In his hunt for the ideal drum monitoring system, Scott Holder tries out the new Simmons DA350.
SIMMONS IS GOING old school with the recent release of the DA350 e-drum monitor system. It will immediately remind you of Roland’s old PM-30 or Yamaha’s MS-100DR edrum monitors with its cabinet/two-satellites configuration. It now joins KAT’s HD400 as the only widely available 2.1 e-drum monitor.
One note: with the release of the DA350, Simmons no longer labels the DA50/200S cabinets as “monitors”; now they’re a “practice & rehearsal amp” and “power performance amp”, respectively. I reviewed the DA350 side by side with the DA200S with an eye toward its performance as a monitor as well as a portable PA. The issue, as always with systems like these, is bass response and depth of sound.
The outside
The DA350 consists of a powered subwoofer/controller cabinet and two passive satellite speakers along with tripod pole stands. The satellites have audio/power contacts built into the bottom of each speaker. You can connect them directly to the sub/amp box by sliding them into the corresponding contact; Simmons calls this the “compact mono setup” or as I put it, “Look Ma, no wires!”.
If you attach the two satellites via a pole, they require a single standard, unbalanced (mono) ¼” cable to connect to the sub/amp in “standard mono setup”.
If using it in a stereo set-up, the satellites connect via a standard, unbalanced (mono) ¼” cable the way you would expect.
Inputs are on the upper, rear-facing section of the sub/amp and consist of two sets of ¼’ L/R pairs and a separate RCA or 1⁄8” TRS connection. The latter can also be switched to Bluetooth as you can pair such a device with the sub/amp. L/R ¼” outputs to something powered like a mixer or additional speakers round out the section.
This story is from the August 2017 edition of digitalDrummer.
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This story is from the August 2017 edition of digitalDrummer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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