Sonor AQ2 Safari Kit In-depth Review and Sound Test! A Best and Worst Gear Review
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- Опубликовано: 12 июл 2024
- In this video I demo and give an in-depth review of the Sonor AQ2 Safari kit, with a sound test of the kit as well as discussing my favourite features, who I think the kit is best suited for and my 'best and worst' of the drums.
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00:00 Intro
00:58 Sound test demo
04:41 Favourite Features
05:22 Who should buy this kit?
07:14 Best and Worst
Hope you enjoy this review of the kit and if you're looking to get one yourself, I hope it helps in making your decision. Let me know in the comments and what you think of the drums.
I recommend listening with good quality headphones or speakers for the drum sound test.
Sonor AQ2 Safari sizes
13x6 snare
10x7 rack tom
13x12 floor tom
16x15 bass drum
Take it easy!
Will
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You said it not that great for loud rock, but didn't actually say or demonstrate what it would suit, would have liked to hear some jazz/funk/jungle/latin, etc played as a demo. and the snare at a higher tuning too.
Cheers for the feedback, I’ll bear that in mind for future reviews 👍🏻
A very informative and honest review. Drawn in from your intro, and loved it. Well done sir!
Thanks for the kind words George! Much appreciated
Great review good sir.
Keep your videos coming and big thanks for making the effort to make this review!
Much appreciated! Will do!
Cracking video, top quality review.
I own the black lacquer kit and upgraded the floor tom to a 14”. So good!
Hey Will...Excellent video, great content, love it !!...they are blooming nice little kits
Cheers guys! Thanks again for sorting me one 👍🏻🥁
Hey Will, I have to agree with your review! I have the exact same kit and it's incredible for the money. The thing that I have noticed with the Sonor drums is the tone and control of the sound, not everyone likes them because of the super thick shells but I love it! Maybe one day I will have my own SQ2 or Prolite!!!! dream on...! keep up the great work.
Thanks for checking out the review man. Enjoy those drums!
The drums sound fantastic.
Sounds great!! Sonor anything is excellent.
Yes! Get in there Mark, cheers for checking out the video man
I bought one of these kits, great sound, plenty of volume, I'm playing in a blues oriented set up. Your review helped my purchase decision, I just fell in lust with the kit and had to get it. You and a few others demonstrated that its possible to get a big sound from small drums. I love playing the kit, the snare is so good, I even got the toms tuned low -ish and loud. And the bass drum is just a weapon..........- I was asked could I play a little quieter please by my bandmates. I tried to, but........ its addictive I love it!
Love it man! Glad the review helped you decide to buy the kit and even happier that you're enjoying playing it!
I have this same kit and also added the 8” Tom to it! Very satisfied with it 👌🏼
Love that!
Same here. I added the 8". I mount the 8 on the mount attached to the bass drum and position it slightly to the right under the ride, then I put the 10" on a separate stand more in front of the snare. So it's like having the standard 4 piece setup with the 8 snuck in-between the other two toms. I like this because I don't use the 8 as much as the other two, and it often leads to unconventional fills.
I just tapped the bass drum at my local drum shop, and immediately regretted my decision to buy a used a breakbeats kit. I've now decided to pick up this kit in the ocean blue sparkle.
that built in riser sells this kit for me
I love the bright ton
Yeah it's a beaut! - Thanks for watching
Thanks dude Nice review
Thanks!
Very, very good review. Thanks ...!
Thanks man!
I have an early Jungle kit but this sure sounds good.
I bought this kit about a month ago and, as you say, it makes it fun to play which turns into longer sessions because you just want to keep playing. I have added a 14" floor tom and have ordered an 8" and 12" tom to make it a large kit with 3 toms and 2 floors. Unfortunately, I have to wait 3 months for the 2 extra toms to ship to Canada on special order. I think a large Safari kit is going to be unbelievable. I have the Titanium Quartz wrap and sometimes I just look at them because they look so nice with the sparkles shining like diamonds in the light. Got to admit, your white pearl wrap looks fantastic too! The sound and quality is awesome. I added an Aquarian SKII drumhead to the kick which gave it some really nice tonal qualities and I think it even makes it a little more beefy and loud. Being a gigging drummer, you would know better than me, but I feel these have enough punch to deliver for any music genre. I hit fairly hard and feel they project well, but I play mostly for my own enjoyment,. You guys that are out there on the road would have a better perspective. BTW nice job on the kit!
Love this! Getting the extra toms involved, go big, go Neil Peart or go home! Good shout on the Aquarian SK as well, had one of those on my Ludwig Breakbeat and it worked a treat. Definitely agree that the punch the kick gives for a smaller drum is immense and would cover you for most gigs. What cymbals are you using with your Sonor kit? Thanks for checking out the video. W.
@@WillDrumsDaly I have kind of a middle-of-the-road mixed bag of cymbals:
Sabian 21" AAX Raw Bell Dry Ride
Sabian 20" XS Medium Ride
Sabian 15" AAX X-treme Chinese
Sabian 18" AA Raw Bell Crash
Sabian 10" HHX Splash
Zildjian 17" A Medium Thin Crash
Zildjian 13 1/4" K Custom Hybrid Hi-Hat (Just purchased)
I have been looking for the perfect sound in cymbals all my life. They are very hard to shop for since the perfect sound is in your mind or on a favourite recording. This is particularly true of the hi-hats and the ride. Fairly happy with the new hats though. Had AA Sabian hats before which I still have and still like. I do believe I am more of a Zildjian man at heart, but I like to support the Canadian Sabian's.
I have a Roland TD-17KVX kit which I also love.
@@dobson62 Nice! That perfect cymbal sound is a life long chase for sure. Particularly because they can sound so different recording them to how they sound behind the kit or depending what room you’re in. I grew up playing Sabian so I’ve got a lot of time for the Canadians too! 👍🏻 Great stuff man, love a gear rundown
Nice with the Broken Social Scene
Get in. Glad someone clocked it 👌🏻
Started with standard stage Aq2 kit, added 16 inch bd later to have bop kit.
Port holed the front head, put an Emad UV1 on it and a little roll of cloth inside next to the batter head of the kick on my AQ2 Safari today.
After a few stomps on the pedal I now understand why they make nappies for adults..
It's been three weeks since mine arrived and I haven't played it once yet. Replaced the stock heads and am now just waiting on few special cymbals and a second 12 x 5 snare to arrive before I jump on. Your facial expressions when you play this kit really sums it all up and I cant wait!!! Thanks for the great video buddy 👍
Ahhh man sounds killer! That EMAD is gonna be sweeeeet. Thanks for checking out the video man, glad you enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy the kit too! ✌🏻
I have a aq2 martini (kick 14") and just changed the kick head to an aquarian superkick 2 (batter), a remo fiberskyn (reso) and an eq pad. Man my micro kit bass drum is now a little giant with great power and punch. 🔥👌
@@eliasarroyo4929 Love the Aquarian superkick! 😍
That kick sounds ace! The only small kick I've ever used was on a really pricy Jalopino pack away, which sounded absolutly cack!
Yeah man it's got some serious power behind it for something so small. Such a fun kit to play, definitely worth checking them out.
Ok you guys can make your drums sound so AWESOME!
Please share the knowledge.
Tune bot settings would be a way to precisely let us not so talented drummers to have our drums sound great also
Mic placement is almost parallel to the head. Not a typical angle. Usually you want closer to 45 degree angle for more attack. The wsy you have it your floor tom is basically pounting at the hihat. That angle is used sometimes as a secondary or tertiary mic but when we do that we use a condenser mic to pick up those over-the-top-of-the-head subtler frequencies.
Connie Kay of the Modern Jazz Quartet played a Sonor drum kit!! I think it was a phonic drum set, I’m not sure. Again great video thanks!!
Jack DeJohnette and Steve Smith play Sonor.
Emanuelle Caplette is also Sonor Artist. Check her out.Stellsr technique, power, fluidity. Raised in drum corps. Canadian.
I hawe first generation sonor safari, it s red and brocats. So wery good perkusions for little mone. !!
Love it!
Very interesting point you made about the breakbeats drum set volume compared to this one! I've heard the same argument on other
youtube reviews.
Yeah the breakbeats kit is still a great kit. But I was actually quite amazed at how much the quality increases by spending just a few more hundred pounds.
@@WillDrumsDaly
I'm sure Questlove is working on his next products! It's a very competitive market!!
I have AQ2 in bop config. Probably the best value for money among all other sets I own. They’re often my first choice for studio & live environment. Good sound, easy tuning and the build quality is surprisingly good in that price range.
I agree there’s no reason to pay a few times more for US or German-made drums.
7 ply maple shells explains it all , i bought this kit about 3 years ago, very happy with it.
Does this kit tune up easier? Why do you think so question perfect cut and roundness?
I own the pre-AQ2 Safari, and use it as a small-venue kit (with Sabian FRX cymbals). It's not got quite the quality of the AQ2 line, but really does the job well, and has one thing the new kit doesn't: a 14" floor tom. For me, that's a deal breaker. That little 13" just doesn't get low enough for the music I play. That said, the new snare sounds phenomenal, where the snare that came with my kit is functional, at best (I replaced it with a 12 x 3 1/2 steel snare), and Sonor obviously know how to make a small kick sound HUGE, because both my older model kick and this newer one are just fantastic. Really pleased with my kit, especially for what I paid for it.
I would consider upgrading if the AQ2 came with a 14" floor tom...
Great review. Kick drum sounds great on that studio clip. Can you go into detail about the setup for that sound? Heads and beater? I have this same kit, it sounds great. I looked at ever new kit under $1,000 when I was shopping, and this one won.
Yeah it's actually just the stock head and then I think I was using quite a basic pearl kick pedal. Recorded using an Audix D6.
@@WillDrumsDalywould you recommend this kit over the Gretsch Renown?
Thanks. Amazing what you can do while recording. I'm experimenting with softer beaters, an EMAD on the front, and a calftone on the front. It's getting there. @@WillDrumsDaly
@@Bigbaldcaucasianman Oooo tough question. AQ2 is a maple shell where as the Renown is 7ply mahogany. I haven’t personally played one but with the specs I’d expect the Gretsch to feel slightly more vintage compared to the Sonor. So depends what kind of sound you’re after.
@@WillDrumsDalythanks, although I do believe that Renown’s are now made of 7 ply Maple too, is there a huge difference in hardware quality or just overall quality?
Any idea if the Toms will nest inside the bass drum?
I recently started playing drums(it has been about 5 months now) and im planning head next christmas where I will most likely upgrade my kit, I got an e drum as my first but 1 month in after learning the basics I got the MAPEX TORNADO, I was thinking of upgrading from the tornado to this AQ2 safari, I really want a sonor kit but I dont want to spend more then 1.2k, my budget is 1k. Im looking to be a full fledged rock/pop drummer, what would you recommend?
So..the tom holder with the boom arm cymbal,would it hold another tom eg 12nch or is the structure of it different cheers
Wish I had the ability to post photos in comments for this one haha. So the bracket holds both the boom and the tom holder. So you can swap the boom out for another tom holder, as long as your additional tom holder is the same diameter size as the one that comes with the kit.
You’d need another tom holder basically but it would need to fit the bracket. Hope that makes sense.
Thank you for this outstanding review! I have a question for the Sonor Safari aficionados here. I just bought a used Safari, am trying to tune the bass drum and am not getting a sound I like. It’s either too much tone/too high, or it’s too flabby sounding and also starting to get wrinkly on the batter side. Can anyone recommend heads and a tuning approach to get a somewhat deep thuddy sound for rock/country? Thanks!
Look at Rob "Beatdown" Brown's video on bass drum tuning
Uhh, I,ve been deep diving on small affordable drum kits! Uhh, my winner is?????ll? Yamaha bebop kit!!! Birch shells in an affordable package!!! Price Sonor or the Yamaha recording or the elusive Sakai drum sets! The Yamaha she'll pack come in at around $550!!! No hardware or snare but still! 12/8", 14/13" and 18/15"! Very close to the classic bebop sizes!! I,m going to get them and the wifey be damned!!! These sizes are perfect for jazz, rock, funk, hip! Small to medium size clubs!
Would you tell whats the batter head and reso head they use on snare,tom ,and bass? Thanks to respond..🙏
In this video i'm playing the stock Remo heads that came with the kit which are likely to be something similar to Remo Ambassadors
What about the volume of the drum kit? Would you say it would be a good choice for a practice kit for home use?
It's always going to slightly depend on your playing style and living situation but i'd say these drums can definitely work as a home practice kit
How do you have the kick drum set up in this video as far as muffling and heads Will?
Thanks
BillyH
No worries Billy, there’s no muffling at all and this was recorded with the original kick drum head that comes with the kit.
@@WillDrumsDaly is your batter head tightened just beyond flap and your reso a little tighter... I might have to fly you over to tune mine to duplicate that wonderful sound you're achieving. 😉
@@billyhammond1569 Yeah I’d say I usually have the batter at medium to low tuning. The reso maybe medium.
hey Will! thanks for the helpful video. may I ask what cymbals you are using with the kit? I don't have much experience buying drum kits and I don't know what ride size would be appropriate for it. Thanks again!
Hey man, thanks for checking out the review. So in this video, I’m committing the mother of all sins and mix and matching cymbal companies 😱😂 I’m playing some 13’ Sabian Groove Hats and an 18’ Meinl Byzance Sand thin crash. I’d say for those kind of bop size kits an 18’ ride is probably the way to go 👍🏻 Although you could probably get away with a 20’ as well. Glad to help, feel free to get in touch with more questions if you need.
What size and model are your hi hats?? Thanks
13" Sabian Grove Hats
Can that drumset also use a mid tom
How to compare this kit to:
PDP Daru Jones New Yorker
TAMA club jam kit
Pearl Midtown
Gretch Catalina club kit
?!
Thanks to nyone that can help advise between these?
thanks to anyone who can share some insights into quality difference and feel of playing difference!
What bothered you about the breakbeats?
Mainly the bass drum pedal mount. It wasn’t very adjustable and the chain of the pedal tended to eat into the bass drum hoop slightly. Also some of the hardware felt slightly cheap. But the kit it self still sounded good and was fun to play.
@@WillDrumsDaly thanks! Yea I’ve heard about that drum riser not being the best. I’m stuck on deciding between this AQ2 in white pearl or the AQX jungle. That pearl white is a beauty!
saw the hands and arms and left....
*commented **edited and then left
Appreciate the feedback, cheers!
But Ludwig Breakbeat is garbage compared to AQ2.
100% And although the Safari kit MAY have the same shells as the breakbeat (different cut) my old Safari is way better as well.