10 Reviews: Best Snare Drum for the Money (Sep 2023)

The Black Nickel Over Brass snare features a thin brass shell with a loud sound. This snare features a loud snap, as well as center strikes and rimshots with a great ring to it. The tone is lively and warm, creating a versatile sound that can be used in any kind of music. This snare’s loudness is what makes it ideal for rock and metal. The MAG throw-off is one of the greatest features of this snare drum. It uses a magnet to control the snare wires and allows you to switch the snare on and off extremely smoothly and simply.

This thing is awesome! I was intent on getting a Ludwig Supraphonic, and I am glad I didn't just jump into it, and shopped around. The nickel over brass DW is quite heavy for a snare drum, but the sound is every bit as good as a "Black beauty", and at half the price! It's just gorgeous to boot!

by Ron Samek

The Supraphonics are among Ludwig’s most popular snare drums. It boasts a chrome-plated, beaded aluminum shell that provides an excellent blend of round tone and cutting snare crack. It has a lovely ring to it, is well defined, and has a good pop that cuts through a mix. The depth gives the snare fatness that you will notice when you play it hard, implying that this snare returns the energy that you put into it, which is ideal for rock music.

Simply the best! It speaks for it self. Get it now! Along with a new head.

by Jim Marchuk

Ludwig’s Supraphonic is often mentioned in internet reviews as one of the best snare drums available. The Supraphonic comes in 5-inch and 6.5-inch sizes. Ludwig created the Supraphonic’s shell from aluminum and coated it with chrome for a sleek appearance. This drum has a wide range of tuning options and produces a fantastic crack when tuned up in pitch. The drum has a lovely natural ring to it. This drum can produce anything from a Buddy Rich buzz roll to a powerful and quick backbeat.

This snare is an industry standard as we all know. After unboxing it and tuning up with the stock heads and throwing it under my mic"s I am reminded why I wanted to get another of these after having played on one 30 years ago. Even tone, articulate and smooth it shines in a bunch of different tuning ranges. Love it!

by Alonzo Villarreal

The shells of the WFLIII Generations are made of 6-ply Maple/Okoume with hand-finished 45-degree bearing edges for optimum head contact, custom WFLIII springless lugs, Remo ambassador heads, and 2.3mm triple-flanged hoops for the maximum full-bodied attack. Cross-grain shells are heat-pressed for strength and roundness. Hand-finished 45-degree round-over bearing edges offer optimum head-to-shell contact, and hand-hewn snare beds assure exact snare contact on all snare drums.

Before we speak about how it sounds, you simply need to marvel at how utterly lovely this snare drum looks. The light brown satin finish complements any drum set with which this snare is paired. The Starphonic Copper snare is a genuinely one-of-a-kind instrument. There is no other snare drum that sounds like that. It has a throaty dark tone that works well with heavy music. When you strike the center of the snare, the roar it emits resonates throughout the mix, providing a strong backbeat.

My precious Tama Starphonic Copper arrived to Costa Rica yesterday after I had waited for it for a long time. I put an Evans Genera Dry head on it and without a doubt the sound is incredible, I can recommend this product to anyone who wants the best snare drum.

by José Pablo Ramírez Montoya

The snare is composed of brass and produces a very loud sound. The tones are quite complex, reflecting Matt Halpern’s intricate playing style. You may tune the snare high to make it crack, or low to make it booming. Both tunings sound fantastic. The snare’s hardware is of high quality. Pearl’s low-mass swivel lugs on the snare enable the drum to vibrate freely. It also includes the MasterCast hoops, which give the drum a powerful attacking tone.

The Yamaha Stage Custom drum kit is one of Yamaha’s best-selling models. Its shell bundle includes a 14″ snare drum, 10″ and 12″ rack toms, a 16″ floor tom, and a 22″ kick drum. The shells are composed of birch wood, which gives the drums a crisp and punchy sound. The rack toms are quite resonant, whilst the floor tom has a nice thud. The 22″ kick has a big, noticeable sound. Overall, the drums sound open and will perform nicely in a huge setting.

This drum set is so amazing! There's no better set for this price and performs like a professional Kit! I've been playing on a stage custom for as long as I can remember and I just recently upgraded to this version so I can build a new kit!

by Ethan

The AQ2 Bop is part of Sonor’s compact drum kit range, which is geared for portability. Its shell pack includes a 14-inch snare, a 12-inch rack tom, a 14-inch floor tom, and an 18-inch kick drum. The shells are composed of maple, which gives them a focused and responsive tone. This implies that this kit is suitable for both gentle dynamics and loud accents. The AQ2 Bop’s portability makes it an excellent choice for drummers who move around.

[...] No fit or finish flaws and the 18" kick is just the size I was looking for. Perfect for my home studio (bonus room). The white pearl wrap is stylish and understated. I don't think I'll need to upgrade to a different kit in the future, only expand it a bit. Thanks to my Sales Engineer, Kingsley Davis for helping me pull the trigger.

by Jerry Railey

This is the best of the best in the world of steel snare drums. The thick, 3mm shell has a lot of bites. However, the sharpness of the sound is offset by the deeper tones inherent in the instrument. This steel snare drum is elegantly polished in black chrome and has 10 classic lugs, a lightning throw-off, die-cast hoops, and the famed Gretsch knurled pattern on the center shell. The unrivaled brightness and pop will wake you up, while the dark tones will bring forth noises you didn’t realize you were looking for.

Session musicians swear by this industry standard for its dependable broad tuning range and tight bearing edges. It can take high tunings effectively, producing a solid, focused tone. At lower tunings, it sounds like a wood shell snare drum. This old favorite has been around for decades, and once you start playing, you’ll understand why. This metal shell drum is ideal for anybody who enjoys experimenting; it will collaborate with you to discover the right character in your music.