Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Hi Mike,

No apologies required for the enthusiasm - we all get
it when we talk about buying new gear (as Walt wipes
the drool from his keyboard).

Anyway, lets break this into a few areas.  First, the
pads.  The xpress II has the newest technology in this
area.  I haven't tried them myself, but many of the
recent posts on them have been positive, especially on
the bass tower having a larger pad area.  The KP60 and
KP80 towers have had some negative comments made about
their reliability and performance, only time will tell
if similar comments are made about the new tower. 
Moving to the snare/tom pads, the TP80S dual zone pads
tend to have less than perfect response on the rim
triggers - the main part of the pads is solid though. 
The xpress II has the newer 3 zone pads, and the pads
have a different texture than the originals ones did. 
On the topic of cymbal pads, many of us have cracked
the underlying plastic base on original line.  The
PCY80S also likes to collect dust causing problems. 
We'll have to see how the new cymbal pads work out.  
So if the most advanced technology is what you want,
the xpress II would seem to be the winner for the
pads.

Next the modules.  We have 3 listed, the DTX and the
DTXpress I and II.  From a number of inputs view, I
believe the DTX wins with 8 dual zone inputs and 4
mono inputs.  Both of the xpress versions only have 2
mono inputs, plus the xpress II has 8 - 3 zone inputs
while the xpress I has 8 dual inputs.  I would need to
look at the specs to be sure, but I believe the DTX
has the strongest processor and number of simultaneous
voices.  From a perspective of which has the newest
technology, the DTX is the oldest, followed by the
xpress I, then the xpress II.  So, if the latest
technology is more important than everything else, the
xpress II would be the one.  If having the most inputs
is more important, the DTX has the most.  

So, what would Walt buy, given the three choices?  A
glass of whiskey first, then I think I would go with
the xpress II.  The 2 extra mono inputs on the DTX
would not   be more important to me than the newer
triggering technology would be.  As I have expanded my
kit, triggering problems have been the most
troublesome.  When I ran out of inputs on a module, I
could always add more, but if I couldn't get a trigger
to work right, I was SOL.  Some people may wonder
where the additional features and power of the DTX (5
layers, chaining, etc) fits into my thinking - I think
the average drummer can certainly find uses for them,
but unless you're going to really explore them, they
are (more than likely) not going to add much extra
value to you. 

Now, to the rest of you viewing this topic - fire
away!

The opinions expressed in this post are not influenced
by Jack Daniels (hic), well, not much anyway!
--- Mike Warren Autographs
<mikewarrenautographs@...> wrote:
> Hi. New to the group - this is my 2nd post and I
> really enjoy the group and all of the great info! As
> mentioned in previous post, I am (was) planning to
> get
> new DTXpressII but have been looking now at the
> DTXpress LE and the DS10XP LE at the Musician's
> Friend
> web site (see below link):
>
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=020916200457172142163159419231/search/g=perc?q=dtxpress
> 
> Question: (maybe Walt will have a little advice
> here)
> - of the (3) kits listed below:
> DTXpressII - $999
> DTXpress LE - $799
> DS10XP LE - $999
> 
> which kit would you go with and why? They are all
> very
> close to the same price so saving a little money
> here
> or there is not a big deal for me, but out of the
> (3),
> I am wanting the most advanced of the (3) sets and
> would like the option of expanding and adding more
> pads in the future (I also play double bass). So
> considering my needs, which set??? And how much more
> expadable is the DS10XP LE over the DTXpress? It
> probably will boil down to a decision between the
> DTXpressII and the DS10XP LE - is the DS10XP brain
> and
> pads superior to that of the DTXpressII? ANY and ALL
> info greatly appreciated. Thanks everybody!!! I hope
> I
> have not been TOO long winded here - just anxious
> and
> excited about getting my first electronic kit!!! : )
> - Mike
> 
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