I love this set, and I don't know what I'd do without it. The pads are rubber so they feel like rubber pads, but the sound is nearly silent. Much quieter than the Remo practice pads, and also much more durable. Also, adjusting the pad placement is simple and there's a lot of flexibility as to where you move the pads to. About my only complaint is that the rack-tom pads are mounted on a single bar of metal, so they're locked in at the same angle - although you can adjust the angle of the bar so that's good. Bottom line is, it's a great price for a great piece of equipment (it's Gibraltar so you know it's rock-solid!) and it's nice to be able to practice at 2 in the morning if I want without the cops coming. (-: