Roland VAD706 Review

Ultimate Buying Guide

Introduction:

The Roland VAD706 is the latest addition to Roland’s impressive lineup. This kit takes every top quality design and innovation from Roland and combines it in one. It takes all the success of Roland’s previous VAD drum kits and improves on them in a variety of ways. 

This is arguably the highest-quality electronic drum set on the market. So, let’s have a look at everything that makes the VAD706 the top player that it is. 

Key Features: 

The most predominant feature of the VAD706 is the acoustic shells. The kit has full-sized acoustic drum shells, making it look like a standard drum kit. These shells are topped with Roland’s highest-quality mesh head drum pads. 

Included with the set is Roland’s TD50X drum module. It’s Roland’s most powerful module, giving you the latest innovative designs on offer when it comes to sound technology. 

Build Quality
98%
Performance
99%
Price to Value Ratio
92%
PROS: THINGS WE LIKED
  • Acoustic drum shells
  • Powerful Roland TD-50X drum module
  • Different colors to choose from
  • Highest-quality kit from Roland
CONS: THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE
  • Extremely expensive

FEATURED ON

Roland VAD706 Review:

What To Expect from This Kit

 

Construction 

Not much compares to the Roland VAD706 when it comes to construction. The wood shells have a gloss lacquer finish with a thin maple ply to give the appearance of an acoustic kit. Most people looking from a distance wouldn’t realize that the kit is electronic. 

The shells are topped with tunable mesh heads. These heads are incredibly responsive and lifelike, reacting well to all kinds of dynamic playing. The drums also have resonant heads. 

Hardware

The shiny chrome hardware further adds to the high-quality appearance of the set. The kit comes with Roland’s DTS-30S hardware pack. These double-braced stands provide a very sturdy platform for the drums to rest on. 

The stands are normal stands that could fit acoustic drums, giving you more of a resemblance to an acoustic drum setup. 

The cymbal pads used with the kit are incredibly good. They’re all of Roland’s top models including the CY-18DR ride, CY-16R crashes, and the VH14D hi-hats. These pads feel great to play on and can handle everything from jazz to metal. 

Module

The Roland TD-50X exhibits the peak of innovation from Roland. We could write a whole article on this module alone. To summarize, it has 70 preset drum kits with 900 onboard sounds to use. 

Every single one of these samples and kits sounds pristine as Roland creates their samples from scratch with immaculate detail. 

The module then used Roland’s Prismatic Sound Modeling Engine. It allows full control over what sounds come out of the kit. You can change things like mic placement and drum size, giving you extensive tools to work with. 

There’s a lot more to this module, and no other module on the market can currently compete with it. 

Price Value Ratio

The Roland VAD706 is one of the most expensive electronic drum kits you can get your hands on. Since it’s a relatively new product the market, the price isn’t very competitive. Not many people will buy this kit due to the price. 

So, the price-to-value ratio isn’t too good. However, it’s one of the best electronic kits on the market. It’s the closest thing to an acoustic drum kit that you can find. If you’re looking for the absolute best product possible, this is it.

Difference: Roland VAD507 vs Roland VAD706

The three big differences between the two kits are evident in the price, the shells, and the module. Firstly, the VAD706 is about $3000 more expensive than the VAD706. This is due to all the improved qualities. 

The shells are mostly the same. However, there are a few different color options on the VAD706. You can choose between Cherry, Ebony, Natural, or White. The different colors make the kit look even more like an acoustic kit. 

Lastly, the VAD507 uses the Roland TD-27 module while the VAD706 used the TD-50X. The TD50X is a much better drum module. 

It’s also worth mentioning there’s a small brother in the lineup the Roland VAD307

Competitors

Pearl e/Merge e/Hybrid

The e/Merge is also a hybrid kit. It has wooden drum shells supporting the drum pads to give the appearance of an acoustic drum set. However, the shells on this kit are quite shallow. The only deep shell is the bass drum. 

This kit has incredible value thanks to the MDL-1 module. It lends sound design from Korg which is a company that specializes in electronic sounds. The onboard sounds of the module are incredibly good. There are 35 kits and 700 sounds to work with. 

The kit comes with a sturdy rack to set the drums and cymbals on. It feels very solid and secure when playing. 

Overall, it’s a more affordable option compared to the VAD706, but it’s still quite expensive. 

Roland TD-50KVX

The TD-50KVX was the flagship drum kit from Roland before the VAD706 came along. They’re highly similar in many ways. They use the same drum module and many of the same drum pads. 

The big difference is that the VAD706 is a hybrid kit while the TD-50KV2 is a set of V-Drums. This means that the kit is mostly smaller and the toms are shallower. It doesn’t look as much like an acoustic kit as the VAD706 does. 

That’s about the only difference. Since the module and pads are the same, this kit sounds and feels the same as the VAD706. It comes at a lower price, so it’s a good option to go with if you can’t quite afford the VAD706 kit. 

Check out out full-length review of this kit here.  

FAQ:

Is the Roland VAD706 worth it?

The Roland VAD706 is considered a top-tier electronic drum kit, combining Roland’s finest innovations and design elements. With features like full-sized acoustic drum shells, the powerful TD50X drum module, and premium construction, it offers an exceptional drumming experience. However, it’s one of the most expensive kits on the market, making it a significant investment. If budget isn’t a constraint and you seek the highest quality, the VAD706 is definitely worth considering​​.

Which Roland module is the best?

The best Roland drum module is undoubtedly the TD-50X. It has all of Roland’s highest-quality designs and leading innovative tools. It’s the best module that Roland has put out to date, making it the top drum module on the market. 

Are Roland electronic drums any good?

Roland is the leading brand for electronic drums. They don’t produce acoustic drums. The closest things they have to acoustic kits are these VAD drum sets. So, if you’re looking for a good electronic drum set, Roland is the company to look at. 

There are a few other good e-kit companies such as Alesis and Yamaha. Alesis are a great company for cheap kits while Yamaha mainly focuses on acoustic drum sets. However, Yamaha’s electronic kits are fairly good. 

Why are Roland V drums so expensive?

They’re expensive to buy because they cost a lot of money to make. Working on instruments and sound technology is never cheap, so Roland has to sell the kits at high prices to cover their costs. 

We should consider ourselves lucky, though. Drum kits like the ones Roland puts out would have been triple the price decades ago. Technology has come a long way since then. 

Things To Consider:

Roland VAD706 in the Studio

The TD-50X module is excellent in every situation you put it in, including studio work. The ability to manipulate the sounds will allow you to do a lot of mixing and EQing straight from the drum set itself. This makes the job of the studio producer a bit easier. 

With all the sounds available, the kit can fit into recording sessions of many different styles of music. These sounds hold up quite well compared to acoustic drums

Roland VAD706 for a Live Gig

The kit is even better for live gigs thanks to the fact that it looks and feels like an acoustic kit. The design was arguably intended to be used for live gigging scenarios. All the colors to choose from have a shiny glow that looks great under lights on a stage. 

Most people in the crowd wouldn’t even realize that you’re playing on an electronic drum set. You get the visual aesthetics of an acoustic kit with all the added benefits of using an electronic drum module. 

The one downside of an electronic kit is that you can’t feel the punch of the bass drum when playing. Most people use a subwoofer underneath their drum throne to counter this issue. It works like a charm. 

Helpful Resources:

Roland VAD706 Review
  • Quality
  • Design
  • Performance
4.8

Conclusion

If you want the best possible electronic drum set that you can get your hands on, the Roland VAD706 is what you’re looking for. It beats all the competition when it comes to appearance, feel, and sound. 

The price is pretty steep, costing more than most acoustic electronic drum kits on the market. So, it may be better to wait a while before getting it so that more competitive kits come out and cause the price to drop a bit to stay competitive. 

If you’re on the fence about this kit, check out our review of the VAD506. It’s a cheaper alternative that still has the same visual benefits of the VAD706. 

Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London  has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.

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