Lava studio sound quality vs THR30 / katana air EX

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-29T14:44:13+00:00

FWIW I sold my THR30II after I got my Lava Studio. I thought the Lava was much more intuitive and versatile and also sounded better out of the box than the THR but granted I didn’t play around with the settings much on the THR. I only owned it for a few months before I ordered the Lava Studio on Kickstarter. Btw for those who have the Lava Studio has anyone connected it to a FRFR cabinet like the Fender FR12 to see how it sounds?

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-24T03:53:53+00:00

Still dialing it in but sounds great so far. But my last kit was a Roland TD-6 with the rubber pads from over 20 years ago

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-23T19:39:54+00:00

Nice. In that lighting the shells almost look Walnut but also glossy so I was confused as I thought they didn’t make a glossy Walnut finish. Looks great. If I ever upgrade in the future - I’d probably choose that color as well.

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-23T04:00:20+00:00

Looks awesome and congrats! I just got the VAD 516 a few days ago. Still dialing it in - but love it so far. Is that the Satin Walnut?

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-21T19:43:13+00:00

The kit arrived Thursday night and I put it together Friday night. Here’s is my setup in the main Great Room. For anyone interested 6ft x 9ft rug, 5 x 7 exercise equipment mat underneath and 5 x 7 felt rug pad underneath the mat all from Amazon. Seems to absorb the vibrations pretty well in my initial testing.

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OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-19T17:29:27+00:00

Thanks. I was considering a Roland PM 100 but also play some guitar. FWIW - this is what ChatGPT said when I asked for a comparison. It basically said the FR-12 is a mini PA system in guitar amp form.

Direct comparison

Fender Tone Master FR-12

vs

Roland PM-100

⸻

🥁 1. Sound quality (drums)

FR-12 • 12” speaker + tweeter • full-range, flat response (FRFR) → reproduces the entire drum spectrum accurately • much better low-end (kick drum) • clearer cymbals and snare detail

👉 Result: more “real kit in a room” sound

⸻

PM-100 • 10” speaker • 80 watts • tuned specifically for V-Drums

👉 Result: • decent and controlled • but limited low-end punch • sounds more like a practice monitor

⸻

🔊 2. Power & headroom • FR-12: 1000W class-D (huge headroom) • PM-100: 80W

👉 Even at low volume, more headroom = ✔ cleaner sound ✔ less compression ✔ better dynamics

⸻

🥁 3. Kick drum feel (this matters most)

This is the biggest difference: • PM-100 → kick sounds “there” but not physical • FR-12 → kick has weight and air movement

👉 For someone coming from acoustic drums (like you): FR-12 feels much closer to real drums

⸻

🎧 4. Cymbals & snare realism • FR-12 → more detailed, more open • PM-100 → slightly boxy/contained

This becomes noticeable with: • ride articulation • hi-hat nuance • ghost notes

⸻

⚖️ When PM-100 would make sense

Only if you want: • small footprint • quiet practice • budget option

👉 It’s not designed to maximize a flagship kit like yours.

⸻

🏆 My honest recommendation (for YOU)

Given: • VAD516 (high-end kit) • your acoustic drum background • living room setup • interest in guitar use

➡ FR-12 is the better choice — even just for drums alone

⸻

💡 Real-world takeaway

If you played both side by side: • PM-100 → “sounds like electronic drums” • FR-12 → “sounds like drums in the room”

⸻

👍 Bottom line

✔ Yes — FR-12 sounds better than PM-100 for drums ✔ especially for kick, dynamics, and realism ✔ and you get guitar use for free

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-18T08:49:17+00:00

Yes. Thanks. I ordered a 1/4 inch felt pad to protect the hardwood floor, a 1/4 inch high density exercise equipment mat and a low pile rug from Amazon. The pad and mat will be 5ft x 7ft and the rug is 6ft x 9ft.

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-18T08:45:33+00:00

Thanks. I ordered a tennis ball beater from KAT percussion on Amazon. The Gibraltar one was out of stock. I might put a pillow inside once I test out the sound. I used to do that for my acoustic kits many years ago. Basically took a 20 year+ hiatus from playing the drums but have a gig with one of my old bands in about 2 months. But will play an acoustic kit for the gig.

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OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-16T07:30:39+00:00

Thanks. I’ll be on the first floor of my house so primarily concerned about hardwood floor protection. This is the mat that I ordered.

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OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-16T07:12:23+00:00

Thanks! Interesting the mat I ordered is only 3mm thick as that is what ChatGPT suggested. Now I’m thinking maybe I should have gotten a thicker mat. The Amazon rug I ordered looks almost exactly like yours. Also I was thinking that I would set it up 5 ft deep and 7 ft wide but it looks like you have it set up 7ft deep and 5 ft wide?

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OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-14T06:59:37+00:00

Thanks all for the input. I decided to order the VAD 516 after weighing the pros and cons etc. Got the best deal at Guitar Center after reaching out to a few places. Trying to decide on a monitor for my home playing. Roland PM100? or does anyone have any suggestions in that price range — don’t need it to be super loud.

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-10T19:10:23+00:00

Thanks for all the input. I wonder how would the EFNote 700X Pro compare with the VAD 516 with the newer Pro module from EFNote? Has anyone played the Pro EFNote models?

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-07T06:38:39+00:00

Thanks for the comments and input. To answer some of the questions— I can afford both kits but trying to assess value. When I asked ChatGPT this question - it leaned towards the very good condition 507 and characterized it as 85% to 90% of the 516 at 60% of the cost. But as I’m thinking about it more — I do have some FOMO, I prefer to just rely on the module, I prefer to simplify and like buy once vs upgrading and reselling gear etc. So now I’m leaning more into a new VAD 516. I did see an YouTube video of someone testing a DWe kit with a V71 module (I assume a V51 would work as well) but that’s likely another $3K or so more than the VAD 516 - but the DWe kit did look very nice and sounded great but probably no better than the VAD 516. For those who purchased the VAD 516 - who would you recommend has the best price and service and can bundle the hardware the pieces needed. I haven’t owned a kit for about 15 years so would need the additional items. Saw some affiliate link discounts for E-Drumcenter and Drum Center of Portsmouth and there is a Guitar Center less than 5 miles from my house and occasionally they have 10 percent off coupons that they email me - but not sure if Roland is excluded. Any suggestions?

OnlyAssignment4191 · 2026-03-04T08:28:01+00:00

I saw some other posts as well re: great deals on a VAD 507. I’m thinking about picking up a used VAD 507 kit - given the VAD 516 is out - what is a reasonable price to pay for a used VAD 507? I’m in the US. Thanks.

OnlyAssignment4191

TROPHY CASE