I've had this set for a few years now, and I've been pretty satisfied with it. The design is great. I can set it up to duplicate the positioning of my actual kit almost exactly. The pads duplicate the feel of actual drums well enough. They do produce a bit of noise though. Your next door neighbors probably won't hear them, but people in your house will. They would probably still be too loud for apartment use. The one major downside is the quality, specifically the plastic connecting parts. These can break rather easily, and it is a very fine line between tightening something enough so that it won't vibrate loose, and overtightening to the point where it breaks. I have managed to salvage a couple connectors by placing a larger diameter washer between the bolt head and the plastic connector, thus making a new tightening surface. I'm also using one mount from another company since these tubes are the standard size for rack tubing. Also, you can order replacement parts from Remo through your local dealer. All in all, I've been pretty satisfied with this set, but I really wish they would improve the quality of the connectors.

These are basically regular drum heads put on top of some 2-3 layers of foam & plastic. These things are NOT that quiet. Not as loud as an acoustic drumset, but still loud enough that someone else in the house will hear them. If you have the funds, you're best bet would be buying the Gibraltar kickdrum pad & like 4 of the vic firth or reelfeel pads for the ultimate quiet practice. & just set them up with snare stands or a small table of some sort. Or invest in an actual mesh or quiet practice pad set. I honestly don't see why anyone would spend their money on this set. I only bought 1 pad & I never use it cuz it's loud. Even soft playing is like hitting a wooden table with your drumstick.

I use one of the old style so I can't speak to how well the new ones are made. My main concerns are how loud it is (for practice pads) and the fact you cant tilt the pads to emulate a real snare and toms. You won't be able to practice w/o waking up the rest of your family.

This thing was awsome for about the first month I had it, then everything broke. Everything is attatched to the frame by cheap plastic clamps with metal screws. Tighten them a little too much, hit a pad too hard, or bump it the wrong way and they snap. The pads screw on only about a centimeter or less. They constantly loosen and fall off while playing and eventually the threading stripped away leaving them useless. I've had this set for a couple months and the only thing left in tact is the frame, bass pad, and one tom. It's a shame because this thing has the potential to be great if it was made better, and for a price thats close to a cheap or used drum set, there's no reason it shouldn't be.

I owned the original version of this set back in the 70's. Beat on them for 20 years until the hardware became worn out. The New Rack Style is outstanding. Both my Son and I use this kit and it stands up to ANY beating we throw at it.