff was all in a comfortable place, but unlike the TD series kits, adjustments are very limited.

Quality:
For what it is, the quality is excellent in terms of strength, fit and finish. It is strong enough, but is not made for the road (it doesn't come apart) - it is best to set it up and leave it in a room or studio. The tom pads are not the TD series pads, and I've never seen them anywhere else. If one broke, you'd need to contact Roland, but it's best to think of this kit as one of the old all-in-one stereos viz one that is made up of various components.

Value:
I gave this a nine, but could have given it a ten. Its value is excellent, depending on what you want. If you want something to take on the road, something for which you can change the sounds and settings of individual pads, and something you can get other parts for to customize and modify, you'll be disappointed. If you want something self-contained, extremely small, and easy to use you can't beat this. Consider carefully, though, that a TD-4 is only $200 - it takes up a bit more room, and requires (simple) programming, but give you a lot more versatility. If you're limited on space and don't want to "mess with" the kit, the HD-1 is hard to beat.

Desirability:
The product looks great, works great, and sounds fantastic. For having so little adjustment, Roland really "got it right" - on my TD-4 I make adjustments all the time, but the HD-1, which I'd mess with it if I could, works very well "as is."

Sound:
The Roland sounds are amazing, and the HD-1 is no exception. The pads felt good and were responsive. Compared to one of the TD series kits, though, individual drums ("instruments") cannot be modified. Volume and sensitivity are set "globally" and cannot be adjusted in relationship to each other. For my tastes, the kick was a little too loud and the snare a little too quiet. If you don't like messing with programming parameters, you just want to play, you have ten kits at your finger tips.

Ease of Use:
It's as easy at it gets - set it up, plug it in, selection one of the ten drum kits, set your volume and start playing. No electronic drum kit is easier to use.

Overall:
Again, I'm not sure how to rate this. After playing it for a week, I traded it in for a TD-4 because I wanted the additional versatility. If you're a casual player, or don't have a lot of space, or don't like to fiddle with "programming" (although the programming of e-drums is pretty easy once you catch onto it), the HD-1 has a lot to commend it.

Feature:
Purchased the accessory pack for just a little more. More than worth the money. The ear buds are better than you will receive with an I-pod or MP3 player. Fantastic sound

Quality:
Roland packaged the set with amazing detail. Every part and component was protected and efficiently packaged. Not sure if the kit, now assembled, would be easy to transport.

Value:
Absolutely worth the money. Big bang for a small buck. (I promise I don't work for this company!)

Sound:
The sound is incredible for the size. The pads are sensitive to your strokes and have different sounds based on the power of your stroke. The only disappointment was the high-hat. Not sure if the sensitivity is off but the sound is not quite as crisp as you would be used to with acoustic. The other cymbal pads are fine. The various drum set types are fun to experiment with and have authentic sounds.

Ease of Use:
The set-up and use is very simple. Color coded wiring. Even despite it's small size, you can adjust the pad hight. The adjustable stool with the accessory pack is very beneficial as well.

Support:
No need to call for any service. I have played the heck out of them with no problems.

Overall:
Unfortunatley you can not expand off of this kit but that is what the appeal is. If you don't have much space, not a full time musician and play for hobby then this is your best deal. You could not play this set with a large ensemble of musicians or in a large setting without some serious amplifyinig.