Millenium MPS-1500 review | Is it any good?

When the Millenium MPS-1500 Hybrid-X launched in September, we wrote that anyone telling you whether it sounded good was guessing. Nobody outside Millenium had hit one.

Two months on, that has changed. Bonedo and Audiofanzine have both published full tests, and the first Thomann buyers have had their say.

So is Thomann’s flagship e-kit actually any good, and should you buy one? Let’s find out.

How we put this review together

Straight up: nobody at Drum Faster has played this kit. This page is built from the published spec, Millenium’s and Thomann’s own material, and the people who have had one in the room.

That means Bonedo’s test by Lars-Oliver Horl, Audiofanzine’s test, MusicRadar’s launch coverage and the handful of buyer reviews on Thomann. Where an opinion is theirs, we say so.

It is also why there is no star rating here. We only score gear we have played.

Who is the Millenium MPS-1500 for?

Drummers who want an electronic kit that looks like a drum kit, and do not have Roland VAD money.

It is also for anyone who fancies a sample pad. The module is a nine-pad multipad in its own right, and Bonedo points out you can lift it off and use it next to an acoustic kit.

It is not a first kit. If you are just starting out, our electronic drum kit buying guide will save you a lot of money.

What do you get in the box?

Eight pads, all full size, with mesh heads on real wood shells:

• Bass drum: 22” x 16”
• Snare: 13” x 5.5”, dual-zone
• Toms: 10” x 6”, 12” x 6” and 14” x 14”, all dual-zone
• Hi-hat: 13” dual-zone, with separate top and bottom pads
• Crashes: two 15” dual-zone pads with choke
• Ride: 18” triple-zone with choke
• Module: the Millenium Nexus Multi-Percussion Pad

Hardware in the box is a bass drum pedal, a hi-hat stand, a snare stand, two tom arms with multiclamps and three cymbal stands.

There is one thing to mention. There is no rack, no throne and no headphones, so budget for the last two.

What is the Nexus module like?

This is the clever bit. Instead of a small brain bolted to a rack, you get a nine-pad sample pad with a 4.3” colour screen that also runs the whole kit.

The numbers are big: 3,622 sounds, 160 kits (80 preset, 80 your own) and room for up to 600 of your own samples, loaded from a USB drive.

Round the back are eight balanced direct outs, a stereo line out, a headphone out, a 3.5mm line in, a footswitch input and five spare trigger inputs. Bluetooth audio is on board for playing along to your phone.

MusicRadar’s launch piece summed up the idea nicely: “why hasn’t this been done yet?”

Audiofanzine called the Nexus the big surprise of its test. It did note that there is no way to record a loop directly on the module, which is something you might expect from a sample pad.

What do the reviewers say?

They do not agree. Audiofanzine gave the kit 8 out of 10. Bonedo gave it 3.5 out of 5.

Bonedo liked the huge sound selection, the fact that the module works on its own, the cymbal pads and the Bluetooth. The pads themselves it called decent.

The problem is what happens after you hit them. Bonedo reports a noticeable latency when playing the pads, and says it leaves the kit feeling a little sluggish.

On sound, its verdict is that the MPS-1500 does not quite match its price class, and does not reach established mid-range kits such as the Roland TD-313 or Yamaha DTX6.

The supplied hardware was marked down too. One detail from the test: the two-legged hi-hat stand works reliably, but moves around a lot when you play.

Here is Bonedo’s video review, so you can hear it for yourself:

What do owners say?

So far, mostly good things. Thomann’s UK page shows 4.6 out of 5, but from only seven ratings, so treat that as an early signal rather than a verdict.

Thomann buyers who traded up from the old MPS-1000 report a clear step forward. Others praise the build and the feel of the wood shells, and one commends Thomann’s support after a problem.

The caveats are worth reading. One buyer says the hi-hat finally works but is still the kit’s weakest point. Another says the sounds are mostly good, but experienced players will probably prefer dedicated sample software.

What does it do well?

• It looks like a drum kit. A 22” kick and wood shells at this price is rare.
• The cymbals are generous. An 18” triple-zone ride and two 15” crashes, all with choke.
• Eight direct outs. A proper multitrack feed for a desk or an interface.
• The module is two products in one. Kit brain and sample pad.
• Room to grow. Five spare trigger inputs.

Where does it fall short?

• Latency. Bonedo’s biggest complaint, and not something a spec sheet warns you about.
• The sounds. A long list, but Bonedo and at least one owner rate them below the competition.
• No USB audio. USB carries MIDI only, according to Bonedo’s test. To record the module’s sounds you need an audio interface.
• The hi-hat. A wandering stand in Bonedo’s test, and the weak point for one owner.
• One shop. No trying it in a local store, and resale is an unknown.

The good news is that the first two have a fix. Plug the USB port into a laptop and trigger software drums instead, which is exactly how Audiofanzine ran it, with Superior Drummer 3.

Our guides to connecting an electronic kit to a computer and the best drum VSTs cover the how.

How does it compare to the rivals?

The MPS-1500 costs about the same as the two kits Bonedo measured it against. UK shops list the Roland TD-313 at roughly £1,250 to £1,450 and the Yamaha DTX6K3-X from around £1,300.

Those are rack kits with small pads, and they look like it. On Bonedo’s evidence, they also sound better and respond faster.

So the choice is simple enough. Do you want the kit that looks the part, or the one that plays the part?

If you are spending far less, the Alesis Nitro Max is where to start, and our Roland TD-07KV vs Nitro Max head-to-head covers the step above it. Our original MPS-1500 launch story has the full spec.

How much is it, and where can I buy one?

It launched at €1,398, or £1,219 in the UK. Thomann’s listings have since sat at around £1,200 and $1,300, but prices move, so check before you order.

Millenium is Thomann’s house brand, so there is only one shop. You can order it from Thomann, which ships internationally.

Final thoughts

The MPS-1500 Hybrid-X is a lot of kit for the money. Nobody disputes that part.

What the first tests show is where the money was saved: in the sounds and in the speed of the module. If you plan to play it through a drum VST, or you want a big stage kit with a sample pad built in, it makes real sense. If you want to plug in headphones and have it feel like a Roland, the reviews say it will not.

Still deciding? Read our mesh head buying guide to get the feel right, or ask the Gear Guru what it would put against this at your budget.