There’s one thing drummers all agree on—we can never have too many snare drums. Today we’re looking at the newer-ish Sonor Kompressor Series 6.5×14″ brass snare. I’ve never had the chance to check out or play any Sonor drums, and from what everybody says, they are awesome.
Sonor Kompressor Series Snare Drums
I’ll be real with you. I’ve never unboxed a brand-new snare drum before. Usually, when I buy snare drums from places like Guitar Center, they’re already out of the packaging and on display. I also tend to buy a lot of used gear.
So, unboxing a fresh snare drum was a fun experience, especially given the high prices of gear these days. The Kompressor series snare is moderately priced, sitting right in the middle of the budget range. If you’re thinking about upgrading, I’d suggest it as a solid, middle-of-the-road intermediate snare.
The Kompressor Series snare drums are meticulously designed and engineered in Germany. The drums have a sensitive response and powerful sound—suitable for anything I threw at it, no matter the tuning. The drums are constructed according to the Sonor Optimum Shell Measurement, allowing the heads to vibrate more freely due to the slightly reduced shell diameter.
From what I’m taking from that, the size of the shell itself is just slightly smaller, so the drum head is going to seat on there a little bit better.
The drum is heavy, due to is all-brass construction. The tube lugs look awesome and the shell has a semi-shiny gray finish—opaque yet reflective enough to see your mirror image slightly. The throw-off is the weak point of the drum. It’s no where near the quality of the DW MAG throw off. Also, there were a few scuff marks on the drum that must have happened in transport or during manufacturing.
The Kompressor Series snare drum ships with basic snare wires and Remo White Medium heads, which sound similar to Remo Ambassadors to my ears. My initial impressions are positive. For the YouTube video demo, I used a Beta 52 on the kick drum, an SM57 on the snare top, Soyuz 013 for overheads, and e604s on the toms.
The versatility is impressive. I managed to achieve everything from low, slappy, fat Nashville sounds to tight, high-pitched tones suitable for nu-metal. I can’t say that the Kompressor will be my new go-to snare drum, but it will add a unique flavor to my collection. Each drum has its place, and this one fits right in with its own distinct voice.
Sound Demos
