Best Headphones for Electronic Drums: 3 Wired Picks for Your Kit

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x

The Audio-Technica ATH-M40x is the wired pick when you want a detachable cable you can swap or replace. It ships with a coiled and a straight cable, folds for storage, and includes a 6.3mm quarter-inch adapter in the box.

The detachable cable is the reason to choose this over the M20x. If a cord frays or you want a different length, you change the cable, not the headphones — provided you buy a cable made for the M40x rather than one that merely looks like it fits. The box includes two: a coiled cable that runs roughly 1.2m to 3m, and a straight 3m cable.

It’s a closed-back design with 40mm drivers and a 35-ohm rating. At 240g without the cable, it’s the heavier of the two Audio-Technica models here, and the folding hinges are the other practical extra: collapsed, it takes up less room in a bag.

Audio-Technica ATH-M20x

The Audio-Technica ATH-M20x is the lower-cost wired option, with a fixed 3m cable and the same quarter-inch adapter in the box. It skips the detachable cable but covers practice and play-along sessions without the extra spend.

The cable is fixed (a 3m straight cord exits from the left side), so there’s no unplugging it to swap in a different length. If it wears, you can’t change just the cable the way you can on the M40x. Careful routing, or a clip, keeps the cord out of harm’s way, and that matters more when the cable isn’t user-swappable.

It sits in the same closed-back, 40mm driver family as the M40x, with a 47-ohm rating and a lighter 190g frame without the cable. The quarter-inch adapter is still in the box, so a module with the larger socket is handled.

Roland VMH-D1

The Roland VMH-D1 is the pick when cable management is the problem. It comes with two separate cables, a cable restraint, and a hanger.

The VMH-D1 ships with two separate cables, not one cable and an extension: a 3m lead for when the module sits further away, and a shorter 1.5m lead. The cable restraint clips the cord in place, and the hanger gives it somewhere to live when you’re finished.

Roland lists 50mm drivers and a 32-ohm rating, and the over-ear shape covers the whole ear. Read one number carefully: Roland lists 285g with a ±5g tolerance, but that isn’t on the same documented weighing basis as the Audio-Technica figures above, so don’t treat the three as a matched comparison.

The tradeoff is the hardware itself. You get more accessories, which means more to manage, and you’re paying for drum-specific extras. If cable control has never bothered you, those bits may sit unused.

Connecting headphones to your module

Find the module’s PHONES output (not an AUX IN for backing tracks or a trigger input) and turn the module’s volume down before you plug anything in. Audio-Technica’s shared M-series manual makes that low-volume step explicit.

Headphone plugs come in two sizes you’re likely to meet: 3.5mm, the small end you’ll recognize from phones, and the larger 6.3mm nominal quarter-inch socket. Both Audio-Technica models use a 3.5mm plug and include a 6.3mm adapter. The Roland also includes a quarter-inch adapter, so if your module has the larger socket, the box covers it. Because module ports vary, and some manuals and FAQs are inconsistent about sizes, check your specific module’s PHONES socket or manual before ordering anything extra.

A TRS plug has three contacts and carries ordinary stereo headphone audio. A TRRS plug adds a fourth contact for a microphone, which is standard on phone headsets. Alesis’s Nitro Max FAQ warns that TRRS mic-headsets can produce incomplete audio or dropouts on that module and recommends TRS. That’s a warning scoped to the Nitro Max, not a law for every module, but it’s a good reason to reach for a plain stereo cable when you’re shopping.

If you compare models outside this shortlist, don’t treat a higher ohm rating as a sound-quality score. Whether a pair gets loud enough with your kit can depend on the module itself, so check the module maker’s headphone-output guidance.

Bluetooth on electronic kits: what it actually does

Check the direction before assuming wireless works at all. On the Alesis Nitro Max, for example, Alesis confirms the module receives Bluetooth audio from a phone for backing tracks but cannot connect to Bluetooth speakers or headphones. You can stream music into the module, but the headphones still plug in with a wire.

That distinction matters before you buy wireless headphones assuming they’ll pair with the kit. Unless your specific module documents a Bluetooth monitoring output, assume the headphone connection is wired. The models in this guide are all wired for exactly that reason.

Fit, cable routing, and comfort

Fit is personal, and a spec sheet won’t settle it. A pair that feels fine for ten minutes can clamp by the end of the first hour, and glasses or head shape change how the cups sit. If you’re ordering online, check the seller’s return policy before you commit.

Once they’re on, route the cable away from sticks and pedals. A caught cable can strain the jack. Sit at the kit, plug in, and reach for every pad without the cable pulling tight. If it does, that’s the signal to choose the longer cable or the Roland’s restraint setup.

You’ll still hear the acoustic clatter of sticks hitting pads while you play.

How we chose these

These three recommendations come from current official specifications and documentation, not from physical comparative testing. We read each manufacturer’s product page and relevant manuals for cable types, connector support, weight and impedance, and we verified the Alesis Bluetooth and TRRS behaviour against the company’s own support pages.

We haven’t independently measured sound quality, isolation, comfort, or hearing protection, so this guide doesn’t rank the models on those grounds. Prices change and vary by retailer, which is why the comparison above sticks to the differences that stay put: detachable versus fixed cables, included adapters, and the hardware that keeps a cord under control.