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(More customer reviews)This review will be mostly a comparison with the rock band 1 set, so I'll assume most people reading this are familiar with the game and/or the RB1 set. I'll also mention briefly the cymbal expansion and how it differs from the original play style. To start off, though, I'll list some of the features of this new set.
+Wireless
+Sound dampening pads
+Velocity sensitive (the harder you hit, the louder the sound)
+Metal-reinforced pedal
+Cymbal expansion portsThe set out of the box is just as simple as the first one to set up, and even if you have not put one together before, it is fairly self-explanatory. Square peg goes in the square hole, as it were. It took me about 5 minutes to socket the pieces and get it to the appropriate height I wanted. My overall impressions of the set are that although it is made with more plastic than aluminum this time around, the frame itself seems sturdier, with less wobble because the base and sides are a bit wider. Three AA batteries are needed, so you might want to invest in some rechargable batteries if you plan on playing quite a bit.
When playing, I can hear quite a difference from the original pads, and the sound dampening is indeed doing its job. However, it doesn't soften the sound *as much* as the silencer pads that are sold separately, so if you ended up buying those prior to this set, you may want to hang on to them. In fact, because I don't have a surround sound system on my TV, I found it hard to hear the different noises coming from the velocity sensitive pads unless I turned the TV up uncomfortably loud. In other words, the pads are softer, but still have some clacking going on that may interfere with some people's playing.
Visually, I can see a difference coming from the velocity sensitive equipment, and it gives you an on-screen cue on the lights at the bottom to tell you if what you just did was a soft or hard hit (there isn't anything in-between soft and hard) The velocity sensitive angle strikes me as a nice addition to the franchise, but it's purely for show.
The pedal, meanwhile, is holding up like a champ. I've never been one to slam down on it very much, but the metal plate will give me some added comfort while I play. On the other hand, it is only a plate covering the (still plastic) pedal, and not a replacement for the hinge at the bottom of the pedal, which is where most people have a problem. Expert level players or people who tend to bang on the pedal might still consider a replacement kit to make sure nothing happens to theirs.
Lastly, I bought the 2 pack of cymbals to plug in the expansion ports, and although I won't review them here, I will talk about how they make the game different. The striking part of the cymbals are rubber, so in theory they shouldn't make much noise, but in practice, they are as loud if not louder than the sound dampening pads. Anyone with thin walls or parents they don't want to wake up should be aware that this might still be a problem.
In-game, I've found myself avoiding the cymbals to start off with, because of the added difficulty of switching from pad to cymbal, but also because there is no in-game indicator of which one to use. I suppose I should have known this going in, but I supposed that there would be a way to switch the note charts somehow in the game so that it knew whether the player was using a standard kit or one with cymbals, and changed the notes accordingly. As it is, I'm certainly no drum expert, so knowing instinctively when I should be using what (pad or cymbal) is somewhat of an exercise in frustration, and makes me think that I'm really just picking up bad drumming habits that I'll later have to break. What it comes down to is that if you know a song by heart, or play live drums, this won't be a problem. For everyone else, hoping that this would be something of a drum trainer, the cymbals come off as a tacked-on experience. (Yes, I realize the irony of saying an expansion is tacked-on, but still)
They work as intended, but not without the players knowledge of how to use them. Not even the in-game drum trainer will be much help here because there is still no visual indicator of which object to hit.
As a whole, the set is a spot-on practical improvement. They located problem areas and seem to have improved on them so that the consumer wouldn't have to. But for many of the spots where they tried to take things a bit further (cymbals, velocity sensitive), the experience feels extraneous. The average user can be content with their Rock Band 1 drum kit, given that it is still in playing condition. With 20/20 hindsight, $90 seems like a steep price to pay for the relatively small advancements that this kit allows you to do.
The bottom line: This kit is good, but I would say it's better for people who have not already bought a rock band drum kit, and want one that will last.
Edited 3/18/09: After a few months of play, I thought I would note a couple of other flaws that came up. First of all, the clasps used for the height rods are too loose on my kit, so when I raised the kit and clamped them down, they would come loose while I played, making the whole thing crash down to floor level in the middle of a song. Not good. I had to solve this by switching out the base of my RB1 kit for the RB2 one, but be aware that this can be a problem, and you may have to RMA yours if you pick one up. Secondly, the pedal, as expected, has begun to crack at the hinge, so in all honesty, it's still a question of "when" and not "if" the pedal will break, even on this second generation set. Unfortunately, it looks like the real bottom line is that customers have gotten the shaft as far as Rock Band is concerned. These issues combined with the price knock my review down to 3/5 stars.
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Rock Band 2 Standalone DrumsProduct Description: Add a new dimension to your rock experience with the all new wireless Rock Band 2 Drum Set.
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