Donner DED-80 Review: A Quiet Starter Kit With Weak Pedals

The Donner DED-80 is worth it for a child, or for an adult who wants to find out if drumming sticks without spending much or annoying the neighbors. It isn't worth it for an adult who already knows they want to drum seriously, because its kick pedal is a floor switch rather than a real pedal and beater.

At about $220 on Donner's store and about $270 on Amazon, the DED-80 is a low-cost way into a full mesh kit. It sat at #4 in Electronic Drum Sets on Amazon when I checked, with 1,967 ratings averaging 4.4 stars. Drummers on Reddit are far less kind, and both views are worth hearing before you order.

What Comes in the Donner DED-80 Box

Inside the Donner DED-80 box is a complete kit: four 6.5-inch mesh drum pads, three 10-inch cymbals, a metal frame, the drum module, a drum throne, sticks, headphones and cables. Nothing else is needed to start playing on headphones.

Its module carries 180 sounds, 15 drum kits and 30 demo songs, plus a drum coach and 30 accompaniment tracks for practice. It connects to a computer over USB MIDI, and Donner offers 40 free Melodics lessons if you contact its customer service.

One thing is missing, and it surprises first-time buyers: a speaker. Donner's Amazon listing says plainly that "DED drum sets requires a power amplifier for sound output." That's ideal for an apartment. Anyone who wants to play out loud, though, needs a drum amp or a speaker on top of the kit price.

The Pedals Are the Weak Spot

Owners complain about the DED-80's kick and hi-hat pedals more than anything else. Its kick is a trigger that sits on the floor, with no beater striking a pad, so it feels nothing like a real bass drum pedal.

An owner who had the kit for nearly two years summed it up on r/edrums:

"Decent drum kit but the kick and hat pedals are not realistic at all (its like stomping on the ground)"
- r/edrums, May 2025

That owner wanted a double kick for metal and found the kit can't take one. Another owner in the thread swapped a tom input for a proper kick tower and pedal, but noted the module won't let you remap pads, so it only worked by playing through drum software on a computer. MIDI has its own complaints too. One owner recording through USB reported that "only one in every 6 notes I played would go through", though they weren't sure whether the kit, the adapter or the plugin was at fault.

Why does the kick pedal matter so much? Kick technique is a large part of learning drums, and a floor switch doesn't teach the motion of a real pedal. That's why the standard advice on r/edrums is to look for a kit with a kick tower, such as Alesis's Nitro Max, even if that means buying used. For a casual player or a young child, the DED-80's pedal is enough to keep time. For an adult taking drumming seriously, I'd spend the extra on a kick tower from the start.

Is It Quiet Enough for an Apartment?

Quiet in the room, the DED-80 is not silent through the floor. Mesh heads and headphones take care of the sound; the pedals still send a thump downstairs.

Roland, which makes V-Drums, explains the mechanism on its NE-10 product page: kick and hi-hat pedals in a multi-level building pass noise to the rooms below "via direct sound conduction through the floor." Roland says its NE-10 isolation pads reduce that transfer by approximately 75 percent, based on Roland test data. That figure is for Roland's own pads, but the lesson carries over. Put the DED-80's pedals on a thick rug or an isolation board, and keep late-night sessions to hand patterns.

Is the DED-80 Right for Kids?

Kids are where the DED-80 fits best. Donner describes the stand as youth-sized, with an expanded size of 42.52 x 18.11 x 39.37 inches, and it folds for storage.

That small frame is also why taller adults find it cramped. For a child, it's the right height, and the included headphones keep practice from taking over the house.

Parents should hear one more point from Reddit. A reply in a thread about the DED-80 noted that "drums are like the #1 thing that parents buy for their kids and teens that never get used and then get sold 2nd-hand." A low-cost kit is the sensible way to test that interest. If it lasts, upgrading to a kick-tower kit is the natural next step.

Who Should Buy the DED-80

It's a good fit for a child or a casual beginner, it works with a rug under the pedals in an apartment, and a serious adult drummer should look elsewhere.

Skip it if you're an adult who wants to learn proper kick technique, plans to play double bass, or wants to record through MIDI.

If piano is also on the table, my Donner piano guide covers the brand's digital pianos.

Disclosure: the Donner links here are affiliate links to Amazon. If you buy through them, Winner Reviews earns a commission at no extra cost to you. Specifications are Donner's own claims; owner experiences are quoted from linked public threads.

FAQ

Is the Donner DED-80 still sold?

The Donner DED-80 is still sold on Donner's US store and on Amazon, where it shows as in stock under more than one listing. Donner also sells nearby kits in the same line, such as the smaller DED-70 and the larger DED-200.

What does DED-80 mean?

DED-80 is a Donner model number. Donner uses the DED prefix across its electronic drum line, from the DED-70 to the DED-500, but doesn't publish what the letters stand for.

Does the Donner DED-80 have speakers?

The Donner DED-80 has no built-in speaker. It comes with headphones, and Donner's listing says you need a power amplifier, such as a drum amp or powered speaker, to hear it out loud.