Roland TD-07KV2 | Bigger pads for the TD-07

The TD-07KV has been Roland’s go-to “first proper e-kit” since 2020. Today it gets its first real update.

Roland announced two second-generation TD-07 kits from Hamamatsu this morning: the TD-07KV2 and the cheaper TD-07DMK2. Same module, bigger pads, more cymbals, a smarter coach and a rack that takes less time to build.

Roland is aiming them at beginners, dedicated students and returning players. That last group is a nice touch. If you sold your kit years ago and miss it, this is the market Roland wants.

So is it a genuine upgrade, or a new number on the box? Let’s find out.

What is new in the TD-07KV2?

The pads. That was always the weak spot of the original kit, and it is where Roland has spent the money.

The original TD-07KV ran an 8-inch snare and 6.5-inch toms. The KV2 steps up to the PD-10H and PD-8H dual mesh pads, borrowed from the V-Drums 3 Series along with its newer sensor system for more accurate triggering. Here is what you get:

• Snare: PD-10H, 10-inch
• Rack toms: PD-8H x 2, 8-inch
• Floor tom: PD-10H, 10-inch
• Hi-hat: CY-5, 10-inch, with the FD-9 pedal
• Crash 1: CY-8, 12-inch
• Crash 2: CY-5, 10-inch
• Ride: CY-8, 12-inch
• Kick: KD-10

That second crash is a big deal at this price. The old KV gave you one crash and a ride, so every left-hand crash meant reaching across. Now you get a proper five-piece with two crashes, and a 10-inch snare that feels far more like hitting a drum than a practice pad.

The rack is still a four-post metal stand, but it now arrives with many of its parts already fitted, which Roland reckons makes these among the easiest e-kits to set up. Anyone who has spent an evening with a drum key and a diagram will appreciate that. There is less packaging in the box too.

The centre pipe is also wider than before. That matters later: it lets you swap the KD-10 for Roland’s KDQ-8 kick pad from the Quiet Design range, which Roland says cuts kick noise dramatically. Handy if you share a wall with neighbours.

What about the TD-07DMK2?

The DMK2 is the cheaper way in. It shares the same 10-inch PD-10H snare, but all three toms are 8-inch PD-8H pads and every cymbal is a 10-inch CY-5: hi-hat, crash and ride.

It is also the more compact of the two, so it suits a bedroom corner or a small flat.

There is one clever touch. The DMK2 comes with an extra cymbal arm, so you can add a second crash later without buying more hardware. It is a kit built to grow with you.

Both kits use the freestanding KD-10 kick pad, which takes single or double pedals. The pedal and throne are sold separately, as usual.

Has the module changed?

Not the hardware. Both kits run the same TD-07 module as before, and honestly that is fine. It was never the problem.

You still get 25 preset kits, 25 user kits and 143 instruments, with per-pad EQ, the Overhead Mic Simulator, room ambience and 30 multi-effect types. Bluetooth is built in, so you can stream songs from your phone to play along with, and it sends MIDI to music apps over Bluetooth too.

USB handles both MIDI and audio, so you can record the module’s sounds straight into a DAW or trigger a drum VST. Our guide to connecting an e-kit to a computer covers the settings.

What is new in the coach mode?

This is where the module has moved on. The coach mode has been updated, with exercises that run from easy to hard and a score at the end, so you can see whether your timing is actually improving day to day.

The six modes are Time Check (easy and hard), Quiet Count, Auto Up/Down, Change-up and the brilliantly named BLAST BEAST. The metronome runs from 20 to 260 BPM.

Both kits also come with free access to Drum Pass, a bundle of interactive Melodics lessons Roland has built for V-Drums players. Add Roland’s RSH-10 phone holder to the rack and you have your lessons and play-alongs right in front of you.

What are the downsides?

There are a couple to mention.

The toms still don’t do rimshots, so the PD-8H and PD-10H pads are single-zone on the toms. And the ride is the same two-zone CY-8 as before. There is no dedicated bell zone, which was our biggest complaint about the original TD-07KV. If you play a lot of bell patterns, budget for a CY-13R later.

The hi-hat is still a CY-5 on a fixed arm rather than a real hi-hat stand. That is normal at this price, but it won’t feel like an acoustic hat.

How much are they, and when can I get one?

Both kits are on pre-order now. In Europe, Thomann lists the TD-07DMK2 at €925 and the TD-07KV2 at €1,198.

We haven’t seen UK or US pricing yet. For context, the outgoing TD-07KV sat at around $1,000 / £850, so expect the KV2 to land a little above that.

Where can I buy one?

The right shop depends on where you are: Guitar Center in the Americas, Gear4music in the UK, or Thomann for Europe and the rest of the world.

With the new kits arriving, the original TD-07KV should start turning up cheaper too. Keep an eye on used TD-07 kits on Reverb if you’d rather save the difference.

Final thoughts

This is the update the TD-07KV needed. Bigger pads and a second crash fix the two things that made the old kit feel like a practice kit, and the module was already good.

The two-zone ride is still a shame, but at under €1,200 this looks like the e-kit to beat for a first proper setup. See how the original held up against the competition in our Roland TD-07KV vs Alesis Nitro Max head-to-head, or browse the rest of the range in our Roland V-Drums hub.